how to draw fantasy art and rpg maps: step by step cartography for gamers and fans

HowtoDrawFantasyArtandRPGMaps

Step-By-StepCartographyforGamersandFans

JaredBlando

Cincinnati,Ohiowww.impact-books.com

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Contents

SpecialOffers

Introduction

BasicMaterials

AdvancedMaterials

CHAPTERONE

BuildingYourWorldCoastlinesandBoundariesDefineYourWorld

CHAPTERTWO

Mountains,Forests,RiversandWaterHighPeaks......andRuggedHillsWoodsandForestsRiversandTributariesShoreandWaterLines

CHAPTERTHREE

TownandCityIconsCitiesCastlesandHoldfasts

CHAPTERFOUR

TypographyScriptStyleCulturalTypographyLocationLabelsAreaLabeling

CHAPTERFIVE

LandmarksRoadsandRoutesSpecialLocations

CHAPTERSIX

IconographySimpleCityIconsLocationIconsOceanIcons

CHAPTERSEVEN

HeraldryandShieldsShieldShapesSimpleHeraldrySimpleShieldSymbolsPaintingShieldsShieldEmbellishmentsShieldPlacement

CHAPTEREIGHT

PoliticalBoundariesBoundaryLinesBoundaryColorsBoundaryTypesUsingNaturalBoundaries

CHAPTERNINE

BackgroundsBordersBorderCornersComplexCornersCornerFlourishesAdvancedFlourishesCompassLegendsLegendInformationInformationBoxes

CHAPTERTEN

PaintingTechniquesInkingPenandBrushInkingDetailInkingTypographyPaintingCreatingaDetailedBorderDigitalPainting

CHAPTERELEVEN

PuttingitAllTogetherCreatingaFantasyMap

AbouttheArtist

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Theworldoffantasyisfloodedwiththeimagesofcharacters,castlesandepicbattles,yetcartographyhasaparticularlyintrinsicplaceamongsttheseotherworksofart.Mapshavethemagicalabilitytocreateaworldforaviewerwithouttheneedfortext,visuallyillustratingentiredomains,citiesandkingdomswiththestrokeofabrush.Alongwiththeabilitytolinkpeopletothestoriestheyreadbyplacingthereaderintotheworldofthestoryteller’simagination,mapsaddanextralayerofdepthandplausibilitytotheimaginedworldanditspeoples.Thoughthereareagreatnumberofdifferenttypesofmaps,fromworldandregionaltocitiesorevenspecificbuildings,thisbookisa(modest)attempttogivethereadertheabilitytocreatetheirownworldmapsinaneasyandeffectivemanner.Startingwithtechniquesthatgraduallymovefrombasicintothemoreadvanced,Iwillactasyourguidethroughtheextensive,butrewardingprocessofmapmaking.Fromtallmountainsandrollingplainstothegreatseas,thepowerofcreationisatyourfingertips!

BasicMaterials

DrawingImplementsFormapwork,it’sbesttohavetherighttoolsofthetradewithyou.Havingafewdifferenttypesofpencilsisbest,namelya2H,anHBanda2B,aswellasakneadederaserandapencilsharpener.Ialsouseamechanicalpencilthattakes.05mmleadfordetailwork.

.05mmleadfordetailwork.

ANoteonPencils

Drawingpencilsrangefrom9H(lightestlinecolorandthemostclay)to9B(darkestandrichestcolor,containingmoregraphite).Forouruse,a2Hpencilproducesalightlineandisexcellentforlightsketchinganddelicateshading.TheHBpencilisagreatall-purposetoolandisverymuchinthemiddleofthepencilspectrum,makingitquiteusefulfordrawinginmountainsandhills.A2Bissuitabletodarkenupboundaries,givinglighterpencilsaheavierlineweight.Amechanicalpencilisabitadvanced,butitalsogivesanexcellentrangeoflineweightanddensitywithsomepractice.

DrawingSurfacesAfteryouhavepickedupyourpencils,it’stimetothinkaboutwhatsurfaceyou

Afteryouhavepickedupyourpencils,it’stimetothinkaboutwhatsurfaceyouwillbedrawingon.Thepaperyourmapisonisjustasimportantaswhatyouuseforrendering.Drawingpadscomeinagreatmanysizesandweights,andareuptoaperson’spreference,thoughideallyyouwillwantonewithenoughroomtodrawandnotbecramped.Watercolororparchmentpaperarebothidealformapmakingaswell.IpersonallyuseArcheswatercolorpaperformapmaking,sinceitholdspencilandinknicelyandit’squitedurable.Papersarecategorizedbypoundagelevel(65-lbs[175gsm],90-lbs[190gsm],

etc.),whichessentiallyishowstiffandthicktheyare.Thehigherthepoundage,thestifferthepaperis.Formapmaking,it’sbesttohaveapaperthatisatleast65-lbs(175gsm)asthiswillgiveyouasturdybase.Watercolorpapersalsohavea“press”rating,eitherhotorcold.Hot-pressedpaperissmootherandhaslesstoothtoit,whilecold-pressedpaperisrougherandhasmoretexture.

AgingPaper

Togetthatniceoldparchmentlook,trysoakingyourpaperindarkroastcoffee.Youcaneitherusealargepantolaythepaperin,ordampenthepapersandthenbrushonthecoffeewithafoldedpieceofpapertowel.Itwillyellowyourpaperbeautifully.

AdvancedMaterials

Whenyouarereadytomoveonfrompencilwork,therearesometoolsthatyouwillrequire.Fortraditionalwork,avarietyofbrushesisessentialforpaintinganddetailwork,whileinkingrequiresspecificinksorinkpens.Whenworkingdigitally,youwillneedatablet,stylusandAdobePhotoshoporGIMP.

InksAfteryourpencilwork,inkingwillgivepermanenceandboldnesstoyourmap.Thoughmostpeoplethinkofinksasjustboldthicklines,andindeedthisisone

Thoughmostpeoplethinkofinksasjustboldthicklines,andindeedthisisoneofthetechniquesthatcanbeused,inksalsoworkwellaslightwashesthatcanbebrushedontogivegentletonality.Inkscomeinabafflingvarietyofcolors,thoughit’sbesttostickwithblack,brownandredinkstostart.Youwillneedasmallselectionofbrushesforyourinkwork,includingnos.00,0and1round,ano.2flataswellasalarge1-inch(25mm)flatwatercolorbrush.Calligraphypenswithinterchangeableheadtips,aswellasCopicMultilinerbrownorblackinkpensarealsouseful,andeachcomeinavarietyofsets.Inkinganditsvarioustoolsarecoveredinamoredetailedfashioninchapter10.

TraditionalBrushesBrushescomeinabewilderingvarietyofshapesandsizes,butyouwillneedonlyaselectfewtogetstarted.Themostcommonbrushshapesareroundorflat,andmostarenumberedfrom00(thesmallest)to10(thelargest).Brushesalsofallintothreedifferentgroups:watercolor,acrylicsandoils,andaregroupedbybristlemakeup:synthetic,naturalormixed.Foraddingcolorinmapmaking,it’sbesttousewatercolorbrushesinamixtureofflatsandrounds.Thiswillbediscussedinmoredetailinlaterchapters.

Thiswillbediscussedinmoredetailinlaterchapters.

DigitalToolsWhenworkingdigitally,youwillneedatabletandstylus.Astylusisthepentoolthathasbuilt-inpressuresensitivitytohelpsimulatelightorheavystrokesdependingonhowhardorsoftyoupress.Thereareafewtabletsthatarecheapandeasytogetatyourlocalelectronicsshoporonline,thoughIpersonallyuseaWacomtablet.Withmultipleinterchangeablenibstosimulatedifferentsurfaces,it’sanexcellenttoolforworkingdigitally.Asforsoftware,AdobePhotoshoporGIMP(afreewareprogramverysimilartoPhotoshop)arebothexcellentandfunctionverysimilarly.

CHAPTERONE

BuildingYourWorld

Whetheryouarepartialtodeepdarkforests,tallmountainsorvastplains,thischapterwillteachyouthetechniquestobringyourvisionofafictionalworldtothepageusingyourpencilsandimagination.Wewillcoversomeofthebasicmethodsoflayinginthevariouselementsthatwillmakeupyourfantasticalworld.Mapsoftenconsistofamultitudeofelementsthatconveyinformationtoanonlooker.Rivers,hills,mountains,citiesandsuchareallpartsofasuccessfulandinterestingmap,thoughabalanceoftheseelementsisalwaysagoodthing.Havingastrongideaofthelandsyouwishtodrawisgreat,but

don’tbeafraidtolookatthemanyhistoricalmapsthatexisttogiveyoufurtherinspirationforyourownmap.Mostmapsarebasedonfunctionality,sokeepthisinmindwhenlayingoutyours.Afunctionalfantasymapismorebelievableandthereforemoreexcitingandinspiring.Usingvariouspencilstosketchanddraw,soonyouwillhaveaworldofyourowncomingtolife!

CoastlinesandBoundaries

Thefirstthingweneedtodowhenstartinganewmapistolayinthecoastlines.Coastlinesareessentiallytheboundariesofyourfantasymap,servingtobothdifferentiatebetweenlandandseaandtodefinetheparametersofthetypeofworldyouarecreating.Beforelayinginyourboundaries,trytothinkofthetypeoflandsthatyouwanttoportray,aswellasthepeoplewhowillinhabitthem.Mapsbasedonrealplacesandlocationsareoftensomeofthebestbecausetheyaregroundedinourreality,andarethusmorebelievable.Doyouwantalandlockedmountainousareafulloflakesandrivers,asprawlingarchipelagoofmanyislandsorsomethinginbetween?Howeveryouwantthem,yourcoastlinesareaveryimportantpartofyourfantasymap.

Ocean-HeavyMapSampleAnocean-heavymapwillhaveonly20–30percentofthelandmassshowing,andtherestiswater.Havingalargecentralislandortwosurroundedbysmallerdistantislandsworkswell.Amapsuchasthiswouldhavevastlydifferentcultures(mostwouldbeseafarers)thananormalmap.

BalancedMapSampleBalancedmapsaredivided50/50or60/40,usuallyinfavoroftheland.Thiswouldbemorerepresentativeofourownearth,mostlybecausemapsofthesetypesdon’tincludewholeseasandoceans,justpartsofthem.

