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Thread: Exoltica, by l'Arpenteur

  1. #1

    Map Exoltica, by l'Arpenteur

    Hello Guild!

    I am very pleased to show you my last artwork: Exoltica!

    This map was done for a long time customer that commissioned me 2 years ago for another continent of its world.
    I really love its worldbuilding capabilities and names, so when he came to me with another project I couldn't resist the urge to dive in

    Exoltica is a continent that was shaped by long gone titans, but it didn't undergo the same dark ages of some other part of the world. It remained untouched by some vile magic, and became very political, with vivid, changing and evocative landscapes.
    For that matter, I decided to make many changes to the land layout proposed by my comissioner in order to enhance the gameplay making gulshes, deep valleys, arctic toundras and such that will help the people to defend their places with natural borders. I also ended up making very distinct landscapes as a concept artist would do to immediatly give the hint of the local mood.

    This project also helped me better define a rendering process I've began to develop few months ago to get this messy oil painting result that I'm now really happy with

    I hope you'll love it!

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	EXOLTICA - PREVIEW.jpg 
Views:	249 
Size:	8.43 MB 
ID:	135770
    Thibaud J.B. - Astral booker of l'Arpenteur
    Cartographer and pathfinder of distant lands
    Website |Artstation Portfolio | Instragram | Reddit
    Tel: (+33)6 13 95 93 78
    Discord: l'Arpenteur#6822

  2. #2
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    Actually, out of all of your maps that I have thus far encountered, this particular one would be my least favorite. If I said that I love this piece, I would be lying. Why? Because I don't. Indeed, what is there about it that we should love?

    Understand, as a general rule of thumb, your artistic prowess commands my respect. You're not just a cartographer - you're an artist. You don't just make maps, you create art. Your cartographic legacy is nothing to be sneezed at, and on the whole, your art is quite worthy of admiration.

    But. This. Piece. My, oh my, oh my! And the great irony in it is that this "rendering process" and this "messy oil painting result," as you affectionately refer to it - these things that you, yourself, love so much about this map, lie at the very heart of what I dislike the most about it.

    Yes, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and art is a subjective experience. Yet, these very same eyes of mine that love so much about a great many of your other maps are the very same eyes that look upon this particular map and wonder to myself, "Where's the artistic beef with this one?"

    If I were to title it, I would likely dub this one Brush Strokes Gone Mad. At a casual glance, this one, too, has the mark of beauty about it. Compared to many cartographers on this site (Nay, compared to MOST cartographers on this site!), your work on your worst day utterly dwarfs their best work on their best day. After all, you do grand stuff. You don't reach for the small. You have skill, you have talent, you have confidence - and map after map map, it shows. Your maps ooze with things that lesser cartographers can only dream of.

    Tell me, what - exactly and specifically - about this particular map distinguishes itself from others of your cartographic work that came before it. No doubt, others that gather here will think that I've gone mad, criticizing your handiwork, at all. But I've no grudge to bear. To the contrary, I count myself among your legion of fans. Yet, when I compare this work to other of your work, should I walk away with the impression that this is your best work (or even one of your best works)?

    In fairness, though, you didn't advertise it as one of your best works. What you said is you hope we'll love it. Again, though, what is there present in it that we should love? As Elizabeth Barret Browning might say, how do I love thee, let me count the ways?

    And then when I in my mind proceed to begin to count, quickly I stop. Oh, to be sure, I want to count. I do so yearn to count. But the numbers will not come to me. But why? Why? I ask myself, "Why?!"

    Forget the brushwork taken to excess. What about this map is imaginative, truly imaginative? It isn't the topography. It isn't the lettering and the labels. It isn't even the font work. It certainly isn't the coloring.

    Could it be the border work? Nope, definitely not the border work. From what I have encountered of your map work previously, border work tends to be a strong suit of yours. And here, on this map, the best part of it for me is to be found at top center. Otherwise, compared to other of your border work that preceded it on other maps, detailing that some might consider to be exquisite is largely absent.

    You have so much talent that you can afford to take for granted what so many cannot. Nothing that you produce is likely to be perceived by men to be ugly. It's just that simple and straight forward. And in a way, that's a good thing - a really good thing! But in another way, it's not such a good thing.

