The challenge was one where we were given a shape to incorporate into our maps, and I elected to use it as a lake (which it turns out it was in origin).

I worked in GIMP and used the historical brushes made available by K. M. Alexander to beautify the map. The one issue I found with the brushes (other than that their vast numbers made GIMP load slowly) is that they range from very dark (possibly solid black) to a much lighter gray. I would advise anyone mixing the sets as I did here to use each set on a separate layer, in order to facilitate making them match in value.

It was only after I felt I had enough features (and spiffy art bits) laid down with the brushes that I added labels to give it my own touch. The place names mostly amuse me, at any rate.Click image for larger version.  Name: Lake of Broken Dreams.png  Views: 389  Size: 2.49 MB  ID: 127399