Land-HeavyMapSampleCoastlinesandboundariesareoftendepictedasbeingverybroadanddark,withcleardefinitionbetweenoceansandlandmassessothatthereisnoconfusionbetweenthetwo.Coastlineswillmostlikelybetheboldestlinesonyourmap,andwithgoodreason.A2Hpencilisbestforlayingoutyourinitialsketchlines,whilea2Bpencilisbestformakingdark,heavylines

DefineYourWorld

We’llstartwithasinglecontinentfornow,moveontoislandsandthenfinishwithsomecoastlinedetailsandrefinements.Whendrawinginyourcoastlineboundaries,youwillstartwithalightpencilframeworkofallthemajorcontinentsandgeographicalareas,includinganyislandsandmajorlakes.Afterthelightsketchcomesthedarkerpenciltofurtherdefineandsolidifytheboundaries,makingthemniceandclear.Whentheboundarieslookdarkanddefined,thelightpencillinecanbeerased,leavingonlythebroadanddarkfinalcoastlines.Onceyouknowthesebasicsteps,youcanmoveontoaddinginmultiplecontinentstoformalargemap.

STEP1:DrawaSimpleShape

Tobegin,lightlydrawaverysimplecontinentshape,roughinginthebasicoutlinethatyoucandetailfurtherinthenextstep.Begeneralanddon’tpresstoohard;youjustwantalightpencillinethatyoucaneraseormodifyinthenextstep.

STEP2:RefinetheCoastline

Onceyourgeneralshapeisdone,gobackinwithanHBpencilandrefineyouroriginallinesoit’smoredetailed.Don’tbeafraidtobecreativeorstrayradicallyfromyouroriginalline.Trytomakeyourcoastlinesfunandinteresting.Whenyouhavefinishedyourdarkerandmoredetailedline,erasethelightsketch.

BalancingtheMap

Yourlightsketchwillbetheframeworkthatyoubuilduponandisveryimportantforcompositionofthemapasawhole.Itisessentialtotrytostrikeagoodbalancebetweentheamountoflandandwater.Amapwithtoomuchwatermaylooktoosparseoruninteresting,whileamapthatiscompletelylandlockedmaylookjustasstrangewithno,orveryfew,bodiesofwater.

STEP3:AddIslands

Onceyourbasiccontinentisdrawn,lookforareastodrawinanyislandsthatmayfittheframeworkofyourmap.Islandsareoftengroupedtogetherinbunchesofirregularshapes,formingchainsthatstretchbetweencontinentalmasses.Somearesolargethattheymayformtheirownsmalllandmassthatistotallyseparatefromthemainland.Experimentwithshapesandsizes,fromshortandstouttolongandthin.Justrememberthatislandsarealmostalwaysaccompaniedbyothersmallerislandstoformanislandgrouping.

STEP4:AddLakes

Onceyourislandsarelaidin,youshouldstartthinkingaboutlayinginsomelakesonthemainland,orevenonyournewislandsiftheyarebigenough.Lakesareoftenlongandfingerlikesincetheyaredepressionsthatlieinbetweenmountainsandhills.Justaswithislands,don’tbeafraidtotryallshapesandsizesortohavemultiplelakesgroupedneareachother.

sizesortohavemultiplelakesgroupedneareachother.

STEP5:CreateInletsandBays

Inletsandbaysareagoodwayofmakingyourcoastlineveryunique.Createsomebaysbydrawingintotheinteriorofyoursketch,forminghalfbowl-likeshapesalongyourcoastlines.Bayscanalsobequiteirregular,orevencontainsomesmallislandstohelpdefinethem.Don’tbeafraidtomakethemabitmore

somesmallislandstohelpdefinethem.Don’tbeafraidtomakethemabitmoreangularorjagged.Inletsareeasier,andyoucanincludesomebydrawingwedgesorsmallpocketsthatfaceintoyourlandmasses.Besuretoerasetheoriginalsketchlinesasyouformyournewcoastlines.

LakeShapes

Treeleavesareagoodsourceofshapeinspirationformodelingyourlakes,especiallymapleleaves.Lakesoftenlieinbetweenmountainsandhillsbecausewaterislazyandwillalwaysrundownhill.So,remembertodrawsomelakesaroundthemwhenyougetachance.

STEP6:SolidifyYourCoastlines

Onceyouhavecompletelylaidoutyourframeworkinpencil,it’stimetogobackintosolidifyyourcoastlines.Usinga2Bpencil,traceoveryourlines,wigglingthepencilabittogivemoredetailandcharactertotheoriginalline.Don’tbeafraidtostrayfromyouroriginallineortoaddinmorebays,inletsandislands.Afteryouhavedarkenedupyourframework,carefullygobackinand

eraseanypartsoftheoriginalframeworkthatmightbeshowing.Tryandleaveonlyyourdarkenedcoastlinesbehind.

STEP7:FinishedCoastlines

Whenyouhavefinishedcleaningupyouroriginallightframework,yourcoastlinesshouldlookabitlikethis,andyou’llhavecompletedthefirstpartof

coastlinesshouldlookabitlikethis,andyou’llhavecompletedthefirstpartofyourfantasymap.

CHAPTERTWO

Mountains,Forests,RiversandWater

Tallmountainsandruggedfoothillsoftendominatefantasyrealmsofallshapesandsizes.Mountainsseemtoaddasenseofvastnessandawetoafantasyworld’ssettingsandsurroundings.Mountainsnotonlyserveasphysicalboundariesbetweenculturesandraces,theyoftenformpoliticalboundariesaswell,dividingvariousnationsandpeople.Yourfantasymapwillalsoneedforests.Theyareaninstantareaof

mysteryandwonderthatserveasboundaries,obstaclesorrefugesfortheinhabitantsofyourworld.Forestscanrangefromdensegroupingsoftreesforminganuntamedwilderness,tosmallbodiesoftreesthatrepresentquietandpeacefulwoodlands.Geologically,forestsareoftenlocatedinandaroundmountainsduetotheimmensewateryrunoff,thoughanythinggoesinafantasymap!Don’tbeafraidtoincludehauntedwoods,sparseordeadtreesorlarger-than-lifemagicalwoodlands.Bodiesofwaterhaveabigimpactonmapsandhowtheyarelaid

out.Seasareusuallymassivebodiesofwaterthatarelargerthanlakes,butarestillconnectedtothelargerocean.Riversarefreshwaterrunofffrommountainsandexcessiverainfallthatformintopathsthatflowdownintotheseasandoceans.Riversareoneofthemost

flowdownintotheseasandoceans.Riversareoneofthemostimportantlandfeatureswithinamap(andacountry!),thoughtheycanbetrickytoplacecorrectly.Agoodideatokeepinmindforriverplacementisthatwaterisgenerallylazyandwilltakethepathofleastresistancedownhill.Thus,manymajorriversstartasacombinationofsmallertributariesthatcomedownoutofthetallmountainvalleysandhillrangesthatareoverflowingwithmeltingsnowandrainfall.

HighPeaks...

Whendrawingmountains,beginwithalightpencillinetosketchthebasicmountainshapesyouwanttodraw.It’sagoodideatohavealightgeneraloutlineofwhereyouwouldliketoplaceyourrangesandsolitarymountains.Afteryoursketchiscomplete,drawinthemountainsonebyone,followingyourlightsketch.Afteryourmountainshavebeendrawn,feelfreetosketchgroupsofhillsthatmayliearoundornearthemountainranges,orformseparateandindependentchainsoftheirown.Drawinghillsismuchthesameasdrawingmountainsthoughtheyaremuchsmallerandmorebowlshaped.Finally,gooveryourlightsketchlineswithadarkerpenciltoadddefinitionanddetail.

STEP1:LayOutaMountainRange

Tostart,takeyour2Hpencilandlightlydrawlineswhereyouwouldlikeyourmountainrangestobe.Theseguidinglinesareusefulforyoutofollow,andallowyouanideaofwhereyourmountainswillbegrouped.Onceyouarehappywiththegeneralplacement,moveontothenextstep.

STEP2:DrawaMountain

TakeyourHBpencilandslowlydrawyourfirstmountainshape,makinganupside-downVorW.Tryanddrawthisfirstmountaininthemiddlepartofyourinitiallightsketchline.

MountainPlacement

Whendrawinginmountains,it’sagoodideatothinkaboutwhereyou’dliketoplacethem,howmountainousyou’dlikeyourworldtobeingeneralandhowyourmountainswillaffecttheworldasawhole.Mountainsserveasexcellentcountryboundaries,sokeepthisinmindbeforeyoustartsketchingthemin.Ofcourse,youcouldjuststartplacingmountainsinrandomspotsandseewhereittakesyouaswell.It’syourworldafterall!

STEP3:CreateaMountainChain

Nowthatyourfirstmountainiscomplete,it’stimetogivehimsomefriendsandmakeawholemountainchain.Continuebyaddingamountaintotherightandleftofyourfirstmountainuntilyourwholechainiscomplete.Mountainsdrawninthemiddleofthechainshouldbethelargest,whilethosetowardtheend

shouldgraduallyreduceinsize.Mountainsarefarfromregularinshapeandsize,sofeelfreetoexperimentwithdifferentlookingmountaintops,fromthemorejaggedtothemorerounded.

STEP4:EraseGuidelines

Takeyourkneadederaserandgentlyeraseyourstartingguidelines.

STEP5:DefineYourMountains

Onceyourbasicmountainchainhasbeencompleted,it’stimetofleshthemoutandgivethemsomedefinition.TakeyourHBpencilanddrawthinlinesthatrundowneachsideofthemountain,witheachmountainhavingfivetotenlineseach.Dothisforeachofyourmountainsandwatchhowtheycometolife!

STEP6:FinishYourMountainRange

Onceyouarehappywithyourfirstmountainrange,repeatsteps2–5everywhereonyourmapthatyouhaveplacedyourlightmountainguidelines.

...andRuggedHills

Hillsarethesmallercousinsofmountains,butarejustasimportanttoamap’sgeography.Hillsalsoserveasphysicalandpoliticalboundaries,aswellasroughterrainforvariousnefariousorevilcreaturestolurkwithin.Hillsareusuallylocatednexttoorverynearmountains,thoughtheywilloftenformtheirowndistinctrangesaswell.

STEP1:AddYourFirstHill

Nexttothebottomofoneofyourmountains,takeyourHBpencilanddrawasmallupside-downU,abouthalforquarterthesizeofamountain.

STEP2:LayInMoreHills

Afterthat,drawafewmoreupside-downUshapesalongthemountain’sloweredges,andcontinuethisallalongthemountainrange.

STEP3:FormHillRanges

Onceyourhillsatthebottomofthemountainsaredrawnin,feelfreetodrawmorehillsextendingoffofyourexistinghills.Thesearehillsthatextendoutfromthemoremountainoushighground,forminghillrangesoftheirown.Notallhillshavetoextendoffofthemountains;feelfreetoaddhillswhereveryouseefit.Havingagroupoffourormorehillsisbest,arrangedintorelativelines.Tryandmakeshapeswithyourhills,formingC’sandS’sforvariety.

