Galcaerrow Mines (Upper) Sketch

I hadn't planned on posting any other of the maps I'd made until someone noted that they're just as 'world building' as other images.

Maps tend to be my 'off time' art.  When I take Saturdays off work I find myself wanting to sketch out ideas about where people might live, and I've loved doing that via maps.  It actually leads  me to think of the story that lead to the place in question.  In this case, the Galcaerrow Mines.  Its one place that actually sparked off my thoughts about what happened at Whiterook (more on that later) and the effects it had on the surrounding lands.

It also saved my ass when an impromptu game came up and I was able to easily draw from the things I'd created on my weekends.  It has lead to some truths about the Lorrnathi people, and some bravery that nobody had heard about (or would believe given their rather dark past), it has even made me think about the bird folks of the lands of the cold south.

All from map sketching.

I often add other sketches of someone who might be at the location on the sides of these sketches, and they rarely appear in the final version (though I ink them for later use).  Its a lot more world-building than I had realized they were, and since I always like to be sketching on something, they let me just chill out on my day off, sketch something that doesn't have to be perfect, and lets me detail the crap out of things to an absurd degree.

The maps don't take up any of the time that I spend doing sketches of characters though.  They're simply a 'bonus filler' that I'll be glad to post here.  Even if its not for most people, its not taking away from other art that I'll be posting here anyway.

Given how rough this week was with my other job, I've taken to just hiding and sketching this place out a bit more, trying to get back into some character pieces I hope to have painted and posted this month.

This will be inked at some point.  Likely on other days off, or on days where I just can't get an image to co-operate.  There will be all sorts of odds and ends added to it.

Cheers, folks!

-T.J.