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arsheesh — Ryetelth Commission
#krita #map #arsheesh #ryetelth #fantasy
Published: 2016-08-24 19:53:17 +0000 UTC; Views: 8358; Favourites: 144; Downloads: 142
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Description
This map was commissioned by Voyager World, the publisher of Christopher Rowley's book series Battle Dragons Battle Dragons . This was the first map I've made using Krita , which is a free, crowd sourced funded paint program. I still have a lot to learn about the program and its capabilities, but I must say that I was impressed with just how powerful the program is. There are a number of very useful tools in this program that I haven't seen elsewhere (such as the Multibrush Tool , which has a wide range of applications for fantasy cartography). Still, the program has some quirks. It tends to have a bit of lag time when using larger brushes or working with a large canvass. Also, as of right now there is no way (at least that I've found) to stroke a selection, which is a real drawback. But these issues notwithstanding I think it is a great program with a lot of potential. I will continue to explore the program in the months to come.Cheers,
-Arsheesh
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Comments: 27
Really good looking map! Also wow interesting to see that they're bringing back those old Rowley books, I really dug them back in middle school.
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Arsheesh, I don't know how you do it. Your maps are so elegant, the land and water has such a lovely flow to it, it's like watching the start of a ballet before I get too comfy and fall into the expensive nap that inevitably follows.
The rhumb lines are an especially nice touch. My only suggestion is to look at "CZARDAH." By unhappy circumstance of backdrop, it's a bit hard to read. A bit more contrast might help, or shifting it slightly would do the job.
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Thanks so much for the generous feedback FeroceFV! Very kind of you.
I agree that the "Czardah" is less clear than it ought to be. I tried a few different techniques (e.g. adding an outer glow or a stroke) to help make it punch through a bit better but nothing really seemed to help. Thing is, the location of the label was based on the specs my client sent me so while I agree that it would have looked better elsewhere I had to make do. Thanks for the critique though, it's always helpful to have another pair of eyes point out things that your own may have missed.
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
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When I add semitransparent white labels, I sometimes add a shadow beneath and delete out the space taken up by the letters in the shadow. It adds some helpful contrast and letter shape. In any case, my pleasure, and I'm glad to do so.
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Thanks for the tip FeroceFV, I'll have to give it a try sometime
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The ocean is mesmerizing- you just keep getting better!
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Thank you, I'm glad you like it
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Krita is legit but I had a huge disconnect with it trying to import PSDs and having everything rasterized. It's a great program for illustration but I can't make the jump to "Photoshop replacement" in its current state.
I really hate how your treelines are seemingly simple but so damned effective/aesthetically pleasing.
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Yeah I could see how that would be an issue. Speaking for myself I've only been working with GIMP and Photoshop Elements so the jump made much more sense..
Hate away
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that geography is very peculiar and interesting, good job!
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You did a great job on this.
I'm liking the smooth style you've been doing last few commissions.
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Thank you John, I'm glad to here it
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Beautiful frame and ornamental elements, and the ocean is a masterpiece!
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Thank you Statomunchkin, those were my favorite elements as well.
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
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This is amazing! I would love if you could me me one xD
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Thank you KhanDR! I do take commissions so if you are interested please feel free to PM
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
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You're welcome 
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A wonderful map arsheesh! I think this is one of the best depictions of jungle in this type of map, that i've seen so far. I really dig it! Your colouring is splendid as usual, and the fact you made the whole thing in krita is great to hear.
I tried out krita myself some months ago and also loved the many things you can do (especially with the brushes). But facing the same problems like you (working with big size canvases/brushes and even more handling the selections) i went back to gimp. If you find the time one day, i would love to see a tutorial or a wip-thread from you working with krita over at the CG. 
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Hi Jamarta, thanks for the feedback. I'm glad to here you liked the Jungles, I was really casting about for a way to make them stand out as being jungles rather than mere forests. Overall I'm really happy with Krita. However I wouldn't recommend it as a stand alone application. I still do a lot of the geometric linework for the borders and such in GIMP and the labeling in Inkscape. I've noticed that the program is a bit faster since 3.0 was released, however lag-time remains an issue. Once I become more familiar with the program I may post up a walkthrough or two on some of Krita's features.
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
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So I'm guessing that the compass rose was made with the multibrush tool. What other things were made using it?
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Actually the compass rose was not made with the Multibrush (though that is another use for it). In this piece I used the multibrush's mirror effect to create the swords and its snowflake effect to create the spiky decoration adorning the shield in the title. I may have also used it for the border end caps, but I can't recall.
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
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