STEP4:DefineYourHills

Whenyouhavefinishedlayinginallyourbasichills,gobackinandaddafewsmalllinestoeachhillbottom,justlikeyoudidtodefineyourmountains.Thisaddssomedimensionandweighttotheranges.

STEP5:CompletetheRanges

Afterstep4,yourmountainsandhillsshouldlooksomethinglikethis.

STEP6:AddCharacter

Ifyouarefeelingadventurous,getcreativeandaddtrollholesandotheropeningsandpathsinandaroundyourhillsandmountains.Anydetailsyoucanaddwillbringsomecharactertothemapingeneral.

AlternateMountains

Thereareseveraldifferentwaysofdetailingmountains.Someusemoreshadingthanothers.Onceyouhavemasteredthebasicmountaintechnique,tryandpracticedrawingsomemountainstoresembletheexamplesshown.Amapshouldkeepthesamemountaintechniqueforuniformity’ssake,thoughIurgeyoutoexperimentanddevelopyourownmountaintypesandforms.Certainmountaintechniquesworkbetterthanothersdependingonthetoneofthemap.

WoodsandForests

Drawingforestsisafunandinterestingwayofaddingalotofdimensiontoyourmap.Startingwithageneralareasketch,youwilllayinafewtreeshereandthere,firstdrawingthelargegroupsoftreesthatwillformthemainpartsofyourmajorforests.Afterthat,youcanaddsmallerwoodlandsorstandingbodies,andfinallyendbyaddingsomedefinitiontoyourwoods.Thereareafewseparatetechniquesforthedepictionofforests,withsomedifferentshapesandsizesthatyoucanuse,thougheachiseasytolearn.

STEP1:MarkGeneralForestAreas

Takeyour2Hpencilandlightlydrawthegeneralareaswhereyouwanttoplaceyourmajorforests.Pressverylightlysinceyouwillonlybeusingtheselinesas

yourmajorforests.Pressverylightlysinceyouwillonlybeusingtheselinesasaguide.

STEP2:DrawtheFirstTree

Nowcomesthefunpart!UsingyourHBpencil,drawyourfirsttreebymakingatriangularshapewithaflatterbottom.Yourfirsttreeshouldbeplacedwithintheguidelinesyoudrew.

STEP3:DrawMajorForests

Onceyouhavedrawninyourfirsttree,expandyourforestbydrawingmoretreesusingthesamegeneralshapeasyourfirstone.Keepdrawingtreesonenexttoanotheruntilyoufeelsatisfiedwiththesizeandshapeofthegrouping.Feelfreetovarythesizeofyourtreestomakethemlookmoreorganic,groupingtogethersimilartreeshapestoaddvariety.

STEP4:AddMinorWoodlands

Onceyourmajorforestshavebeendrawn,addinsomerandomgroupingsoftreesinandaroundyourmajorgroupingstoaddmoreflavorandvariety.Tryanddrawyourminorwoodlandsbygroupingthreetofivetrees.Theseminorwoodlandscanbeplacedanywhereonthemap,thoughtheylookreallygoodwhentheyareusedtobreakupreallysparseareas.

STEP5:DefinetheTrees

Onceyourmajorandminorwoodlandsarefinished,it’stimetoaddsomedefinition.TakeyourHBpencilandgentlyshadeinthebottomcornerportionsofeachtreewithafewlines.Tryandsticktoonlyonesideofthetreeshapetoprovideamoreuniformlook,thoughsometreesshouldbemoreshadedthanothers.Aftershading,addtreetrunks.

STEP6:FinishWithShading

Afteryourtreetrunksarelaidin,it’stimetoshadeyourforestsandwoodlands.UseyourHBpenciltodrawlinesaroundthebottomofyourtreetrunksandalongthesidesofyourestablishedforests,aswellasinbetweenthegapsyouhaveleft.Trytoonlyaddshadelinestothebottomofyourtreegroupings,varyingyourlinelength,togiveanappropriateshadinglook.

TypesofTrees

Becreativewiththeshapesofyourtrees.Treescomeinawholevarietyofshapesandsizes,andyoushoulduseseveraldifferenttypesfordifferenttreelooks.Certainshapescanrepresentdifferenttreespecies,andtheylookbestwhengroupedtogether.However,mixingandmatchingmakesforaninterestingandcomplex-lookingforestthatissuretoadddimensiontoyourworld.

RiversandTributaries

Thedrawingandplacementofriverscanbeatrickybutreallyrewardingexperiencewhenmakingyourmap.Thevisionofmountainstreamscascadingdownthemountainsidesandrushingintomightyriversisapowerfulone.Riversareoneofthebestnaturalboundariesavailabletoamapmakerandhaveservedasexcellentdefensivebordersforkingdomsandvyingpowerssincetimeimmemorial.Allriversactuallybeginquitesmall,astinystreamsofmountainwatersthattrickledownhilltomergetogether,forminglargerstreamscalledtributaries.Tributariescontinuetoflowdownhill,pickingtheeasiestpaththroughtheland,eventuallyrunningintoothertributariesandformingintoalargerriverthatflowsouttothesea.Sincewaterflowsaroundobstaclesinsteadofrightoverthem,riversandtributariesoftenhavedistinctsnakelikeproperties,andturnandtwistacrosstheland.

STEP1:DecideGeneralRiverPlacement

Takingyour2Hpencil,lightlydrawyourfirstguidelineforwhereyouthinkariverwouldstartandend.Rememberthatriverswilloftenbegininthemiddleoftwomountainorhillranges,soyoushouldplaceyourriversomewhereneararangeandhaveitendinthesea.Riverssometimesoriginatefromlakestoo,thoughmostlakesneverspawnmorethanasinglemajorriver,andsomeriverswillflowthroughalakeandondowntothecoast.

STEP2:DeveloptheFirstRiverLine

Whenyouarehappywiththeinitialplacementofyourriver,it’stimetodrawitindarker.TakeyourHBpencilandfollowthegeneraldirectionofyourguidingline.Startatthebaseofthemountainsandslowlydrawawavylineoutwardtowardthesea.Thelinemaycurveandsnake,sodon’tbeafraidtogiveitsomemovementandcurvature.

STEP3:CompletingYourFirstRiver

Startingabouthalfwaydownyourfirstline,drawanotherlineparalleltoyourfirstandcontinueitallthewaytothecoast.Riversoftenwidenastheyapproachthecoast,andthisgivesyouagoodrepresentationofthat.

RiverShapes

Riversoftenlooklikegianttwistyearthwormsfromtheskyastheyfollowthenaturalcurvatureoftheearth.Youdon’tneedtoemulatethateffectcompletely,butsomemovementandsnakingisalwaysagoodthingtohintatandwillmakeyourriverslookmoreexciting.TakealookatthemightyMississippiRiverinNorthAmerica,ortheNileinnorthernAfricaforsomeinspiration.

STEP4:OpentheRiverMouth

Whenbothriverlinestouchtheoceanboundaryonthecoastandtheriverwatermeetstheocean,it’scalledtheriver’smouth.Takeyourkneadederaserand

gentlyerasebetweenthetwolinestoformanopenrivermouth.Oncecomplete,youshouldhaveanice-lookingrivermouth.

STEP5:DevelopaRiverDelta

Toattemptsomethingabitmorecomplicated,youcouldtryyourhandatariverdelta,whichisessentiallywhenariverfragmentsbackintosmallertributariesbeforeitreachestheocean,formingcoastallowlandsripeforlushcrops.Todrawariverdelta,justaddafewsmalllinestotherivermouth,makingitspreadoutlikethebranchesofatree.

LinePressure

Presslightlywithyourpencilwhenyouarenearthemountainsandhills,andthenharderforadarkerandricherlinewhenconnectingyourrivertothecoast.Thisgivestheimpressionthatariverstartssmallbutgainsstrengthandspeedasitconnectstotheocean.

andspeedasitconnectstotheocean.

STEP6:DrawingtheTributaries

Onceyouhavefinishedtheriver,addthetributariesthatflowdownfromthemountainsandhills.Tributariesoftenlooklikebranchesstemmingfrommountainsandhills.Tosimulatethesesmallerstreams,takeyourHBpencilanddrawathinwavylinefromtheclosestmountainterraintothetopofthenearestriver,snakingabitalongtheway.Continuedrawingthosetributaries,connectingthemtothetopmostpartofthe

river(whereitbegins).Agoodruleofthumbistohavethreetofivetributariesperriver,withmostcomingfromsurroundinghillsandmountains.

STEP7:RedrawtheRiverTop

Afteryourtributariesarefinished,erasethetopofyourriver,andredrawitlikeatributary.

STEP8:FinishedRiver

Yourfinishedriversandtributariesshouldlooksomethinglikethis.

ShoreandWaterLines

Nowthatyouhavedefinedyourlandmassesandrivers,it’stimetoputsomeflairintothecontinentboundaries.Emphasizingtheshoreswithabitofdecorationcangoalongwaytowardmakingiteasytoquicklyrecognizelandmasses.Wecandothiswithatechniquethat’seasytodo,thoughitmighttakeabitofpracticetoperfect.

STEP1:DrawShorelines

Takeyour2Hpencilandstartdrawingalightlinearoundyouroriginalcoastlines.Thelineshouldmaintainabout ⁄ "(3mm)distanceawayfromyouroriginalboundary,andshouldbelighterinweightandrichness.Thislineshouldnotcompletelymimicyourcontinentaloutline,andshouldsmoothpastanymajordetailsofyourcoastline,onlygivingageneralimpression.

STEP2:Don’tForgetLakeShorelines

Ifyouhaveanylakesonyourmap,makesuretoincludeashorelinewithineachtoo.

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STEP3:ContinueAddingShorelines

Onceyourfirstlineiscompleted,traceanotherlineontheoutsideofyourfirstshoreline,againtryingtomaintain ⁄ "(3mm)betweenthetwolinesasbestyoucan.Youmayincludeadditionalshorelinesonyourmap,thoughtwotofourworksbest.

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STEP4:MakeOceanLines

Youcangoastepfurtheranddrawsomedefininglinestobetterdenotethebeginningoftheocean.TakingyourHBpencil,drawsmalllinesthatmimicsmallwavesextending

horizontallyfromtheshorelines.Theselinescanbeanywherefrom ⁄ "(13mm)to1"(25mm)longbutshouldvaryonlyasmallamountfromoneanother.

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STEP5:FinishedOceanLines

Eachlineshouldbeveryclosetothenextandbeequidistantfromoneanother.Continuedrawingthesewavelinesuntiltheentirecoasthasbeendecorated(largelakesmaybefilledinthisway,too).Onceyouhavefinishedyouroceanlines,itshouldlooksomethinglikethis.

