Specifically, it is a map of the Northern Territory, part of the Nordguard universe and where most of the fun in the books will take place. For a "real world" point of reference, Kuuvik (down at the bottom) is in relation to Churchill, Manitoba. The map is based on period maps (late 1800s/early 1900s) and the charted arctic region of the era. Some of the topographical features of the map are different in the Nordguard universe (namely there's a few additional mountain ranges, which slightly effect climate and the treeline) but the coastline is roughly the same.
It was a nice, brain dead break from painting pages--and now I can stop using the scribbled bar-napkin map I was referencing before. ;]
Photo details:
Painting the Map:
The map has been soaked and stretched on a board to prevent wrinkling. All the text and coastlines are done in pencil, but when the paper is soaked, it will "seal" them so then won't smudge or bleed while I paint.
I put down a very wet wash with a large brush, then while the paper was wet, started applying watercolor to build up color.
After the brown base had dried, I started painting the waterline and the then coast.
There's a few more "in-progress" photos of the map on www.nordguard.com, in the development art section, for anyone curious!
Now, back to painting pages!
