Fantasy World Map for D&D Campaign

[rappatic]

Hi! I've never commissioned a map before so sorry if I mess something up in my request.

I'm a D&D dungeon master and I'm working on a new campaign setting. I'm looking to get a map made of a single peninsula (as well as a few islands surrounding it) that serves as the primary location for the campaign, probably around 450 miles long and 300 miles wide. I'd like it to be pretty detailed but not too detailed, if that makes sense: I really like the style of this map, though the artist that created it doesn't seem to be very active anymore.

The map should be suitable for print and web use. I kind of want to make a poster out of it eventually, but I don't know how much detail or resolution is required for that- at minimum I want something I can print on standard A4/Letter paper. I don't have the names of enough landmarks down at this point for labels (I wanted to have a map to picture in my mind beforehand) but I do plan on adding labels eventually, so I would appreciate it if the artist included some way for me to do that and/or an example label.

I have no idea how much one usually pays for these things. I'm pretty flexible on price but I want to hear from the artist before I give an estimate on how much I'm willing to pay. Ideally I would also retain copyright of the work, but I would be fine with just reproduction rights in the case that copyright is too expensive for me. Obviously, I would be fine with the artist displaying the map on Patreon/portfolio/DeviantArt/etc. as long as nobody else can use it for commercial purposes.

I'm not extremely pressed for time but I hope I could get this by mid-January, if that's possible.

[Meton]

Hi rappatic,

I think I could help you with this! I'm a freelance mapmaker and geographer, and I've drawn maps with similar styles as the example map you linked. You can check my portfolio on my website here or look for more examples from instagram, and if you like what you see, you can send me an email to mikael ( a ) orbigraphia.com to discuss the pricing.

I'm open to being flexible, and I'm sure we can find a way for the labeling too. At the moment mid-January is a bit tight but not impossible schedule.

- Mikael

[Kate2192]

Hey Rappatic,

I'd also be interested in working on this project with you, you can check out my work at https://kate_moody.artstation.com, and if you feel that my style suits your needs please feel free to email me at kateam@optonline.net.

Kate

[Tiana]

I would appreciate it if the artist included some way for me to do that and/or an example label.

...

I'm not extremely pressed for time but I hope I could get this by mid-January, if that's possible.

label: do you have a suitable program for editing a digital label? If so, let us know so someone who uses an appropriate program can get back to you! Otherwise your best choice is just to get the flare label of the land and add your own text to your preference later instead of trying to match, if you don't have access to a common program. Text made in Photoshop isn't compatable with say, Gimp, Affinity, Clip Studio Paint, Wonderdraft, Other World Mapper, so your artist of choice will have to use a program you have to make the 'sample text'. Positioning text is harder than you think, it might drive you mad, but someone could make 'filler' text by placing their own names / random names and then you can alter those positioned labels without having to fuss with it.

Mid-January: ...That sounds exactly like "pressed for time" to me. 2 weeks is an extremely fast map turnaround. I estimate 1-2 months for many projects. Maps are big, though at least no text makes it faster, your desired style includes elements such as monsters, compass, etc.

Poster: If you want a future poster, you can't have it made at A4 size for budgetary reasons otherwise it will never print at the future 30 inch size you imagine. It must be made at that size to start. It's either that or you'll have to have a new map made at the time of the poster. A poster will take 3-4x longer than an A4 map. I COULD do an A4 map in that turnaround but not the mega poster.

Price: You may find quotes range from $100-$3000 depending on the skill, professionality, experience, whether or not you do want exclusivity / copyright agreements. If you go with a particularly young and inexperienced artist you might be able to put it down to a 2 digit quote and that would be their mistake. My 'budget' A4 tier remains around $150. I'd do a map with no text at that tier. It wouldn't be as good as the one I'm about to show, which is indeed a poster sized print, for an upcoming comic Kickstarter, where everything was micromanaged to their exacting standards, however I feel this map best represents the style you want from my creations and it's not in the portfolio yet. You can check out my fantasy map portfolio for more, where many of them fit into the "DM tier" which is commonly $150-$300 depending on the print size rather than this one for publication.

[TheDwarf]

Hello Rappatic,

I'm currently open for commissions! Please take a look at my work in the link below. If you want to I will try to get closer to the sample you shared. As mentioned, the delivery time is a bit tight but I think I can pull it off.
Just wanted to clarify, please have in mind that commercial rights are usually sold for a higher price.

https://www.deviantart.com/thedwarfart

If you want to discuss in further detail don't hesitate to contact me at sergiocolauttiart@gmail.com

Kind regards,
Sergio

[vb.maps]

Hello!

I would love to participate in this project! You can see my portfolio here - https://www.artstation.com/vb_maps and here - https://www.instagram.com/vb.maps/

If you are interested feel free to contact me at vdm.bulgakov@gmail.com and we can discuss everything.
Thank you in advance