ShorelineShapes

Visually,thistechniqueworksbestwithasingleshoreline,withoceanlinessproutingoffofthat,thoughtwoshorelinescouldworkjustaswell.Feelfreetoexperimentwithdefiningyourcoastlinesandshorelinestomakethemoriginalandunique.

CHAPTERTHREE

TownandCityIcons

Mostmapsexisttomarkwhereimportantplacesareinrelationtootherplaces,andiconsaretheelementsthatdojustthat.Inthischapter,varioustechniquesonhowtoillustratethebasiciconswillbediscussedindetail,withanumberofstep-by-stepdemonstrationslaidoutforthebeginneraswellastheexperiencedmapmaker.Iconillustrationhasagreatimpactonthelookofamapanditstone,withiconsvaryingfromtinyillustrationsofcastlesandhutstotheuseofsymbologyforsimplicity’ssake.Whethertheimportantplacesarecities,towns,fortressesorbridges,theyallformkeycomponentsthatgiveinformationaboutacountryanditspeople.Forfantasymaps,iconsaredoublycritical,providinginsightintothevariousfantasticalpeoplesandplaceswithintheboundariesofyourworld,aswellasallowingyoutoflexyourcreativemuscle.Soonyouwillhavedozensoftowns,citiesandhillfortspopulatingyourworld.

Towns

Townsarebyfarthemostnumerousofsettlementsbothinourworldandmostfantasyworlds.Renderingtownsisarelativelysimpleaffair,withmuchroomforexperimentationandcreativity.Beforeyoustartscribblingaway,youshouldthinkaboutthetypeofsettingyouarebuildinginyourworld,andhowtownsmightlookandbedepicted.Certaincultureshaveverydistinctivearchitecture,andit’salwaysgoodtointroduceapinchofrealismintoyourfantasysetting.Howmanytownsdottheland?Aretheremanyoronlyafew?Thedensityorsparsenessoftownscansaymuchabouttheregion,withmanyindicatingaflourishingsociety,andotherseitheradiminishingpeopleorunexploitedterritory.

STEP1:DecideTownPlacement

Withyour2Hpencil,drawlightdotswhereyouwouldlikeyourtownstogo.Don’tpresstoohardsinceyouwillbedrawingrightoverthesesoon.

STEP2:StartWithaRoof

PickoneofyourinitialtownplacementspotsandselectyourHBpencil.Beginbydrawingasmallrectangle,thiswillserveasoneofthetownbuilding’sroofs.

Location

Manytownsoftenlaynearrivers,coastsornaturalresourcessuchaspastureforcattleandfarmlands.Tryandplaceyourcitiesinareasthatyouthinkpeoplewouldsettle.Acityinthemiddleoftheforestusuallydoesn’tmaketoomuchsense,unlessofcourse,thosepeopleareElves!Asmatteringoftownsinrandomplacesworksjustaswellinaprolificsociety.Tradeandgoodsflowalongroads,keepingthetownsallalive.

STEP3:ExpandingtheBuildings

Drawanothersmallerrectanglenexttothefirst,addingasmanyasyouwouldlikeaccordingtohowlargeyouthinkthetownshouldbe.Irecommendtwotothreeroofsatfirst.

STEP4:FillIntheBuildings

Whentheroofsaredrawnin,addsomerectanglesdirectlybelowthem.Thesearethehousebasesforyourroofstositon.Eachroofshouldhaveaboxunderneathittofilloutthehouses.It’sOKtovarytheseabitinsize.

STEP5:FillIntheDetails

Nowthatyourbasicshapesarethere,addafewsmalldoors,somecrossbeams,andafewchimneysandrooflines.Congrats!Youhavemadeyourfirstbasictown!

STEP6:EmbellishWithExtras

Ifyouarefeelingcreative,addasmallguardtower,templedomeorsomeothersmalldetailtoyourtown.Thesedetailswillmaketowniconscomealive,andaddatouchofuniquenesstoeach.

TownExamples

Cities

Citiesarethelargestandmostprosperousofcivilizedcenters,andeachisoftenmuchlargerandmorepowerfulthantheirsmallercounterparts.Citiesofferagreateramountofvarietythantownsingeneral,manybeingsurroundedbyprotectivewallsorguardedwithtalltowers,allofwhicharefuntodraw.Citiescanbetwotothreetimesthesizeoftowns,thoughyouwillfollowverysimilarstepswhendrawingthem.Havefun!

STEP1:DecideCityPlacement

Justlikeyoudidwithyourtowns,takeyour2Hpencilanddrawlightdotswhereyouwouldlikeyourcitiestogo.

youwouldlikeyourcitiestogo.

CityPlacement

Becarefulwhenyouareplacingyourcities,asmostarefoundedonmajortraderoutes,riversorasmainports.Mostcitiesneedaccesstolotsofwater,soplacingthemoncoastsorlargeriversisideal.However,thatshouldnotstopyoufromplacingtheminfoothills,atopmountains,inthefrozennorthorevenunderthesea.Infantasy,magicisusuallyaliveandwell,soanythinggoes!

STEP2:BuildaCityWall

FirsttakeyourHBpencilanddrawanelongatedrectangle.

STEP3:AddtheWallTop

Drawthetopofthewallwithanalternatingsquarepatternformingcrenellations.

STEP4:CreateTowers

Toaddtowerstoyourbasiccitywall,drawverticalelongatedboxesconnectedtoyourcitywall.Makethemtallerthantheyarewide,andaddwalltops.

STEP5:ExpandtheWallsandTowers

Onceyouhaveyourfirstbasicwallandtowersdrawn,youcanrepeatsteps2–4toexpandyourcity,addingmultipletowersandwalls.Addasmanyasyoulike!Towerscanvaryinsizeandshape,thoughsometimesit’sbesttokeepsomeuniformityinthem.

STEP6:AddBuildingRoofs

Whenyourtowersandwallsarefinished,youshouldaddsomeroofstothecity.Youcanusethetownstepsfromearlierinthechaptertohelpyouout.Addingafewroofs,oneontopoftheother,isgoodandcanrepresenthowclutteredacitycanget.

STEP7:IncludeSpecialtyBuildings

Toaddevenmoredetailanduniquenesstoyourcity,youcanaddalargetempledome,orbiggerbuildingstocomplementthesmallerhouses.Ifyourcityisneartheocean,addadock.Ifit’snearariver,addabridgeextendingfromthecity

theocean,addadock.Ifit’snearariver,addabridgeextendingfromthecityovertheriver.Holycitiesmayhavecathedralsandtemples.

CityExamples

Smallcity

Rivercity

Coastalcity

CastlesandHoldfasts

Placingcastlesandholdfastsisoneofthemostenjoyablethingsyoucandrawonamap.Theyareeasytodrawandaddplentyofcharacterandclouttoafantasymap.Traditionally,castlesareusedfordefendinglargestretchesofterritory,andareusuallylocatedonhillsdominatingthesurroundinglandscape.Fromitsfortifications,defenderscouldobserveanenemyarmyfromthesafetyofitswalls,andwhentheenemypassedthembytoattacksomewhereelse,theycouldrushoutandattacktheenemyfromtherear.Castlesandlargefortressesarebuilttohouseentirearmiesoftroops,whileholdfastsaresmallerkeepsthatarethehomesofminorlordsandknights.Countrysidesareusuallycoveredinholdfasts,whilecitadelsandfortressesarereservedfortheprotectionofimportanttradecities,majorrivers(andbridgecrossings),richcoastalroutesoralongpoliticalboundariestodefendagainstafoe.

STEP1:DecidePlacement

Justlikeyoudidwithyourtownsandcities,takeyour2Hpencilanddrawlightdotswhereyouwouldlikeyourcastlesandholdfaststogo.

HistoricalInspiration

Ifyouwouldlikesomeinspirationorideasforsomeofyourcastlesandfortresses,justtakealookatsomehistorybooksonthemedievaltimes,orthecrusades.Historically,theNormanswerefantasticandveryprolificcastle

thecrusades.Historically,theNormanswerefantasticandveryprolificcastlebuilders—manyofwhicharestillstandingtoday.

STEP2:StartWithaTower

Startwiththecastle’sfirsttower.Beginbydrawinganelongatedrectanglethatistallerthanitiswide.

STEP3:DrawtheWallTopandWindow

Finishyourfirsttowerbyaddingcrenellations(fortifications)tothetop.Addawindowortwo.

STEP4:FinishedKeep

Atthispoint,ifyouwanttofinishtheiconasakeep,addasmalldoorandaflagtothetopandyourfirstkeepiscomplete.Youcanalsoaddasmallhouseortwostandingnexttoittogiveitsomemorepersonality,thoughlonekeepsworkgreattoo.

KeepExamples

Smallkeep

Mediumkeep

Largekeepwithsmallcurtainwalls

STEP5:ExpandtheKeepIntoaCastle

Ifyouwantsomethinglarger,expandyourkeepbyaddinganothertowerortwo,andanotherwallsection.Castlesworkbestwiththreetowersandafewwallsections,butyoushouldn’t

beconstrainedtothat.Experimentwithdifferentwalllengthsandtowerheights,mixingandmatchingasmuchasyoulike.

STEP6:AddaLargeCastleTower

Onceyourhaveexpandedthecastle,addalargesingularkeeptothemiddleofthecastle.Itshouldbewiderthanthestandardtowersandhaveafewwindows.

STEP7:CastleDetails

Oncethekeep,towersandwallshavebeendrawn,youcanfinishyourcastlebyaddingdetailtothelargecastledoor,afewmorewindowsandsomeflagsonthetowers.Addanyspecialtybuildingsyou’dlikeaswell.

CastleExamples

CHAPTERFOUR

Typography

Typographycanbeoneofthemostimportantelementsincartography,anditcancontributegreatlytothesuccessorfailureofamap.Typographyisessentiallytheartofwriting.Formapmakers,thatmeanslayingintexttolabellocationsandgeographicalareassoareaderknowswhatiswhat.Therearemanypartsofamapthatneedtypography,fromthetitlebarofyourmaptothevarioustownsandgeographicalfeatures,andallshouldbeclearlymarked.Notonlyistypographyusedformarkingplacesandareasonamap,itcanalsobeusedasaneffectivedecorativeelementaswell,addingalayerofsophisticationtoyourfantasymap.Inthischapterwe’lladdressscriptstyle,whichdealswiththelookoftheactualtextyourareusing,andlabeling,whichhastodowithwhereandhowthetextisplaced.