    I challenge anyone and everyone to cite for me the single best thing about this map. More than anything else, what one specific thing about it is its visual crown jewel? When I actively set out to look for it, my eyes are always drawn away from the map to the portion of border work at top center. None of the mountains or forests or rivers reach out and grab my eye. But perhaps my eyes deceive me. By all means, set my eyes straight. What about the visual landscape dominates the eye, and instantly commands your love and affection? Which land mass steals both eye and heart?

    When I just sit and stare at it, and allow my eyes to roam all over it at length, I end up feeling as though there's insufficient space for the land masses, themselves, to visually breath. Even when zoomed in, this feeling and this impression doesn't change. And this, I feel, is due to the scale of the land masses being depicted relative to the space of the canvas. In other words, the canvas is too small for the visual challenge that lies before it. This invariably ends up robbing not just the viewer, but the artist, as well.

    Who am I to complain, though? Indeed, who is anyone to complain? Should I just rubber stamp this one and send it through? It's a done deal. It requires approval from no one. Besides, there's always the next one, right?

    Let me ask you, l'Arpenteur, if I may, what do you consider your single greatest skill set or talent, as a cartographer? Clearly, you're talented and gifted in a number of different ways, but of them all, in which do you consider your mastery to be the most pronounced?

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by GrimFinger View Post
    Actually, out of all of your maps that I have thus far encountered, this particular one would be my least favorite. If I said that I love this piece, I would be lying. Why? Because I don't. Indeed, what is there about it that we should love?

    Understand, as a general rule of thumb, your artistic prowess commands my respect. You're not just a cartographer - you're an artist. You don't just make maps, you create art. Your cartographic legacy is nothing to be sneezed at, and on the whole, your art is quite worthy of admiration.

    But. This. Piece. My, oh my, oh my! And the great irony in it is that this "rendering process" and this "messy oil painting result," as you affectionately refer to it - these things that you, yourself, love so much about this map, lie at the very heart of what I dislike the most about it.

    Yes, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and art is a subjective experience. Yet, these very same eyes of mine that love so much about a great many of your other maps are the very same eyes that look upon this particular map and wonder to myself, "Where's the artistic beef with this one?"

    If I were to title it, I would likely dub this one Brush Strokes Gone Mad. At a casual glance, this one, too, has the mark of beauty about it. Compared to many cartographers on this site (Nay, compared to MOST cartographers on this site!), your work on your worst day utterly dwarfs their best work on their best day. After all, you do grand stuff. You don't reach for the small. You have skill, you have talent, you have confidence - and map after map map, it shows. Your maps ooze with things that lesser cartographers can only dream of.

    Tell me, what - exactly and specifically - about this particular map distinguishes itself from others of your cartographic work that came before it. No doubt, others that gather here will think that I've gone mad, criticizing your handiwork, at all. But I've no grudge to bear. To the contrary, I count myself among your legion of fans. Yet, when I compare this work to other of your work, should I walk away with the impression that this is your best work (or even one of your best works)?

    In fairness, though, you didn't advertise it as one of your best works. What you said is you hope we'll love it. Again, though, what is there present in it that we should love? As Elizabeth Barret Browning might say, how do I love thee, let me count the ways?

    And then when I in my mind proceed to begin to count, quickly I stop. Oh, to be sure, I want to count. I do so yearn to count. But the numbers will not come to me. But why? Why? I ask myself, "Why?!"

    Forget the brushwork taken to excess. What about this map is imaginative, truly imaginative? It isn't the topography. It isn't the lettering and the labels. It isn't even the font work. It certainly isn't the coloring.

    Could it be the border work? Nope, definitely not the border work. From what I have encountered of your map work previously, border work tends to be a strong suit of yours. And here, on this map, the best part of it for me is to be found at top center. Otherwise, compared to other of your border work that preceded it on other maps, detailing that some might consider to be exquisite is largely absent.

    You have so much talent that you can afford to take for granted what so many cannot. Nothing that you produce is likely to be perceived by men to be ugly. It's just that simple and straight forward. And in a way, that's a good thing - a really good thing! But in another way, it's not such a good thing.

