Dyson's Inktober & Mapvember

[Dyson Logos]

So, I only managed to get 26 out of 31 maps done for #Inktober. Maybe I'll go back to #Inktober if I ever get ahead on #Mapvember, but here we go!

#Mapvember2017 - Map 01 - Goblins, Hobgoblins, and an Ogre

Six years ago I worked on a project to redraw this particular map and the maps that go with it. I never finished them, and n top of it I long ago lost the original drawings.

But with Keep on the Borderlands coming back soon officially for D&D5e, I figured it was about time I redrew them again, this time with the goal of making a vector format version that can easily be blown up to any size needed - I'll even add in a 5' sub-grid in dotted lines for the final version for everyone wanting to have battlemaps for the module.

[Dyson Logos]

#Mapvember2017 - Map 02 - Bandit Tower & River Outpost

I needed another map for the "Heart of Darkling" series of maps to post tomorrow, so I took today's prompt ("Bandit") and drew up a tower on the surface and the dungeons beneath that lead in time down to the Darkling River deep underground.

[Meshon]

Fantastic maps as always! I've always wondered, how do you do your grids? Do you have an underlay or some other cool solution? I've seen some of your maps where the grid is aligned to the spaces, and the orientation of it shifts from area to area, which is brilliant.

Cheers,
Meshon

[DanielHasenbos]

Very nice work, Dyson. Your work is always superb.

[Dyson Logos]

Fantastic maps as always! I've always wondered, how do you do your grids? Do you have an underlay or some other cool solution? I've seen some of your maps where the grid is aligned to the spaces, and the orientation of it shifts from area to area, which is brilliant.

Cheers,
Meshon

Depends on the map, but lately for most of them I have a sheet of graph paper printed out that I set underneath the page I'm working on - makes it easy to do the alignment shift.

Very nice work, Dyson. Your work is always superb.

Thanks!

[Dyson Logos]

#Mapvember2017 - Map 03 - "Cultist"

While large stretches of the Jakallan Undercity are technically the domain of cults of the various gods of order and change - this stretch focuses on a small cult of one of the Pariah Gods nestled beneath the streets of the fine city. The cult's ritual space is at the lower right here, and they access the area via a secret door from a building basement in the central portion of the map that then leads almost directly to their worship space without crossing into areas of the undercity controlled by the approved temples.

[arsheesh]

Lovely work as always Dyson.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Redrobes]

These are all nice - but id like to say that I particularly like that juicer. Such a complex construct rendered in so easy to visualize map with your crisp lines. Wonderful stuff.

Long long ago I used to do some inkwork with indian ink and a nib pen rather than these tipped pens now. When I did it I found that the paper had to be a bit special or the ink would run into the weave of it and blur. Also, long ago I used to make blue prints for work with an ink plotter (before the advent of laser printers...) and it had to have special paper which was more like a thin vinyl. Your lines are very crisp, and if you can see the printed grid underneath then do you have any special paper that you use ? Is it coated, shiny and not blotting type ?

I think I found the pen on amazon tho. I may have to try one of these out in my ham fist.

[Dyson Logos]

#Mapvember2017 - Map 04 - "Basilisk"

The Basilisk's Caverns were so named because of the many stony pillars within the extensive stony fissures and chambers cut into the rock. The pillars could be seen as people reaching up for the breaks in the caverns above them. Many of the larger chambers have tall ceilings with natural chimneys and cracks leading up to the badlands above, allowing the local lizards (even basilisks) to clamber down here on occasion.

This was mostly done as an experiment with changing orientation of the grid to match the structures being drawn.

[Dyson Logos]

These are all nice - but id like to say that I particularly like that juicer. Such a complex construct rendered in so easy to visualize map with your crisp lines. Wonderful stuff.

Thanks!

Long long ago I used to do some inkwork with indian ink and a nib pen rather than these tipped pens now. When I did it I found that the paper had to be a bit special or the ink would run into the weave of it and blur. Also, long ago I used to make blue prints for work with an ink plotter (before the advent of laser printers...) and it had to have special paper which was more like a thin vinyl. Your lines are very crisp, and if you can see the printed grid underneath then do you have any special paper that you use ? Is it coated, shiny and not blotting type ?

Nah, it is a mix of paper from my printer and some pads of graph and isometric paper from various sources. Nothing spectacular.

For pens I mostly use Mitsubishi Uni Pins - fine felt-tipped markers - except for the 005 size where I go back to the Sakura Microns.