ScriptStyle

Beforeyoustartmarkingdownlocationsonyourmap,thereareafewdifferentwritingstylesyoumaywanttotryoutforaddedemphasisandflair.Inthissectionofthechapter,Iwillgooverafewdifferenttypesofscriptstylesthatcanbeusefulforlabeling.Ihavedividedscriptstylesintostandardscriptsanddecorativescripts.Forthemostpart,themostcommonstyleoflabelisinourveryownstandardscriptanditsvariousoffshoots.Themoreadvancedmaytrytheirhandatthemoreelegantandcursive-esquedecorativestyles.Mostformsrequireabitofpracticetolayincorrectlyandevenly,andsomearemorecomplexthanothers.Ihaveincludedanumberofscriptideasforyoutodrawinspirationfrom,andifyou’rereallycreative,toexpandupontocreateauniquenewstyle!

HistoricalLanguages

Writingisapowerfulgraphicandcommunicativetool,andthefantasygenrehasplentyofexamplesofuniquelanguagesandinspirationstodrawupon.AncientNordicrunesandEgyptianhieroglyphicsareexcellentresources.

CulturalTypography

Beforeyoustartputtinglabelsonyourmap,itpaystothinkaboutthecultureortimeperiodthatyouarestrivingtoportray.Maybethemapisofastrongempire,soyourscriptshouldbestrongandboldaswell.Incontrast,themapofanOrcterritorymighthaveamorejaggedanddisjointedlooktoconveythebarbarousnatureofgreenskins.Scriptstylesplayamassiveroleinthetoneofyourmap.Standardscriptwithlittleornodifferencefromourownmightservewellforamapofmostlyhumanlands,butwhatifyouwereportrayingtherealmsofgreatElvenlords?

STANDARDSCRIPTEXAMPLES

ImperialScriptImperialscriptisoneofmyfavoritestyles,andisastrongscriptresemblinganauthoritativehighmedievalrealm.Ioftenusethissortofscriptformapsofculturedhumanlands.

GothicGothicscriptisabitlessrefinedthantheImperialscriptandrepresentsmoreofadark-ageVikingfeel.

DECORATIVESCRIPTEXAMPLES

ElvenElvenscriptshouldlooklikeamorerefinedandfluidcursivestylecombinedwithrunes,representingstrengthbutalsograceanddignity.

DraconianDraconianscriptismyideaofaveryoldandmostlyforgottenlanguage,rememberedonlybytheloremasters.Itislong,flowinganddifficulttoread,butquitebeautiful.

LocationLabels

Thefirstandmostcommonelementoftypographyislabelingyourlocationicons.Towns,cities,castles,keepsandotheractuallocationsrepresentedbyaniconshouldbelabeledinastraightline,withnocurvetothelabel.Withyourlabelstraightanduniform,itiseasyforaviewertoinstantlydecipherwhatisalocationandwhatisanarea.Alongwithbeingstraight,labelsshouldtrynottooverlapotherelementsofthemapssuchashills,forestsandothericons.It’sbestifyoucankeepauniformityforallofyourlocationicons,thoughit’snotcompletelynecessaryaslongasthelabeliscloseenoughnottobeconfusedwithanythingelse.

STEP1:MarktheBottomScriptLine

Tostart,pickoneofyourtowns,andwithyourkneadederasereraseanyterrainelementsthatmaygetinthewayofyourlabel.Then,usingyour2Hpencilandaruler,drawastraightlinelightlynexttoyourtowniconasshownhere.Thisisyourbottomscriptguideline.

STEP2:MarktheTopScriptLine

Onceyourbottomguidelineisdown,useyourruleragaintodrawanotherlightlineaboveyourfirst.Thedistancebetweenthesetwolineswilldecidehowlargeyourtypewillbe.

STEP3:MarktheMiddleScriptLine

Whenyouhavebothyourtopandbottomlinesdown,addamiddleline.Thisisausefultoolforwhenyouhavetodoupper-andlowercaseletters.

STEP4:StartYourText

Nowyoucanwriteyourtown’sname.Usingthelightguidelines,carefullybegintopencilinthenameofyourtown,startingwithanuppercaseletter.

STEP5:ContinueYourText

Trynottogoovertheguidelinesasyoucarefullywriteyourtextusingwhateverstyleyouhavechosen.

STEP6:FinishYourText

Finishupyourtext,anduseyourkneadederasertoeraseyourguidelines.Withasteadyhandandpatience,yourfirsttown’slabelshouldcomeoutgreat!

EmphasizingCapitalsandCitadels

Somelocationsaremuchmoreimportantthanothersandshouldbeemphasizedaccordingly.Mostoftenthesewillbecitadelsandcapitalsofgreatnations.Whenlabelingthese,youcanusealluppercasetogivethemalookofpreeminentimportance.Youcouldalsosimplyusealargertextsize.

AreaLabeling

Labelingareasisabittrickierthanlabelingyourtownsandcities.Oftentimesyouwillneedtofindawaytofityourlabelinovertopofyourmapelements.Labelingriversisrelativelyeasy,whileit’sabittrickierwithotherareas.Sometimesarealabelingrequireserasingsomeoftheelementthatyouhavealreadydrawnsothatyoucanfitinyourlabel.Itsoundstricky,butwithsomepatienceandpractice,youwillbeaproinnotime!

LABELINGRIVERS

STEP1:SettheRiverScriptGuidelines

Tolabelariver,firstselecttheriveryouwishtoplaceyourtextalong.Then,witha2Hpencil,lightlypencilinyourtopguidelineusingtheactualriveras

yourbottomline.

STEP2:PencilIntheFirstLetter

Onceyourguidelinesaredown,carefullypencilinyourfirstletterwithyourHBpencil.

STEP3:SpaceYourLetters

Afteryourfirstletter,pencilinyoursecond,andthenthird,eachonefollowingthecurvatureoftheriver.Leavesomespaceinbetweeneachlettersothatyourscriptspansthelengthoftheriveroratleastmostoftheriverifit’slong.

STEP4:FinishtheRiverScript

Whenyouhavefinishedpencilinginalloftheletters,gobackinanderasetheguidelineswithakneadederaser.

LABELINGMOUNTAINS

STEP1:DecidetheMountainScriptArea

Whenlabelingamountainrange,approximatehowmuchspaceyouwillneedtolayinyourtext.Youwillbewritingyourtextabove,beloworinthemiddleofthemountainrange,whereveryoufeelitwilllookbest.Usea2Hpenciltolightlymarktheareaedges.

STEP2:PencilInGuidelines

Usingyour2Hpencil,lightlydrawlinesthatfollowthecontoursofthemountains.Donotbeafraidtoskipoverotherelements,asyourmountaintextcanhopoverthemandcontinueontheotherside.

STEP3:AddtheFirstLetter

Withyourkneadederaser,erasebetweentheguidelinesandtheedgelineswhereyourtextwillgo.ThenuseyourHBpencilandcarefullypencilinthefirstletter.

STEP4:ContinueAddingLetters

Continuedrawinginyourlettersusingyourguidelines,spacingeachletterequidistantfromoneanother,followingthegeneralcontourofthemountains.

equidistantfromoneanother,followingthegeneralcontourofthemountains.Mountainlettersshouldallbeofthesamesize,withuppercaselettersbeingoptional.

STEP5:FinishtheMountainScript

Onceyouhavepenciledinallofyourletters,gobackinanderaseyourguidelines.

LABELINGFORESTS

STEP1:DecidetheForestScriptArea

Selectyourforestarea,andthenapproximatehowmuchspaceyouwillneedtolayinyourtext.Useyour2Hpenciltolightlymarktheareaedgeswhereyouthinkyouwillneedtoerase.Thencarefullygoinanderasetheforestthatyouthinkwillbeintheway.

STEP2:PlaceGuidelines

Oncetheforestscriptareahasbeencleared,useyour2Hpencilandcarefullymarkyourscriptguidelines,followingthegeneralcontouroftheforestshapeforthebestresult.

STEP3:PencilIntheFirstLetter

UsingyourHBpencil,gentlydrawinthefirstletteroftheforestscript,takingcaretostaywithinyourguidelines.Forestsshoulduseallcapitalletters,unlikemountains.

STEP4:ContinuetheScript

Continuepencilingintheforestscript.Forestsdonotneedtohavetheirlettersspacedoutlikeriversandmountains,thoughyoucanifyou’dliketodependingonhowlargetheforestis.

STEP5:FillintheTrees

Whenyouhavefinishedyourtext,gobackinanderaseyourguidelines,thencarefullydrawinanytreesthatmayhavebeenpartiallyerasedinstep1,fillingthemoutandmakingthemlooklikepartofthewood.Oncethetreesarein,youhaveanicelylabeledforest.

LABELINGCOUNTRIESANDREGIONS

STEP1:ApproximatetheRegionScriptArea

Selecttheareathatwillreceiveacountryorregionlabelandapproximatehowmuchareayouwillneedforthetext.Useyour2Hpencilandlightlymarkthebeginningandendofthearea.

STEP2:PlaceScriptGuidelines

Useyour2Hpencilandgentlydrawbothyourtopandbottomscriptguidelines.Regiontextisusuallytwiceaslargeasstandardcitytext,whilecountrytextcanbeuptothreetofourtimeslarger.Eachlabelshouldbeslightlycurved,followingthecontourofthemaporregion.

STEP3:PencilIntheFirstLetter

Pencilinyourfirstletter.Trytostaywithinyourguidelines.Youmayuseallupper-orlowercaseletters,thoughallshouldbeofthesameapproximatesize.Mapoutyourletterswithsmallboxeswithinyourguidelinestofurtherhelpyouspaceyourletters.

STEP4:ContinueLettering

Pencilinthenextletter,thenyourthirdandfourth,leavingabitofspaceinbetweeneachletter.

STEP5:ErasetheGuidelines

Onceyouhavefinishedpencilinginyourtext,gobackanderaseyourguidelines.

STEP6:FadetheScript

Ifyouareadventurous,takeyourkneadederaserandgentlydabyourtext,fadingitbyabout50percent.Thispushesyourregionscriptbacksolocationlabelswilltakeprecedenceandappearbolder.

OceanandSeaLabelingOceansshouldbelabeledmuchlikeareaandregionlabels,archingthroughthespaceandcoveringagoodamountofthemaparea.Spacingshouldbebroadaswell.However,seasandlakeslookgoodwhenlabeledmuchlikelocationicons,albeitabitlarger.Ofcourseyoucanusearealabelingforseasandlakestoo,justkeepalltypesoflabelingconsistentwitheachother.

