TIL that drawing my map's coastlines freehand first, then inking them, looks way more real than starting digital. Did a test with the Bay of Storms and the hand-drawn one just had more soul.

2 comments

2 Comments

Totally get that. The wobble in a hand drawn line just has a different feel, like the coast of Maine or something. It's all those tiny imperfections a computer smooths out. My digital maps always looked too clean, like a textbook. That little bit of shake in the ink makes it feel like a place someone actually sailed along.

ninab951mo ago

Yeah, the texture is everything. I scan my pencil sketches and use them as a rough layer in Procreate. Lets me keep the wonky pencil feel but still add colors and labels cleanly on top. Best of both worlds.