Ed Trillo - Adventure Time World Map

While I never considered myself a traditional illustrator, when I got the opportunity to create the main world map for "Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!" for the Nintendo 3DS, I jumped at the chance.

Adventure Time is one of my favorite IP's, and this project was just enough of a challenge that I was confident I could pull it off. I began by searching through various Adventure Time art references and hit the jackpot by discovering a library online of all the original background and character art. From that point on it was simply a matter of how much fun I could have.

(above)
Official greyblock/game map provided by WayForward (4096x4096 image).

My task was to illustrate the final world map artwork while staying strictly within the map edges. The black squares indicate towns and points of interest.

(below)
My initial rough color blocks and preparation for detail.

REFERENCE GATHERING & STYLE TEMPLATES

I spent the first few days gathering references and watching a lot of Adventure Time in high-resolution and slow-motion. I studied meticulously how their artists painted each asset including line boldness, use of bold swaths of color, minute details, color palette, etc.