CHAPTERFIVE

Landmarks

Soyou’vegottenthroughthebasicmapstuffandwanttoknowmore?Awesome!Thissecondpartofthebookwillteachyouhowtoreallymakeyourmapshinewiththeapplicationofalittleelbowgreaseandsomecreativejuices.It’stimetostartthinkingaboutwhatfeaturesyouwanttoincludetomakeyourmapspecial.Doyouwanttomaptheprosperousregionsofamightykingdom?Maybetheterritoryofanancientsorcererkingnowhauntedanddesolate?Howabouttheislandarchipelagofiefdomofapiratequeen?Fromancientroadsandmustytombs,totheheraldryofimaginarynationsandkingdoms,newworldsareatyourfingertips!We’llstarttheadvancedtechniqueswithlandmarks.Landmarksare

areasofyourmapthataredifferentthanyourstandardtownsandcitiesandareincludedtoillustratemorespecificareasofsignificancetoaviewer.Themostcommonformsoflandmarksareroads,highwaysandsearoutes.Othermorecreativeorimportantplacessuchasoldmines,destroyedorhauntedruinsandancientportalsareallfunexamplesofhowimaginativeyoucangetwithlandmarksonyourmap.

RoadsandRoutes

Citiesandtownsaregreat,butnowyouneedtoconnectthemalltogetherwithpassagesforthewagonsofmerchantsandfortroopstomarchon.Thoughcitiesdonotalwaysneedtobeconnectedfromalldirections,youshoulddecideonhowsettledandwelltraveledyourkingdomis.Morepopulatedareaswillhavemanyroadsbetweentownsandcities,whilewilderpartswillhavefewandfarbetween.Routescomesinafewdifferentforms.Onland,therearepaths,roadsandhighways,whilethewaterhassearoutes.

HIGHWAYSHighwaysarethelifebloodofakingdom,andarethelargestandmosttraveledofthelandroutes.Frequentlytraveledbymerchantsandtradecaravans,highwaysshouldconnectyourlargestcitiestooneanother,bypassingsmallertownsandhamlets.Highwaysareveryeasytodraw.

STEP1:StarttheHighway

Afteryoudecidetomakeahighway,drawadoublelinebetweentwocities.Tryandmakethelinesasevenaspossible.

STEP2:ExtendtheHighway

Afteryouhaveconnectedyourfirsttwocities,continueyourhighwaybyconnectingotherlargercitiestoit.

ROADS

STEP1:StarttheRoad

Afteryoudecidetomakearoad,startbydrawingadottedlinebetweentwotownsorcities.Tryandkeepthedottedsegmentsevenlyspacedforacleanlook.

STEP2:ExtendtheRoad

Continuethedottedlineuntilitalmosttouchesthesecondcity.Useyourerasertocleanupthelinesandmakethemeven.Afteryouhavefinishedyourfirstroad,goonandconnectafewmoreofyourcitiestogether.

PATHSPathsarethedirtfoottracksorancientdecayingroadsthatareseldomtraveled.Pathsarecommonwhenconnectingsmallvillagestoeachother,orforusewhentravelingthroughmarshesormountains.Drawafewdottedlinesbetweensomeofyourtowns,windingthemabittogivethemawaywardlook.

STEP1:StartthePath

Tomakeapath,drawalightdottedlinestartingatonehamletandconnectittoanother.Thedotsshouldberelativelyclose,buttryandkeepthemevenandclean.

STEP2:ExtendthePath

Afteryourfirstpathisfinished,continuedrawingpathstooutlyingtownsandhamletsandthroughhillsandwoodslikeshown.

SEAROUTESCitiesandtownsnearwateroftentradeoverthesea,followingwell-traveledmerchantroutes.Drawinginsearoutescanbefun,sincecitiesfromacrosstheworldcanbeconnectedviatheirships.Becreativewithyourroutes;theywilloftenbelongbutwithmanybranchesthatgotodifferentdestinations.

STEP1:StarttheSeaRoute

Whenmakingasearoute,drawthickdottedlinesbetweentwocities,eitheracrossfromeachotheroveraseaorlake,oronthesamecoastline.Becarefultokeepthedotssimilartooneanother.

STEP2:ExtendtheSeaRoute

Onceyourfirsttraderouteiscompleted,goonandconnectmultiplecitiestogether.

SpecialLocations

WhenthedeepwoodsneedahiddenElvenstronghold,thetallmountainshaveamightydragonnestinginthem,oranevilwizardneedsalargeandimpenetrabletowerwherehishordesofminionscanissueforthfromtoterrorizethefreefolk,youneedtodrawinsomecreativelocations.Includingafewofthesespecialinterestareasaddsdepthandstoryelementstoamap,andtheycanbealotoffuntodraw.Hereareaselectionoflocationstodraw,thoughIencourageyoutocomeupwithsomeofyourown!

DRAGON’SLAIR

STEP1:DrawtheDoor

Drawalargedoorinthemountains.Addwindows,areinforceddoorwayandsomeruins.

STEP2:AddDetail

Refinethewindowanddoordetails.Fillinthelargehole,addingtwoeyes.Drawawispofsmokeforthedragon.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Shadethedetailsandaddcolortofinishthelair.

ANCIENTPORTAL

STEP1:DrawthePortal

Startbydrawingthreelargestones,makingathree-sidedpictureframe.

STEP2:AddDetail

Atthebottom,drawintheportal’sbase,addingafewbrokenrocksandfallenstones.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Shadetherocksanddetails.Finishtheportalbyaddingcolor.

WIZARD’STOWER

STEP1:DrawtheTower

Startbydrawingasingletalltowerwithalongandpointytop.

STEP2:AddDetails

Addsomewindows,asetofdoorsatthebaseandtowerreinforcementlines.Drawinasmallpathandsomeroofshingles.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Tofinish,shadethetoweranditsroofwithanominousdarkgrayorpurple.Ifyouarefeelingadventurous,paintthedoorsaniceyellowtostandout.

RUINS

STEP1:DrawtheRuins

Drawinthebasesofafewbuildings,carefultocutoffthetopssotheylookdisheveledandbroken.

STEP2:AddDetails

Addahalfbrokentower,andafewmorestonestosurroundit.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Shadetheruinedhouseswithdarkcolors,whiledabbinginsomedarkspotstoresemblesomeburnmarks.Addsomehighlightsonthetopwithlightercolorsandyourruinsarecomplete!

STONEHENGE

STEP1:DrawtheHenge

Drawafewsmalluprightstonesandtopthemwithanotherlargerectangularstone.

STEP2:AddDetails

Addinafewmoresmallscatteredstonesontheground,aswellassomelineshadingfordefinition.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Addinsomedetailworkonthestonesandsomebackgroundlinestogivethestonessomeweight.Thenaddcolortofinish.

TROLLCAIRNS

STEP1:DrawtheCairns

Startwithagroupoflargebumpsintheground,aboutthreetofivewilldo.Thenaddsmallholesineachbump.Thesebasicshapesarewhereyourtrollswilllive.

STEP2:AddDetails

Nextaddsomedefinitiontotheholes,usinglineworktogivethemform.Fillinthetrollholestomakethemlookdeepandforbidding.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Shadetheholesdarkly,paintingmainlyindarkgreensandbrowns,buthighlightinginlightgreensandyellowishwhites.Nowyourtrollsarereadytoterrorizethelocaltown.

SEAMONSTER

STEP1:DrawtheSeaMonster

Pickaspotintheopenoceanforyourseamonster.Startbydrawingthewavesasabase,andthenafewsemicirclesandabarbedfishtailpokingout.

STEP2:AddDetails

Addsomesegmentlinestothemonster’sbackandribbingtoitsunderside.Adddetaillinestothefinsanddrawafewmorewavestofinishthebase.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Shadethemonsterwithlightgreensandreds,makingsuretodabinsomewhitehighlightssoitlookslikereflectionsonthescales.

TREEOFLIFE

STEP1:DrawtheTree

Todrawatreeoflife,pickagoodspotinthemiddleofaforest,anderasewhatyoucurrentlyhave.Thendrawinthetrunkofalargetreewithmanybranches.Useanoakorpinetreeforreference.

STEP2:AddDetails

Continuethetreebyaddingsomedetails.Drawinsomesmallertreesaroundthemaintree,aswellasafewcircularglyphs.Finishbydrawingtheroots,diggingthemintheground.Oncethetreeiscomplete,drawinsomeoftheincompletetreesthatyouhaderased.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Shadethetree’strunkwithabrownorblack,andtheboughsofthetreewithanicegreen.Youcanalsohaveanautumntreethathasawhitetrunkandorangeandredboughs.

TreeDesign

Tryandmodelyourtreeoflifeonrealtreesfromdifferentplaces.MaybeitwouldlookinterestingasalargeAfricansavannahtree,orperhapsabonsai.

STATUEOFVICTORY

STEP1:DrawtheStatue

Startbydrawingthestatue’sbase.Arectangleorsquareworkswell.Thendrawahuman-likefigureinrobesorarmorontop,withitsarmsout.

STEP2:AddDetails

Finishoffthepencilworkbyaddinginsomesmalldetaillinesfortheclothingandarmor.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Shadethestatuewithblues,graysorpurples,addingwhitehighlightsonthehead,outstretchedarmsandthetopofthebase.

MonumentDesign

Astatueofawarriorisafittingmonumenttoagreatcity,thoughitmightbefuntomakeagreatstatuearuin,liketheancientColossusofRhodes.Statuesdon’thavetobehumanoideither;theycanbeofanimalsandmonsters.

CHAPTERSIX

Iconography

Iconshavebeenusedinmapmakingsincemapscameintoexistence,andareagreatwayofshowinginformationinsimplifiedforms.Inthischapter,youwilllearnhowtomakeandusesimplifiedcityicons,aswellasthemosticonicimageofallthingsonamap;thecompassroseitself.Youwillfindsomeexercisestohelpyoucreateyourownusingsimplegeometricshapes.

SimpleCityIcons

Simplecityiconsareagreatwayofdepictingyourtownsandcitieswithoutgoingintotoomuchdetail.Theyareexcellentforuseonalargemap,oramapwithagreatmanylocations.Bykeepingthemboldandsimple,andbyusingstandardgeometricshapesasabase,youwillsoonbemakingyourowncreativedesigns!

CAPITALICONS

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Tostartacapital,drawathickcircle,andthenaddanothersmallercircleinsideit.Capitalsshouldbelargerthanothercityicons.

STEP2:AddDetails

Next,addfoursmallercirclesinsidethecenter.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Addacrowntoyourcapitalforextraemphasis.Akingneedsaseatforhiskingdom!

CITYICONS

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Justlikeacapital,acityshouldalsostartasacircle,thoughnotaslarge.Drawinasmallercircleandfillitin.

STEP2:AddDetails

Addfoursmallercirclestothecenter.Done!Notallofyourcitiesneedtolookalike;tryandusedifferentshapesandsizesonthebaseorinside.

