Hey everyone, and happy Sneak Peek Thursday!Today, I have a special preview to show you featuring my updated Van Richten's Tower. This was one of the maps I originally did when I started my mapping journey over 5 years ago. Back then, I had nothing more than a goal and a vision to make a map for every location in Curse of Strahd (and then some!). However, my skills were still pretty basic, and the asset library I was using was fairly limited. I've always loved maps that show some perspective, adding both scale and depth to a piece, but often times they were not very VTT / token friendly. So five years later, I set out with a new goal. "Git gud" was my #1 priority as I wanted to develop the most detailed CoS maps I could. But beyond that, I also wanted to discover a new mapping style that combines perspective while respecting token space as much as possible. My approach has always been to try to combine both the functionality of a map and an "art-forward" approach.Additionally, over the course of the last few years, I have been developing my own personal asset library, which matches both the vision and direction I want to take DM Andy Maps. I'm at the point now where most of the assets I'm using are my own "DM Andy" assets combined with commercially sourced assets from other artists (such as the Inkarnate library, River Dog Studios, and the Builder's Atlas, to name a few).
I've been going non-stop for over 5 years now, making one map after another with hardly enough time to look back and reflect and appreciate my growth as an artist and map maker. This sneak peek is special because you get to see a side-by-side image of what 5 years of progress looks like! Of course, I could not have done this without you all, the support of the TTRPG community, and all the friends I've made along the way. Your support, your kind comments, your encouragement, and your excitement for running games for your groups have made all of this possible, and I've been able to continue to grow my own skills while supporting other talented (human-made!) artists along the way.
I hope you enjoy this sneak peek, and I can't wait to share the full map with you all on Monday! Cheers, DM Andy