Export thread

I'm exploring replacing the hexmap in my books with something that looks more like this:



Anyone here up to the task, or know someone who may be interested?

This would be a paid effort, and I'd need a licensing document/contract executed that'd give me the right to use the artwork in my books, websites, wherever. I'm not sure how much this kind of artwork commissions for, so I hope I don't suffer from too much sticker shock

Tinwhistler said:

Anyone here up to the task, or know someone who may be interested?

Click to expand...

I am 100% serious when I say that I am interested, but that I wish you had asked me many years ago so I could've gotten good enough by now to do them justice. I was all about fake maps/control panels back in grade/middle school, loved drawing 'em.

--Patrick

That looks like it'd be fun, but truthfully I've never drawn maps before. Here's an album of stuff I've drawn from the forums to give a general idea. I could dummy up a map to explore further if you're interested.

drifter said:

That looks like it'd be fun, but truthfully I've never drawn maps before. Here's an album of stuff I've drawn from the forums to give a general idea. I could dummy up a map to explore further if you're interested.

Click to expand...

I like your art. I don't know enough about the medium to know how well that skill set would translate into maps. If you wanted to do some quick sketching, that'd be cool. I don't want you to put yourself out to do a ton of work in the speculative stage, though, so don't go nuts

@Tinwhistler I really dig that you came here to ask. There's some talented folks in our group!

Tinwhistler said:

I like your art. I don't know enough about the medium to know how well that skill set would translate into maps. If you wanted to do some quick sketching, that'd be cool. I don't want you to put yourself out to do a ton of work in the speculative stage, though, so don't go nuts

Click to expand...

All right, I'll have something by Sunday at the latest. If I don't have something to show by then, it means I don't have the time. Any specific thing you'd like to see or keep it a surprise?

drifter said:

All right, I'll have something by Sunday at the latest. If I don't have something to show by then, it means I don't have the time. Any specific thing you'd like to see or keep it a surprise?

Click to expand...

A surprise is fine...looking forward to it!

drawn_inward said:

@Tinwhistler I really dig that you came here to ask. There's some talented folks in our group!

Click to expand...

To be fair, this isn't the only place I've asked. But we do have a number of talented artists here--I'd love to keep it in the 'family', if it works out that way.

Well, a central element of Fade is a map. I've drawn it a number of times. Might be able to do something for you.

fade said:

Well, a central element of Fade is a map. I've drawn it a number of times. Might be able to do something for you.

Click to expand...

Cool.

I've begun collecting sample sketches from the 4 or 5 folks that are interested, and will be making a decision on Monday as to which artist I want to go with. So far, all of the commission quotes have run the gamut from $50 to $300.

So you're saying I should take a couple zeroes off the quote

drifter said:

So you're saying I should take a couple zeroes off the quote

Click to expand...

$300 is more dear than I want to pay, I can tell you that much

So far, I've gotten 3 examples of map-making work from various artists--2 sketches showing style, and one example of a previous map the artist created.

Would you guys be interested in me to putting up the work I've gotten (without names, to keep things unbiased) tomorrow? Or would you just be interested in seeing the final artist I went with?

Or would you not care one way or the other?

I'm curious to see

Two more artists have told me that they'd get me artwork by today. I haven't gotten it yet, but I'm going to hold out until this evening.
I'll post everything around 9pm or so EST

Got caught up watching a movie with my wife.

Didn't get any more sketches or examples, I have three to choose from. From about 10 people who said they'd send me stuff. It's about the percentage that I guessed I'd get.

Sketch 1:

Example 2 (prior artwork):

Sketch 3:

I'm going to make my decision tomorrow. One of these is from a fellow forumite. All of them have something going for them, I think.

Three maps, huh?

I ended up with going with Artist #1, who I found on Reddit's /r/artstore sub. They weren't the cheapest, but ultimately, I think that their sketch most closely matched my vision for the map.

I had hoped to have much more to choose from, but 3 out of 10 is pretty close to what I've come to expect when seeking speculative work (art or otherwise). A lot of people get excited about the idea of doing something, but don't get motivated enough to put in the small amount of initial work to seal the deal.

And that's fine--I'd rather less-motivated people weed themselves out early rather than me having to hound someone to complete work that I'm paying them for. Don't get me started on the five or so other people who clearly only read the posting title and wrote to me asking for all of the details that I took care to make sure were contained in my post.

I'll let our resident forumite identify themselves and their own work, if they're so inclined.

I thought all of the examples had good things going for them. Everyone I showed the various pieces to agreed.

Tinwhistler said:

I ended up with going with Artist #1

Click to expand...

Don't get me started on the five or so other people who clearly only read the posting title

Click to expand...

By the way I was number three. I kinda figured I wouldn't get picked after I saw the other two examples, but on the plus side I learned of Portolan charts!

I really liked that about your map. It had that old-school cartography feel to it. Unfortunately, I was looking more for a "here there be dragons" kind of map. But I still think one done in your style would look pretty neat.

I liked all three maps as well, and did think they were good for different styles of books. And I also correctly guessed Drifter as the third one, so...;yay.

Dang, I missed the whole thing. Drawing maps is one of my fun things to do! Also r/imaginarymaps is the place to be!

Old sample;

Missing this is my punishment for having not logged into Halforums in as long as I have.

The artist sent me an early work-in-progress update this morning, and kindly gave permission for me to share.

I'm likin it!

Needs moar rhumb lines

I still think "Ninove" is a funny name. I know it's just a variation on the Nineve/Nineveh theme often used for similar great cities, but it's also the name of a little crappy backwards city a couple of miles from here

Bubble181 said:

I still think "Ninove" is a funny name. I know it's just a variation on the Nineve/Nineveh theme often used for similar great cities, but it's also the name of a little crappy backwards city a couple of miles from here

Click to expand...

This one?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninove

Because if that's the one, that's where I got the name from

Yup, that one A couple of friends of mine live there

Bubble181 said:

Yup, that one A couple of friends of mine live there

Click to expand...

A lot of my place name (though not all) came from me looking at European locales and choosing city names that looked interesting. Elven cities are Welsh, for instance. Human cities are from areas around uk/france/belgium.

Tinwhistler said:

A lot of my place name (though not all) came from me looking at European locales and choosing city names that looked interesting. Elven cities are Welsh, for instance. Human cities are from areas around uk/france/belgium.

Click to expand...

Oh, but "Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-Waver"; where I used to live, was too hard to slip in there somewhere, huh?

Bubble181 said:

Oh, but "Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-Waver"; where I used to live, was too hard to slip in there somewhere, huh?

Click to expand...

I was afraid it wouldn't be believable

Tinwhistler said:

I was afraid it wouldn't be believable

Click to expand...

Just afraid one day a reporter'd ask you how it'd be pronounced, I'm sure.

I wonder what sort of restaurants/taverns they have in Essen.

--Patrick

Hmmm...I'm not sure the copy/paste of town icons, etc. looks good in this case. generally I like it, though.

PatrThom said:

I wonder what sort of restaurants/taverns they have in Essen.

--Patrick

Click to expand...

Some fairly good ones, I've been there a few time.

Oh, and Mons is on there too? Huh, hadn't noticed that. Been there too. Man, I bet I've been to more places on your imaginary map than you have!