TOWNICONS

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Foratownicon,startwithabasicsquare.

STEP2:AddDetails

Addanevensmallersquareinside.Next,addfoursmallcirclesinthecenter.Atownisborn!

IconSize

Townsshouldbesmallerthancitiesandcapitals.Thoughsquaretownsaregreatforquickrecognition,youcanjustaseasilydepicttownsassmaller,moresimplifiedcircles.

VILLAGEICONS

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShape

Villagesshouldbethesmallestofyoursimplecityicons.Startwithasmallcircle,abouthalfthesizeofthetownsquare.

STEP2:AddDetail

Tofinish,simplydrawanothersmall,filledcircleinsidetheother,leavingasmallborder.

VillageExamplesVillagescanvaryinshapesthoughshouldn’tvarymuchfromeachotherinsize.Hereareafewdifferentexamplesofvillageiconsthatwouldbefittingforsimplehamlets.

CITADELICONS

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Acitadelisabastionofpowerandmajestywithinakingdom,andshouldbeaslargeasacapitalicon.Startwithtworectanglesconnectedbyasmallbridge.

STEP2:AddDetails

Topthetwotowerswithcrenellations,threeoneachtop.Becarefultoleaveagapbetweenthetowertopandthetoweritself.Drawinafewlinestomakeforthedoor.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Finishoffthecitadelbyfillinginthetowerareas,leavingasmallspaceforwindowsineachtower.Addafewtowersandyourcitadeliscomplete!

Consistency

Ifyouhavemultiplekingdomsonamap,it’sanicetouchwheneachfaction’scitiesmatchoneanother,atleastinshapeorcolor.Keepthemsimilarandtheeffectwillbenoticeable.

HOLDFASTICONS

HOLDFASTICONS

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShape

Holdfastsarecastlesandamoresimplifiedversionofthecitadel.Startwitharectangulartowerandaddawindow.

STEP2:AddDetails

Completeyourholdfastbyaddingacrenellatedtowertopandfinishingthebase.

CustomizeYourBuildings

Bothcitadelsandholdfastscanbeillustratedinagreatmanyways.Tryyourhandatbothbyaddingafewmoretowersorsmallconnectedhouses.Justmakesureallthecitadelsandholdfastsmatchoneanothersothereisnoconfusion.

confusion.

LocationIcons

Locationiconsareafunandsimplewayofaddinginsomemoreexoticpointsofinteresttoyourmap.Theseareasdonotfollowthesamegeometricshapesasthecityicons,buteachisasmallillustrativeglyphthattellsadifferentstory.Fromdustytemplestowanderingdragons,youwillquicklybemakingupyourownicons.

MINES

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Minesshouldbelocatedinfoothillsormountains.Tostart,drawasmalldoor,andaddasmallminingcart.

STEP2:AddDetails

Finishofftheminebyaddingasmallminingpickandapileofcoalorgems.Dependingonthetypeofmine,youcouldaddinafewbarsforagoldmine,

oralargediamondtodenoteagemmine.

TEMPLES

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Tostart,drawthebaseofthetemple,awedgeroofandstartaddingpillarstoit.

STEP2:AddDetails

Finishoffthetemplebyaddingmoredetailtotheroofandcompletingthepillars.

CulturalDesignThoughaGreektempleisinstantlyidentifiable,youshouldfeelfreetoalterthetempletypedependingonyourmap’sculturalinfluence.AJapaneseShintotemplewouldlookmuchmoreappropriateinaneasternthemedmapthanawesternGreektemple.Tryyourhandatafewdifferenttemplesbasedondifferentcultures.

BRIDGES

STEP1:DrawBasicLines

Bridgesmarkimportantlocations,butareverysimpletoillustrate.Startbyerasingthepartoftheriverthatthebridgeiscrossing,thendrawtwoparallellinesacrossit.

STEP2:FurtherEmphasizetheLines

Atthetipofeachline,drawanotherlineangledoutoneachside.Toemphasize

animportantbridge,drawanothersetoflinesoutsidetheoriginallines.

RUINS

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Drawaflatlineforthefoundation.Thendrawsomebumpsaboveitfortheruin’sedges.

STEP2:AddDetails

Putinsomehalf-brokentowersandafewbrokenrocks.Fillinthetowerandrubble,andaddafewlinesunderneaththebase.

RuinsRuinscanlooklikealmostanything,andcanbelargerorsmallerdependingontheruinsyouaretryingtodepict.Themorebrokenthetowersandrocks,themoreimportanttheformerlocationwas.

BATTLEFIELDS

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Battlefieldsareimportanticons,butquiteeasytodepict.Pickalocation,andthendrawaswordataforty-fivedegreeangle.

STEP2:AddAnotherSword

Drawinasecondswordcrossingthefirst.Ifyouwanttogiveyourbattlefieldsaslightlydifferentlook,useacurvedswordorevenapairofaxes.

MARSHLANDS

STEP1:DrawtheBasicLines

Whendrawinginmarshlands,startbydrawingafewgrasstufts,thenunderlinethem.Addafewmoretuftstomakeagrouping.

STEP2:AddDetails

Addafewlighterlinesandsomesporadicdots.Makethemarshlandsaslargeorassmallasyouwant.

DRAGON

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

StartwithasingleSlineasabase.Thenaddthecrestontheheadandthetail.

STEP2:AddDetails

Finishoffthedragonwithafewclawsandfurtherdefinethetailandtheheadcrest.Filloutthedragon’sbody,butdon’tmakehimtoofat.Playaroundwithyourdragonshapes;youcanalwayscomeupwithsomenewdesigns.

PORTALSTONE

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Startyourportalstonebydrawingthethreebasicstoneparts:twotallonesandonesmalleronelinkingthemtogetheratthebase.

STEP2:AddDetails

Addacrossstoneonthetop,andaddsomeshadingintothestones.Drawinaspirallinefortheportal.Youcaneasilyleaveoutthespiraltodenoteaninertstoneoronethatisbroken.

TROLLCAIRNS

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShape

Drawatriangle.Thiswillbethebasicshapeofthebannerrepresentingagroupoftrolls.

STEP2:AddDetails

Drawinthehaftofthespear,andthenthespeartop.Tryusingdifferentshapesforthebannertop.Horns,helmetsandhalfmoonsworkgreat.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Fillinyourbannerwithsomeofyourowndesignsandaddthecrossspearpoints.Experimentwithdifferentdesignstomakeyourbannerssuitablysavage.

FinishedIconsBelowisamapwithmanyoftheselocationiconsincludedtogether.Seehowtheyarespacedandplayoffoneanother?Whenputtingthemonyourownmap,befreewiththem,butdon’tclutteryourmap.

OceanIcons

Fantasymapoceansareusuallyfilledwithallmannerofraidingwarships,seamonstersandmerchantvesselstryingtoplytheirwaresacrossthedangerousseas.Thissectionincludestutorialsonhowtodrawsomebasiciconstoincludeinyourfantasywaters.Whethertheybeshipsormonstersofthedeep,soonyouwillhaveplentyofcreaturesinhabitingthehighseas.

LONGSHIPSLongshipsaretraditionallythevesselsoftheVikings,notoriousbrigandsoftheoldworld.Theirprimarymodeoftransportation,thelongship,wasasleekocean-goingvesselwithashallowdraft.Abletocarrybothwarriorsandpillagedplunder,thesightofalongship’ssinglesailonthehorizoninspiredfearandterrorinamplemeasure.Foryourpurposes,theyarealsoafantasticwayofdepictingbarbarianraidersonyourownmap.

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Selectaspotintheocean,preferablynearthecoast.Drawinthedistinctlinesoftheship’shull,whichshouldcurveupatbothends.Thendrawinalargetautsailandamast.

STEP2:AddDetails

Drawafewroundshieldsonthesideofthehull,carefullyerasingthepartsofthehullthatbecomecovered.Thenaddaflagtothetop,aswellasrigginglinesandsomehullplanks.Fillintherestofthesailsoitpopsout.Youcandrawasymbolorapatternonthesailorflag.Battleaxesorotherweaponsaregreatsymbolsforbarbarians!

TRADECOGSTradecogsareawonderfulwayofemphasizingparticularlylucrativetraderoutes,orneattohavejustforshow.Historically,tradeshipsandcogswerelargeandmulti-mastedvessels,capableofcarryingsizableamountsofcargooverlongdistances.Havingmultiplemastsallowstheserelativelyheavyandclumsyvesselstomakebestuseofthewind.Thedesignofthetraditionaltradingvesseldidnotchangemuchformanyyears,andusuallyconsistedofhighfore-andafter-“castles,”whichwereusefulwhenoverlookingtheseaandcrestinghighoceanwaves.Foralltheirsize,tradecogsandshipswerevulnerabletoattackersifcaughtbysleekerandfasterpredators.Cogswouldtryandoutrunopponentswheneverpossible.

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Selectaspotintheocean,preferablyalongasearoute.Drawinthelinesoftheship’shull,whichshouldbeshortandfat.Oneachtopcorner,drawacastletoponboththefrontandback.The“castlestern”shouldalwaysbetaller.Addinthewavesatthebaseoftheship.

STEP2:AddDetails

Continuethetradeshipbydrawingafrontmast.Youcanalsoincludeforeandaftsails.Addthelinesforthewoodplanksoftheshipandadddetailtothemainsail.

SEAMONSTERSTheseasareadangerousplace,withplentyofmonstershuntingfortheunwaryship.Withbeak,claw,tentacleandfin,thesemonstersofthedeeparealwaysathreat.Historicallysailorsbelievedcertainareastocontainanumberoffantasticcreaturesthatwereadangertopassingships.Theseareasweremarkedonnauticalmapsasplacesbestavoidedifatallpossible.Whales,sharksandsquidwereallconsideredtobelargeandthreatening,andtheirsizeandimpactonthemaritimecommunitywereoftenexaggeratedtoagreatdegree.However,inafantasyworld,suchcreaturesdoexist,crushingshipsanddevouringsailors!

anddevouringsailors!

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Pickaspotinaregionoftheoceanthatisoffthebeatentrack,maybeinacornersomewhere.Foralargeseaserpent,drawalargehorizontalSinthewater.Erasehalfofit,anddrawintheoceanwavesasabase.

STEP2:AddDetails

Drawalargefinonthetailandanothertowardthefrontofthemonster’sbody.Youcanalsoaddafewsegmentedscalesifyouwant.Addafewmorewavelinestofinish.Seamonstersneednotallbeserpents,butcanalsotaketheformofmassive

octopi,hugesharks,killerwhalesandsoforth.Letyourimaginationrunwild

octopi,hugesharks,killerwhalesandsoforth.Letyourimaginationrunwildandseewhatyoucancomeupwith.

