Mountain Checkpoint, Behind the Scenes (Patreon)

This week's map is a bit smaller than my others, but that doesn't mean it was any less work to make, so let's talk!

1. Things didn't change too much after the rough sketch, I cut out the leafy plants in favor of a more arid feeling and changed the ledge to the right of the wall to be more like the others. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to draw, so this stage came and went pretty quickly.

2. Next up is the major structures: large buildings and the ground. Once again I went ahead and drew all of the most exciting thing first, you gotta get those simple pleasures where you can.

3. And then there's the details (minus the dirt). I'll always be surprised how much return there is on the grass lines. They are so quick to draw and they immediately improve the feeling of the map. On the other hand there's the rock wall details, and I just hate those guys. Someday I'll find a better alternative to contoured rocks.

4. Dirt details and smaller structures are added next. Small wooden crates are my bread and butter, but they will be the reason I take a break on manned structures for a couple weeks. 

5. Blam, color! Mustard yellow and dark brown is one of my favorite color combos, expect to see this again and again. I had a bit of trouble nailing down the ground color though, I went through 5 different shades of boring beige before I settled on this particular boring beige.

6. And finally, shading. Now those are some satisfying shadows if I say so myself. A big part of this stage is messing around with the contrast, brightness, and levels sliders until I'm satisfied (and even then..)

Welp, that's all I've got for you this week! I'm not quite sure what I'll do next, but it probably won't be a camp of any kind. Another path? Something deserty finally?