Creation of the Tuanth Map Art

I just recently finished a project with a new Client on a Map Design for his fantasy story 'The Wolf Lord Saga' Creating a Map of a fictional land may sound like a simple task because there is no worry for any cartographic mistakes, but I must disagree to a point. To be described a fictional land, especially one so detailed and planned out by an author is beyond stressful, due to the fact that there is a need for absolute correctness in placement & distance for the reader to draw a accurate correlation between the story and the illustration. I was happy and lucky to work with an author with which I shared such a rapport. It helped with completion of the art in a timely manner. Below I will share some images of the stages of creation of the Map. Above is a collage of preliminary sketches trying to distinguish layout/shape/design. It is important to have great communication and understanding with the Author to have the ability to project their world out on paper. Above are samples of texture and coloring. We still hadn't decided on the continent shape. Above is the Stage right before the finished Map. Only a few Changes were made to the final Map which I will show in a new Post. I did a lot of research of maps and I think I'm in love. I have created a map before, but now after doing a second its growing on me. Maps are freaking Gorgeous! Expect to see an explosion of Maps to come from yours truly.