With this post I’ve caught up to my current version of the Anvil Islands map.

I chose an unusual method for my rivers, carving them out of the landscape rather than drawing them on top. I wanted to avoid strange overlaps with my raised edges at the ocean line. The other tricks I tried just didn’t work, but I’m pleased with this solution. The only downside is it doesn’t work with CC3’s smooth polygon tools, so my rivers were carved using the fractal tool and I may have to clean them up a bit.

When I posted my earlier map on the CC3 forums, one of the criticisms was my map appeared constrained into a box shape. So I’ve altered my southern coast, dipping the Meglis island downwards considerably. I think that solves it, but I’d appreciate feedback if anyone disagrees.

(Click the image for larger sizes)

Also due to comments, I added some extra contours to give a sense of the height of the land. I don’t want to make a full height map since the proportions here are meant to be representational, but some extra depth probably helps.

I’ve also redone the political borders to account for the natural boundaries of the rivers, plus I’ve added an index / legend. The parchment scroll for the legend was inspired by art from the Vintage Collective set on Flickr.

There are still a lot of details to fill on this map, but I’m going to start on some of the cutout segments next. In particular I’ll be trying my hand at city / town mapping.

Feel free to let me know what you think. =)

I’ll try to give as much info about the geography and people of these fictional lands without giving away too many project details (for now).

I’ve posted these images elsewhere for feedback and that’s been hella helpful so far, especially since I’m new to making my own maps. I’ve been a big fan of fantasy maps since forever and I’m surprised I took this long to get into making my own. Having a purpose for the maps is a great motivator. This project so far has kept a huge grin on my face.

This map is my first real dabble with Campaign Cartographer (well, after the initial tutorial map at least) and it’s the main region for the project. Most of the maps that will follow will be increased detail on cutaway portions from this map.

Anvil Islands. The name is derived from a fantastical aspect of the islands. Due to a peculiar placement in the overall world geography, these islands are situated in a rare and powerful south-to-north ocean stream. The populated areas of the map are protected from the heavy current by the massive mountain range at the southern reaches of the two main islands. The waves are said to crash upon the rocks like a “hammer upon an anvil”.

(Click the image for larger sizes)

The gap between the two main islands forms a channel locals refer to as both the “Gap River” and the “Gap Firth” although it’s not precisely either. The western main island of Dovon is the most populated, while Meglis has seen expansion more recently. To most of the population, these islands are their whole world.

At this point in my map design, I haven’t placed the rivers yet and overall the map is sparse on detail. I have placed the capital cities of the primary political factions, as well as the Forest of Breeze, a locale which plays a key role within the story.

The map was created completely with Campaign Cartographer 3, using my variation of the Mercator style from the first Annual update. It’s complex CAD-related software and not what I’m accustomed to working with, but I think I’ve gotten past the initial steep learning curve.

I’m playing catchup posting this, there’s another iteration which I’ll post about tomorrow (you can sneak peak via my Flickr feed on the sidebar). Regardless, I’m happy to hear criticisms or commentary based on what’s here so far.