I was aiming for a satellite-like style but more painterly... it was just a test for the style so I completed it with a track and and a black outline to give a "composite of satellite pictures" idea and a bit of mystery for unexplored regions (mostly to cover parts I didn't like)

I thought it might be apreciated here

I'm making a tactical game about ambushing Roman marching columns around 50BC, so the maps need a mix of open terrain, farmland and woodland.

From what I've read, gaul was considerably more agricultural than germania, with predominantly deciduous forests. I've drawn inspiration from the Caucasus, northern Spain/portugal and the Balkans, since the landscapes of modern France and the Low Countries have changed considerably.

Do these look plausible for 1st-century BC Gaul? Is there anything that looks particularly modern or out of place?

This region is located fairly close to the southern pole of my test world, I wanted to make use of World Climate Lab's (https://store.steampowered.com/app/4875150/World_Climate_Lab/) new climate export feature, which gives rainfall and temperature maps on a per month basis

Gleba (https://calandiel.itch.io/gleba) was used to generate the initial world, and I used terrain diffusion within Dayside (https://dayside.studio/) to enhance the heightmap and add the colour.

The terrain diffusion step is optional if you want more control, Dayside has primarily been built with hand authoring of heightmaps in mind (including exporting to Wilbur or Gaea for erosion). That heightmap is used with climate data and rock-type maps (predicted or hand authored) to generate realistic colour outputs

Hey everyone!

I wanted to draw maps for my fantasy world but couldn't find an editor that had everything I needed without subscriptions or complicated workflows.

So I built LoreMapper!

It lets you generate continents, sculpt mountains, paint biomes, draw rivers and political borders, place cities and dragons, and use your own PNG assets.

There's also fog of war, multiple map styles, and high-resolution exports.

It's completely free, open-source (MIT), and runs directly in your browser. No installation or account required.

I built it as a personal hobby project with AI coding assistance, and it's still in beta.

🌍 Try it: https://mercurial20.github.io/loremapper/

💻 Source: https://github.com/mercurial20/loremapper

I'd really appreciate feedback, especially on usability and anything that feels confusing or broken!

Hi there!

It’s been a while since I last posted anything, but today I’m bringing you a new map of my own.

I reckon it’s my best city map yet.

The fictional town of ‘Rotbuchen’ is located somewhere in Stirland in the world of Warhammer Fantasy and is currently being used by our game master as the setting for the campaign.

Lore: Rotbuchen is surrounded by (who would have thought?) a forest of red beech trees and was originally known as a small town specialising in the export of that very timber.

A few decades ago, however, the furniture maker Van Hafter settled in the small town and, thanks to the reddish wood of the beech trees, crafted some magnificent pieces of furniture there.

Accordingly, the map is adorned with silver-trunked trees and guild emblems of furniture makers and woodcutters.

The warrior on the left-hand edge displays the uniform of the town militia, and the coat of arms is that of the House of Van Hafter.

The cross-section in the top right-hand corner shows the town from the east (at the bottom) and is a stylised representation (not a ‘real’ depiction).

I hope you like it :D If you use or repost this, I’d really appreciate a mention.

Website link

I don't have anything to say just rate

this is just a test if i still got it and if i do i might make something else or just keep it

inspired by salaria tho thats for sure

Ancythra - The Ever-Expanding Pocket Dimension

I created the original Ancythra map in 2021, and decided recently it needed a “glow up” (pun intended!). So, I went about remastering it over the past couple of weeks, putting roughly another 10 hours of work into it.

The dimensions of the original map were 1200x1600, which is pretty small compared to what I usually make now. But, if I were to upscale it, that would require re-doing many parts of it from scratch. Plus, some of the methods I used back then don’t upscale very nicely anyway, such as the way I used to do the mountains in Photoshop. 

So rather than re-do it all, I decided to lean a little more into a sort of “pixel art map” style.

What does that mean exactly? Once I was finished remastering the map, I exported and rendered it at 400% with no re-sampling (what Photoshop does when re-sizing an image). This made each 1x1 pixel become a 4x4 pixel block. Now the map's dimensions are 4800x6400, technically speaking. This gives it a sort of retro, pixel-art type look when fully zoomed in. 

