"West Style" Maps

[rlucci]

I was inspired by the maps that Christopher West creates and since I'm fairly adept at Photoshop, I decided to try my hand at making a "West style" map. I was pleased with the results and wanted to share it.

(Humorous note: My wife wanted to know why I had put a desk and chair in the vampires' chambers, to which I replied that the vampires doubled as undead chartered accountants and used the desks for preparing the tax returns of certain Underdark denizens... I got a wet wash rag down my back for that one...)

I had a lot of fun making this and would like to do more. I'm looking to experiment and force myself to try new stuff. Anyone got any interesting dungeons they would like redrawn "ala West"? Any suggestions for improvement?

 

[Kris]

Looks good!

I had a lot of fun making this and would like to do more.

...and before you know it you'll be spending more time drawing maps than actually gaming (err... or is that just me ).

Any suggestions for improvement?

Not really a suggestion for improvement - but one of the things I have done is create a library of items (barrels, tables, carpets, statues, etc.) that I can just drag and drop into whatever map I'm working on. It's just a time saver really (but you may already be doing that), and so every time I draw some new feature/furniture piece, I also save it as a separate image.

 

[Sunaj2k3]

Wow, between here and the cartographersguild site I've seen quite a few maps, but I've not seen anyone try and emulate Christopher West's style--unitl now. Well done sir, the map looks very nice.

Since you polled for suggestions, here are a few:

1. It would be nice to see a tutorial/guide on how you made your map

2. Where do the large stairs (going down?) south of the temple lead to? That would be an interesting map.

3. How about a keep and small dungeon complex on a mountain pass.

4. A floating citadel/cloud giant/storm giant castle.

5. A sunken temple in a swamp containing horrors man was not meant to know.....

6. An underground cavern/tunnel complex that opens up into a cavern or box canyon containing a ruined city.

7. A citadel in the astral or ethereal plane that has doorways/passageways on multiple walls (floor, ceiling, etc.) of some of the rooms since gravity is subjective on those planes (good if you wish to try a 3d or pseudo 3d map).

8. An arcane sanctuary with unusual ways of reaching different rooms and sections (some rooms can only be reached by dim door/some areas can only be teleported to etc.).

9. A dragons lair with some unusual enviromental features (West has already done a red dragon's lair in a lava cavern, so a green dragons lair with brambles or plant obstacles or a white dragons lair with ice and snow barriers/obstacles would be neat).

10. A haunted/mystery house with strange rooms and secret passages (I was inspired by the Winchester Mystery House in CA. (you can google it)--yours certainly would not need to be on that scale).

Hope some of my suggestions inspire you. As for improvements, I'm not a mapmaker so there's little I could suggest--but you may want to ask around on the cartographersguild--not only are there lots of different styles of fanmade maps there, but there are many folks (RobA, Pyrandon, HandsomeRob, NeonKnight to name a few) who use illustrator, gimp, photoshop and other programs and swap mapping tips. Regardless, your map is quite good and I look forward to whatever you decide to share next.

 

[XCorvis]

Ooh, nice job. Yoink!

 

[Sirith]

Wow, very nice and detailed map. I will echo Sunaj2k3, please share your process in making such a map, I would be very interested to see that.

I find it interesting btw that the torture chamber is right next to the main hall

 

[jaerdaph]

I was inspired by the maps that Christopher West creates and since I'm fairly adept at Photoshop, I decided to try my hand at making a "West style" map. I was pleased with the results and wanted to share it.

Very nice work and welcome to EN World! You should check out The Cartographers Guild and show off your work there as well. There's a lot of folks over there doing floorplan work with Photoshop and other programs who would definitely be interested.

http://www.cartographersguild.com

 

[rlucci]

Thanks for all the kind words and great ideas.

Sunaj2k3, your question about where the stairs lead made me realize that I forgot a door. The stairs just lead to the Chapel. I've corrected it...

Doors - kinda' important. Doh.

-rlucci

 

[Pyrandon]

Nice map, rlucci. Very well done. As I said over at the Cartographers' Guild, this map is very clean and crisp--which seems divergent from the "horror" theme of a vampire setting. I know you're emulating West's style, but I would add more mood and tone by some overlays, grunge brushes, lighting effects, etc.

Nicely done! Way to go!

PS: Holy Toadbreath, Sunaj2k3! That list of ideas inspired me, too!

 

[Sunaj2k3]

Thanks Pyrandon. Over on the guild, I'm known as thebax2k with the appropriate title of mapping enthusiast. While I have little in the way of mapping ability, I've seen quite a few maps over the last few years and can probably point out a few sites and resources that will help folks.

Wish I could change this ID to that name so all of mine across various boards would finally be standardized (you can change almost everything else, but I have yet to find a way to change the board id).

I'm not so sure about grunging the map up. It does seem muted already, and most of West's maps tend to be bright and crisp. There was an undead Map of Mystery he did with a huge circular bone chamber near some catacombs and sewers and it struck me as much brighter than rlucci's.

Regardless, I'm happy to have discovered a map of a new cartographer and look forward to whatever he brews up next.

 

[jaerdaph]

I'm glad you decided to join the Guild. I really think you've captured the look of Christopher West's maps - if I hadn't been told otherwise, I would have assumed it was his work (even without his signature West <---- compass rose!)