    I challenge anyone and everyone to cite for me the single best thing about this map. More than anything else, what one specific thing about it is its visual crown jewel? When I actively set out to look for it, my eyes are always drawn away from the map to the portion of border work at top center. None of the mountains or forests or rivers reach out and grab my eye. But perhaps my eyes deceive me. By all means, set my eyes straight. What about the visual landscape dominates the eye, and instantly commands your love and affection? Which land mass steals both eye and heart?

    When I just sit and stare at it, and allow my eyes to roam all over it at length, I end up feeling as though there's insufficient space for the land masses, themselves, to visually breath. Even when zoomed in, this feeling and this impression doesn't change. And this, I feel, is due to the scale of the land masses being depicted relative to the space of the canvas. In other words, the canvas is too small for the visual challenge that lies before it. This invariably ends up robbing not just the viewer, but the artist, as well.

    Who am I to complain, though? Indeed, who is anyone to complain? Should I just rubber stamp this one and send it through? It's a done deal. It requires approval from no one. Besides, there's always the next one, right?

    Let me ask you, l'Arpenteur, if I may, what do you consider your single greatest skill set or talent, as a cartographer? Clearly, you're talented and gifted in a number of different ways, but of them all, in which do you consider your mastery to be the most pronounced?


    Good mornin'.

    Well, I certainly didn't expect a critic of this scale. It kind of reminds me some critics I spend time reading about movies in specific cinema-dedicated website. So I must thank you for the time taken writing it, I would have not thought of myself worthy enough to get one someday!

    First thing I want to clarify: I consider this artwork as one of my most beloved one.

    Now to answer your points:

    Fonts: Yes, the fontwork is really simple and if it was only about my tastes, I would get rid of most of the local names. But eh, my customer needed them all, but don't worry! I have saved other versions of this map with less local names that I can enjoy watching to.

    Any other points about the map you've been referring to: I can't relate. I love the colors I used, and truly, it was a bliss to choose and paint them on the canvas. I love the frame as it is yet simple and has a great architectural references embedded into it. I also do have the map without the frame displayed, and I assure you: it's a personnal pleasure to look at it. I love the texturing as the more I look into art, the more I enjoy messy brush strokes and other grungy effects. I also love the regions, mountains and places I've imagined, otherwise I would have reworked them.
    And finally, my customer is digging this artwork so hard! I am just amazed that I'm able to get someone as excited and happy with just a brush and some paint.

    About me as an artist: I do not consider myself a master at anything. Period. I am not educated in art, nor I am talented neither. I am not even a cartographer, per say. I just spend time (a freaking huge amount - and I am just so damn amazed by what other artist can produce, that I won't consider myself as a good one before years) in the corner of a room, searching for what art I would love to discover in a book and then hang in my house or show to my friends. What comes next are only my struggles: me fighting with techniques and things I've never learned. The only thing I am, is to be lucky enough to spend so much time making what I love and getting paid for it, while having the luxury of searching for new styles, comparing my work and making researches.

    I wish you a good day
    Last edited by l'Arpenteur; 05-19-2023 at 08:54 AM.
    Thibaud J.B. - Astral booker of l'Arpenteur
    Cartographer and pathfinder of distant lands
    Website |Artstation Portfolio | Instragram | Reddit
    Tel: (+33)6 13 95 93 78
    Discord: l'Arpenteur#6822

  4. #4
    Administrator waldronate's Avatar
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    At low and medium resolutions, I like the coloring and linework. The composition is good as well, with the significant detail of the landforms harmonizing well with the ornate bordering.

    At the highest resolution, though, I'm not overly fond of the sketchy-looking brush strokes that are going outside of and covering over the linework in places. I do realize that this that it's probably my own aversion to grunge brushes and the use of "picture of a map" as opposed to simple "a map" that's causing this reaction. For some folks, the appearance of wear and use for a map is as important as the map itself, but not for me. I supposed it comes down to whether a piece is more about the process that went into creating it (visible brush strokes and such) or more about what the piece is supposed to represent.

    My definition of a map is approximately: A map is an abstraction of a place fixed in a specific medium for a specific purpose. There are lots of add-ons that can go with each section (for example, it might be an abstraction of a real, imaginary, or abstract place). The purpose is usually the hardest part to see in a map. Joy of creation can bleed through in the kinds of abstraction and the medium used, as can commissions for a client (for example, a map for King Ralph is likely to be a bit different than one for cabbage vendor Bob). It sounds like you had fun doing the grunge things and the client liked it, making the whole thing a resounding success despite any other opinions that might be expressed.