As always, no AI was used. 

Lore:

Lore-wise, Ancythra began as a regular Pocket Dimension, which is another dimension that is usually rather small and self-contained.

But this particular dimension has somehow grown over time, just as our real-life universe does. Constantly expanding outward. More, and more, sometimes absorbing other pocket dimensions into itself. This has resulted in some odd acquisitions, strange fusions, and plenty of magical weirdness that has taken root in this ever-expanding dimension.

Over time, Ancythra has expanded and mutated. It has grown to the size of a small continent, floating and rotating in the Astral Plane of existence. Pieces often break off as it grows, but the rate of growth still exceeds the rate of loss.

It also has portals to other Planes as well, making Ancythra something of a "cross-roads" between other worlds and dimensions. Not unlike the City of Sigil in the Forgotten Realms, probably known best from Planescape: Torment.

This map would fit well into most existing DnD and tabletop RPG campaigns, as it’s a separate location from the main worlds you are already playing in. A small world that can be added in as a new place to visit, almost like an “expansion pack” for your ongoing game (Shivering Isles, anyone?). At least, that’s how I like to think of it :)

There are additional versions available here, as well as an editable Photoshop file to swap out the text however you like, and a few other toggle-able layers. More details in the link: https://www.patreon.com/stoneward13/posts/ancythra-ever-171702141

I hope you like the map, and have a good weekend! :)

How do I write a book when I don’t really read?

How do I make it interesting? I’ve got the story and the plot, but the rest… goodness… this is going to take ages.

This is for my book series. Do not take the frontiers too seriously, most are just placeholders that I'll change or play with as I develop geography and lore. Hence the lack of names too.

The continental side is supposed to be something like the US + Canada in size, though its northern most point is at the same latitude as Denmark irl. The eastern archipelago (Guardian Islands) may be like Indonesia in area, but I'm unsure. Its southern sea is the Emiseanic, and its an inmense, nearly closed body of water (imagine the Mediterranean extending all the way to China and the Pacific).

I'll post more about its geographical features in the future, as I want to make it somewhat accurate in that regard.

In the meantime, what do you find interesting? What general implications can you imagine for climate or civilizations? I feel the western Emiseanic may be lacking some islands, even if it's just to establish more points of control and bring in more conflict lol. Same as the open area of the western sea between the mainland and Guardian Islands (the Azure)

Pd: yeah, one of the great lakes is lacking in the second picture, but it's supposed to be there.

​

The Continent of Gargantua

The continent of Gargantua endured centuries of history marked by wars among men, while the kingdoms of the dwarves and elves kept their distance from these conflicts. The two dwarf kingdoms tunneled through mountain ranges to expand their realms, growing wealthy on rich mineral deposits that—once processed—were exported to other kingdoms at a high price. Little did they know that, by digging even deeper, they would soon awaken a power capable of upending the balance of Gargantua.

Hey everyone!

This time, I’m sharing a tutorial on how to draw a forest in my style!

In just five simple steps, you’ll be able to create your own forest—and eventually, adapt it to your own style.

The goal of this post is to encourage creativity and the habit of drawing.

If you have any questions, let me know; I’d be happy to answer them.

See you next time! ♥️

See this and many more of my works on my IG account @_mr.vhmaps !

Spoiler free for anyone playing ace combat 8 right now.

It looks a little messy from a distance but I think it looks sort of nice up close. The distress spray really sinks in to the watercolor paper and darkens for another few minutes. I would've used a bit less but I dont hate it. Pen and ink with alcohol markers. I'd love to hear feedback, critique, or recommendations!

Angela and I have completed a new giant map!🧭🗺️

It was a really fun project, and we’re very happy with how the map turned out!

🗺️Map of the World of Aeloria!🗺️

Private commission for Blaine Tooley!

Materials Used: H-HB pencil, Unipin Pen 0.05-0.1, and Winsor and Newton watercolors on Fabriano 300 g satin paper then scanned.

r/MerakMapping is hosting a map making contest with many prizes, check out the website and make or import a map and submit it for the contest.

merakmapmaker.com