The semi-canonical maps of Middle Earth

[J.Edward]

I edited the rivers based on Pixie's suggestion.
Playing around with drawing other Gondor lettering, just for fun.

[Diamond]

I thought the coast-ripple-lines in the Anduin actually worked well, it helped give it a sense of scale. "This isn't just a river, it's a BIG river!"

I also like the gold roads - it makes them pop a little without overwhelming the map. As far as the title, while it's not as 'ornamental' as some of the other ones, I think that works well in this instance - for the dignity and arrogance of Gondor.

[J.Edward]

@Diamond - Yeah, I'm not sold on that either [river lines].
Maybe I can do something a bit more subtle but still visible that gets at it better.
What did you have in mind for the Gondor lettering? Happy to hear any thoughts on that.

[J.Edward]

@Diamond - Here's another version.
Some subtle drawn lines for the river and a different, perhaps less dignified Gondor.

[Chashio]

I actually prefer the previous title lettering and position over this last one, but that's me. Other than that personal preference the last version of the map is stunningly excellent J. Really nice work on this.

[J.Edward]

@Chashio - Yeah, I can see why. That last one is big and dark and heavy. I was trying out a new metal technique.
I pretty much agree.
I am trying a different thing with the coast lines. I usually use the stroke technique but since I did the river lines as hand drawn I thought I might try doing the full coast lines as hand drawn as well. We'll see if that turns out well.

[J.Edward]

Here's the latest with the drawn coast lines. Nor sure if I like them better.
They're different and add something different for sure. But whether it's better and more consistent with the style I'm not sure.

[RigoIII]

I've always despised the mountains around Mordor... it just seemed like a big square and unnatural to me, you managed to fix it up a bit, great job!

[RigoIII]

By the by, for the rivers and lakes, try something like a very pale greyish blue. Maybe it won't stand out too much and it will be different from the forest. In such a monochrome map just a little saturation will do the job for anyone to notice a difference and I think this blue might be good!

[Chashio]

Ooh, that's nice. I like hand drawn details better most of the time but I think I agree with you on this that it really could go either way without being inconsistent. But my eyes enjoy the distinction between the smooth river lines and the breaking waves on the coast. Also, it's softer with the broken lines and probably suits the hills more this way. Nope. I was wrong. This is definitely better and more consistent with the style.