Fantasy maps and mapmaking tutorials by Jonathan Roberts
Today’s tutorial is a quick walkthrough for isometric or forced perspective mountains. This is entirely software agnostic, and is the starting point for maps like this or this. This sketch was drawn with a pen, but can equally be done in Gimp with a mouse, or Photoshop with a tablet.
Mountains are a defining piece of any world map. They are the largest features after the coastlines, they determine the borders of countries, and the obstacles adventurers must overcome. They are the home of lost treasures, dragons, and giants – as far from civilization as its possible to be. It can be hard to convey the majesty … Continue reading “How to Draw Top Down Mountains on a Map”
Today, a quick one on isometric pen and ink mountain ranges.
Most of the maps I create are for commissions. However, every now and again, I get the chance to create a map for my own use. These maps tend to be tests of new styles, or ideas I have for a new layout. This was one of the first tests I created for an isometric … Continue reading “A Free World Map”
I’ve written up a couple of tutorials before on drawing isometric mountain ranges for fantasy maps – but never more than the pen and ink stage. I’ve had a few requests for how to take this to the next step and colour the mountain ranges. Note that I use a graphics tablet. You can do this with … Continue reading “How to draw, shade, and colour a mountain range”
I was wondering which map to post next, and then the weather made the decision for me. I can hardly see downtown Manhattan any more due to the snow outside my window. Winter has definitely come – in early March.
Grasslands are tricky to map. They’re large empty open expanses. But if you just flood fill an area with light green it’ll stand out like a sore thumb against your beautifully rendered mountains and lovingly painted rivers and forests. The colour is tough too – you want it to be a light green without being … Continue reading “How to Draw Grassland”
Give a man a dungeon and he’ll kill PCs for a day. Give a man the tools to build his own dungeons and he’ll happily be killing PCs for a lifetime.
