Avoiding Visual Tangents
Visual tangents are one of those things that can creep into your work. The worst part is they draw attention to themselves because they’re by nature distracting. So what are they and how can you avoid them when drawing your fantasy maps?
What Are Tangents?
Tangents are when lines come together at one point rather than clearly overlapping; or when two objects are directly net to each other, causing a crowded feeling.
In the example, you can see that one of the worst tangents is where the cloud is just barely touching the side of the volcano. There’s just something about it that feels visually uncomfortable.
Watch Out
It’s easy for tangents to find their way into your work, even if you’re an experienced artist. Everything you draw has the potential to have a visual tangent, so watch out!
Cartographer’s Liner Brush Field Kit
$29 | For Procreate, Photoshop, & Clip Studio Paint
Want the brushes I am using for this Map Tip? The Cartographer’s Liner Brush Field Kit contains 21x unique liner brushes designed to give an analog quality to your digital work.
Easy to Avoid When You Know What to Look For
Fortunately, tangents are easy to fix or avoid altogether when you know how to recognize a problem area.
Most of the time it’s just a matter of shifting a line a little higher or a little lower so it overlaps the object in front of it. This creates a much more pleasing composition with depth because of the way elements now overlap each other.
I hope you found this little Map Tip helpful in your journey to map your story. If you want to support Map Effects and help other map makers, be sure to share this with someone who will find it helpful and pin it to save for later!
Happy Mapping!
- Josh