Mountains or forests - which do you put down first on a map and why?

I went to a fantasy map workshop at a local con last summer and the guy leading it said he always puts forests down first because rivers and mountains follow from where the trees are. But I've always done mountains first since they shape the whole land. Which way do you do it and did you ever change after seeing someone else's method?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_simon27d ago

Funny how in mapmaking and life, starting with the biggest thing first usually works best.

ross.angela27d ago

Mountains first here too. Did it for years until I tried a friend's method of drawing rivers first and letting everything else fall around them. The whole grid just clicked different. Now I rough in the main river, then mountains along one side, then forests where the rain shadow hits. It feels more like actual geography even though the map is totally made up. Never looked back after that river-first approach.