Siege of Castle Hadleigh

[- JO -]

Here's the final version of this siege, with a few corrections :

Smoke getting out of the mine (as it's how the mine collapses : by setting fire to the supporting beams) and... "Earl" instead of "Count" (I understand Earl is more common than Count ?)

Thanks all for your help, comments & critics during this challenge.

[Ilanthar]

So many details and soldiers to draw ! The map itself is gorgeous, but it's more since it's really conveying the story. It reminds me of a past challenge about "telling a tale".
Great map!

[HadrianVI]

This is another amazing illustration.

You mentioned in the other thread that there are several flaws in the defense of this castle. But I must admit I have troubles finding them.
The castle has internal division with an outer and an inner Bailey. And the Gate Houses are not arranged in a straight line, which makes it more difficult for the attacker to bring the ram in position after knocking down the first gate.
Also, the outer walls that face the land side have proper battlements and machicolations. However, I do notice that there is no wall that protects the outer bailey from attacks from the sea side, whereas there is a wall on the side of the river. But, I do not think that this has to be considered as a flaw, since the cliff towards the seaside look pretty steep, which is why an attack seems quite unlikely.

Then I also notice, that the gate houses seem to have only one gate. From a defensive point of view it would be better to have one door at the front and one on the back, so the attackers would be trapped inside the gatehouse once they knock down the first door. The gate house should then have arrow slits in the walls that face the space between the two gates and murder holes in the ceiling, so the defenders can pour hot oil, water or sand onto the attackers inside the gatehouse. But other than that, the gatehouses look great. The towers extend well beyond the wall and the gate and allow the defenders to shoot at people who try to attack the gate.

And, well, it was probably not the smartest idea to have the latrines face the land side when they could have been on the side of the sea, where they would have been less vulnerable to enemies who sneak in at night.

Anyway, this is a very beautiful drawing.

[- JO -]

This is another amazing illustration.

You mentioned in the other thread that there are several flaws in the defense of this castle. But I must admit I have troubles finding them.
The castle has internal division with an outer and an inner Bailey. And the Gate Houses are not arranged in a straight line, which makes it more difficult for the attacker to bring the ram in position after knocking down the first gate.
Also, the outer walls that face the land side have proper battlements and machicolations. However, I do notice that there is no wall that protects the outer bailey from attacks from the sea side, whereas there is a wall on the side of the river. But, I do not think that this has to be considered as a flaw, since the cliff towards the seaside look pretty steep, which is why an attack seems quite unlikely.

Then I also notice, that the gate houses seem to have only one gate. From a defensive point of view it would be better to have one door at the front and one on the back, so the attackers would be trapped inside the gatehouse once they knock down the first door. The gate house should then have arrow slits in the walls that face the space between the two gates and murder holes in the ceiling, so the defenders can pour hot oil, water or sand onto the attackers inside the gatehouse. But other than that, the gatehouses look great. The towers extend well beyond the wall and the gate and allow the defenders to shoot at people who try to attack the gate.

And, well, it was probably not the smartest idea to have the latrines face the land side when they could have been on the side of the sea, where they would have been less vulnerable to enemies who sneak in at night.

Anyway, this is a very beautiful drawing.

Thanks Hadrian !

You found the weak points easily !

No wall over the cliff on one side, and one door on the gatehouse ! I don't really know how I could miss this wall when I was drawing the outer defenses, but when i did figured it out, I thought it was too late... (and it was a challenge, so I had to finish the picture on time ...

I'm glad you liked this siege and I hope I can soon watch one of your castle picture !

[lepracauno]

really interesting.
May I suggest a couple of things?
1- the landscape will be better if you paint the landscape with lighter colors. The map doesn't have depht.
2- Add some shadows around the object
3- The sealing wax is better with a red deep darker color.

Keep going and will be wonderful!

[Wired]

This is a truly tremendous map! I'll rep you if I can.