I have settled on the design that I will use for my city project, initial concept. I spent quite some time trying to come up with a completely original design, but realized that while I am artistic, the logistics of city planning are a bit out there, and I wanted my city to feel correct. To that end I started trying to find referances to possibly combine to make an amalgam, and then I came across this.
It used to be St. Petersburg in Russia, and seems to be done in the style of all of those tourist maps that you can pick up along the streets of major cities. The key points were there, on the coast, spread out for diversity, river running through. The only thing specificly missing was my thought to have a mountain range on one side, but I can always add in something to the right of the river.
After I started working on cleaning it up to make it a blank slate for labeling and detailing, I pondered what I would do for a general setting. I settled on the idea that I would set it back in the “Pulp” era or from the 20’s to the 50’s. Indiana Jones, The Shadow, The Rocketeer, and The Phantom are just some stories that many people would know about that set into that period.
It allows for me to have an old world style of architecture, and interaction with the people. While still pulling in all the odd story elements that I would want to make it interesting. Such as Lovecraftian Horror, Hard-Boiled Detective Work, Mysterious “Aliens”, Lost Ancient Society’s, and Mad Scientists. Between those and the normal every day odd-ball people, I should be able to create a lively city to inhabit.
To this end, I thought that it would be nice for the notes that I put together be done in a “period” style. I started working on a notebook where an investigator would have collected his notes on the new city that he was inhabiting. It is much harder to settle on a handwriting font than I would think, there are some that look very convincing, but end up being not quite legible, and on the other side are those that look a bit to “typed” so I have tried to find a balance between legibility and fluid feel.