    I really do think that it's a very nice piece despite my preconceptions when viewing it.

  5. #5
    Community Leader Kellerica's Avatar
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    I for one absolutely adore the brushwork on this. I have for a while now been trying to find a good way to achieve a heavy, sketchier look to the colours and shading while still maintaining the readability of clear linework, but this puts all of those attempts to shame. To me, good maps are first and foremost art, and this is definitely that. I really love your border elements, and the texturing is just gorgeous. The saturated pastel colours are not entirely my cup of tea, but even so I can appreciate the harmony of the palette. Man, I could stare at your linework for ages. Great stuff.
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  6. #6
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    Interesting... I actually read all the comments before looking at the map. High expectations, and mixed expectations. As a traditional artist myself, I'd say that your description of the rendering style doesn't quite match... it's not exactly a messy oil painting style... it's more like you drew and painted everything digitally, printed it with wet oil paint, dropped it upside down on the ground (or a carpet, or a floor covered in dry paint brushes) and danced on it, haha. But, accuracy of style description aside, I do like the effect more than not. It lends a more intense energy and dynamism to the whole piece than the base style gave it, which is quite fun on its own with its swirly blocks of finely rendered details and design all very much 'inside the lines' - the two effects are quite different but work together nicely on the whole. The vibrant rainbow of colors isn't necessarily what I would have chosen - their separate-ness, on the spectrum of hues and in unblended blocks and against the much more pulled-together border and ocean colors kind of... clashes... like some giant titan stepped on those horrid, squishy teletubby creations... and yet it also works perfectly for this piece. It is obvious, in every mark, detail and choice, that the artist enjoyed working on it. I think it's spectacular and I've already stowed it in my map inspiration folder for later perusal. Even though it's a messed up painting style and not a messy painting style... in places it actually reminds me of the first map I ever painted on canvas and very much makes me want to get back to the easel Well done!

  7. #7
    Administrator Redrobes's Avatar
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    I have been on this thread several times now and marveled at the map and considered the brushwork. Its a very strong piece with a bold border, bold colours, bold text, and bold brushwork.

    So its a bold piece with strong statements and that will always generate strong reactions in all directions.

    If there is an issue then I think it is with our site. I can only see the map shrunk to fit the window or one click later and I see it 1:1 with each pixel in all its glory and I have the feeling that the artwork would be best viewed somewhere in between. Now this might be my setup here and looking at this today on a laptop and not a large one at that. Better to download this one and open it in a paint package and pick a better zoom level I think.

  8. #8

    Praise

    I can't stop looking at this map. It is absolutely stunning. The colors are striking and work together so beautifully. Really the only critique I would make is the amount of smaller location names and how small they are, but to your reply earlier, I completely understand needing to accommodate a client's needs.
    Really, really fantastic job!

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Redrobes View Post
    If there is an issue then I think it is with our site. I can only see the map shrunk to fit the window or one click later and I see it 1:1 with each pixel in all its glory and I have the feeling that the artwork would be best viewed somewhere in between. Now this might be my setup here and looking at this today on a laptop and not a large one at that. Better to download this one and open it in a paint package and pick a better zoom level I think.
    Exactly this.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kellerica View Post
    I for one absolutely adore the brushwork on this. I have for a while now been trying to find a good way to achieve a heavy, sketchier look to the colours and shading while still maintaining the readability of clear linework, but this puts all of those attempts to shame. To me, good maps are first and foremost art, and this is definitely that. I really love your border elements, and the texturing is just gorgeous. The saturated pastel colours are not entirely my cup of tea, but even so I can appreciate the harmony of the palette. Man, I could stare at your linework for ages. Great stuff.
    Thank you for the support, these words mean much to me!
    Thibaud J.B. - Astral booker of l'Arpenteur
    Cartographer and pathfinder of distant lands
    Website |Artstation Portfolio | Instragram | Reddit
    Tel: (+33)6 13 95 93 78
    Discord: l'Arpenteur#6822

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