Spent two years drawing coastlines with the wrong pen size.

I always used a 0.1 micron pen for all my shorelines because I thought finer lines looked more realistic. Then I saw someone's map where they varied pen sizes for different coast types - 0.5 for rugged cliffs, 0.05 for sandy beaches - and realized my maps all looked the same. Has anyone else had a simple tool choice hold them back for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosew371mo ago

Actually I kind of prefer the uniform look, it makes my maps feel consistent and recognizable (like a signature style).

karent751mo ago

Yeah the "signature style" thing really clicked for me... I spent ages trying to get my forests perfect with this one specific tree brush until a friend pointed out my maps just looked like wallpaper patterns. Sometimes sticking with one tool for consistency makes you miss how much variety can actually define your art style better.