CHAPTERSEVEN

HeraldryandShields

Heraldryandshielddesignarethesymbolsofdifferentfactions,citiesandnobility.Onamap,shieldsareanexcellentwayofdepictingculturalandpoliticalboundarieswithoutactuallydrawinglinesonamap.Thoughnoteverytownandhamletshouldhaveitsownshielddesign,citiesandcapitalswouldoftenbethehomeofveryspecificnoblefamilies.Eachwouldhaveitsownheraldryandinfluence.Shieldsarealsogoodformarkinggeneralregions,denotingareasofculturalinfluencethatafactionmayhaveonit.

ShieldShapes

Notallshieldsshouldbeofthesameshape.Manyfactorsaffectshieldshape,includingwherethecityorregionisfrom,aswellasculturalinfluenceofthatarea.Awesternmedievalcityisusuallydefendedwitha“heater”typeshield(anupside-downiron),whileeasterncitiestendtowardmoreroundedshields.However,afantasymapneednotobeyanystandard,soplayaroundwithshapestocomeupwithoneyoulike.

BasicShapesBasicshieldshapesareverysimple,consistingofcircles,rectangles,heatersandovals.Hereisaselectionofbasicones.Tryanddrawsomeofthesefreehand,orcomeupwithyourownuniqueshapes.

ShieldsforBattleShieldsinthewesttendedtobeheaterorteardropshapedbecauseofthedominanceofheavycavalryonthebattlefield.Heaterandteardropshieldswereeasiertouseandlesscumbersomethanlargeroundshields.Sinceheavycavalrywereusuallymadeupofthenobility,heatershieldstendedtodominatetheheraldryandshielddesignofthetime.Mostcitieswithinthesameculturewouldsharethesameshieldshape,evenif

theydifferedincolorormarkings.

SimpleHeraldry

Heraldryistheuseofspecificgraphicsymbolsandiconstoformauniquepattern.Heraldryisbestknownfordecoratingtheshieldsofmedievalknights,thoughitisstillinusetoday,oftenforthetownsandcitiesofEurope,aswellasoldorrenownedfamilies.Heraldryisaveryoldartwhichutilizesspecificiconographyandrules.Theofficialuseofheraldrystartedsometimewithinthemid-eleventhcenturywhenknightsfirststartedtousesymbolstodefinethemselvesandtheirfamilyhousesfromtheirpeers.TheartevolvedandwasfinallystandardizedbetweentheEuropeannationsaround1500AD.Thereareabewilderingvarietyofheraldicdevices,thoughallarequitefascinating.Inthischapteryouwilllearnhowtomakesomesimpleheraldicsymbolsforyourownkingdoms.Havefunandbecreative!

QuarteringPartsWhenyouhavesettledonanappropriateshieldshape,it’stimetolayinsomebasicheraldryovertopofit.Heraldryatitsmostbasicconsistsofashieldbeing“quartered.”Thismeansthatitcanhavestraightbars,zigzags,quarteredsquares,halfbars,orstarsanddots.Ihaveincludedanumberofbasicheraldicdevicesforyoutochoosefromandemulate.Feelfreetomixandmatchthemtocomeupwithyourowndesign.

HistoricShieldExamplesHerearesomehistoricexamplesfromEurope.Heraldrywasoftenquartered.Thiswasawayofdifferentiatingbetweenclosenoblehousesbyaddingslightdifferencestoeachheraldicdevice.Eachpieceofthequarteringprocessmeantsomethingdifferent.Thisusuallyservedtotiethemanydifferenthousesandbloodlinestogether,tellingfriendandfoewhotheirfamilyandallieswere,makingforeasyrecognition.

SimpleShieldSymbols

Notonlywouldshieldshavedifferentshapesandquarteringtodifferentiatethem,theywouldalsohavehousesymbols,andfactiondevices.Thesewouldcomeinabewilderingvarietyofforms,fromwildanimalstoships,weaponsandflowers.Theadditionofasigil(orsymbol)canalsobeusedtotiefactionsandhousestogether,thoughitwascommonformultiplerivalstohavesimilar,oreventhesamesigil.InthissectionIhaveafewmorebasicsymbolsforyoutouseordrawinspirationfrom.

ApplyingSymbolsSelectasigil,andoverlayitontoyourshield.Ifit’sdarkondark,erasethedark

quarteredpartsothatthesigilshinesthrough,creatinganiceboldshape.Afteryouhavecombinedashieldshape,aquarteringshapeandasimplesymbol,yourshieldwillbefinished!

ShieldExamplesTherearealmostendlesscombinationsforyoutomixandmatch.Tryandremembernottomakeshieldstooelaborate,orchoosetoomanysymbolsforoneshield.Oneisusuallyplenty.Kingdomssharethesamebasicshieldshapes,thoughtheymayallhavedifferentquarteringandsymbols.UsethesecombinationsIcameupwithasinspirationforyourowndesigns.

PaintingShields

STEP1:ShieldColors

Whenchoosingcolorsforyourshield,it’sbesttostickwiththeprimaryandsecondarycolors,usingcomplementarycolorswherepossible.Thisgivestheshieldamorehomogenouslook.Usuallyyouwillchooseaprimarycolorthatservesasthemaincolor,andasecondarycolorthatwillbeusedonthequarteredpart.

STEP2:PainttheBasicShield

Onceyouhavechosenyourprimaryandsecondarycolors,painttheshieldshapeinyourprimarycolor.Becarefulnottogooutsideyourshield’sedges.Selectatypeofquartering,andcarefullypaintthatontopinyoursecondarycolor.Finally,paintthesymbolontopoftheshield,centeringitasbestyoucan.Thesymbolshouldstandout,eitherasadarkerorlightercolor,dependingonthebackground.

STEP3:AddWeatheringandHighlighting

Onceyouhavepaintedyourcolors,it’stimetogivetheshieldabitofoomph.Tostart,shadearoundtheshieldjustabittogiveitsomepop.Ifyouwant,addafewdentsandscuffstotheshieldaswell.Afterthat,addshadingtothebottomoftheshieldandtothedentsandscuffs,paintinginslightlydarkertonesthanyouroriginalcolors.Finally,uselighterversionsofyourcolorstohighlightyourshield,startingatthebottompoint.Useaslightlybrightercoloratthetopcentertogiveitsomedimension.

ShieldEmbellishments

Sometimesashieldshouldbeemphasizedevenmore,whetheritbeforthekingdom’scapitalcity,orforspiritualormercantileimportance.Additionalsymbolscanbeaddedtothetoporsidesofashieldtofurtherdistinguishit.Symbolssuchasacrown,orevenillustrativescrollworkaretypicalexamples.

King’sCrownBeginbydrawingintheroughshapeofaking’scrown.Thismaybeaselaborateasyou’dlike,thoughkeepingitrelativelysimpleisusuallybest.Next,paintinyourprimarycolor,usuallyagoldoryellow,carefullykeepingwithin

yourlines.Last,addsomehighlights,andthenoutlinetheentirecrowninadarkbrownorblacktomakeitpop.Now,yourkingdomhasaseatofpower.

ScrollworkCarefullydrawinabasicscrollshape,makingsureitwrapsbehinditself,andgoesbehindyourshield.Paintitalightcolor,usuallyochreorcream,thoughitcanbeanycoloryouchoose.Finally,shadethefoldedpartsdarker,andhighlighttheedges.Addafewrunes.Outlinethescroll,butnotsomuchthatittakesawayfromtheshield.Playwithdifferentcolors;redandwhiteworkwelltoo.

GraphicFloralDesignsStartbycarefullydrawingyourdesignabovethebasicshield.Ihavechosenasimpleflowerlikedesign.Next,paintityourshield’ssecondaryorcomplementarycolor.Thenaddshadingandhighlightstogivetheshapemoredimension.

ShieldPlacement

CityShieldsAcityshieldshouldbeplaceddirectlyoverthecityartwork,thoughyoushouldleaveasmallspacesoasnottocrowdtheactualcityiconorart.Youmaywindupcoveringpartofthemap’stopographyifyoudothis,andifso,that’sOK.Ifyoudon’twanttodothis,youcanmovetheshieldunderneaththecityartworkaswell,thoughaboveisusuallypreferable.

RegionalShieldsRegionalshieldsdifferinplacementfromcityshields,butnotbymuch.Youstillwanttotryandmaintainequidistantspacefrommapelements,especiallycities.Improperplacementcanleadtounbalancingamap’saesthetics.Trynottocovermapelements,andplacetheseshieldsinopenareassotheydon’tclashwithotheritemsofimportance.Allowthemtostandontheirown.Regionalshieldsshouldbelargerthancityshields,andinsomecasesyouwillonlyneedoneforyourpurposes.

CHAPTEREIGHT

PoliticalBoundaries

Theuseofboundariescanformacrucialpartofamapandtellaviewermuchabouttheland’shistoryanditspeople.Attheirheart,boundariesaredividinglinesbetweenacountry’sinhabitants,eitheronapolitical,geographicalormilitarybasis.Thesedividinglinescanaccentuateamapordominateit,thoughhistorically,mapswithpoliticalorcountryboundarieswouldn’thavemuchotherdetail.Whenlayinginboundaries,thereareafewthingsyoushouldthinkabout.

HowmanyfactionsdoIwantportrayedonmymap?DoIwanttoportrayregionalboundariesaswellasnationalborders?HowdoIwanttopaintinmyboundaries?

Soonyouwillhaveplentyofrivalfactions,kingdomsandprincipalitiespopulatingyourfantasymap!

BoundaryLines

Thefirstwaytodifferentiateregionsandcountiesisbyusinglinework.Asopposedtotheuseofcoloralone,linesareamuchboldertypeofboundary,butifnotusedcorrectlytheycanclutteramapwithtoomuchinformation.Lineboundariescanbemadeupofseveraldifferenttypesofline,varyingfromrepeatingdotsandcrossestosquares.Whenusingcoloredlines,it’sbesttouseredsanddarkbrownssincetheygiveauniform,subtletouch.

LineTypesHerearesomelineboundarytypesthatyoucanuseonyourmapthatwillservewelltodivideyourregionsandnations.Youcanmixandmatchthemonthe

samemap,thoughit’sbesttosticktooneortwotypestoavoidconfusingaviewer.Usetheseasinspirationforyourownboundaryideas.

STEP1:SelectLineType

Selecttheboundarylinetypethatyouwishtouse,andthenlightlydrawinyourinitialsketchlinewhereyourboundaryshouldgo.

STEP2:StartMarkingLines

Markinyourfirstboundarylinemark.Becarefultotryandfollowrivers,mountainsandhillsasyoucontinue.

STEP3:ContinuetheLines

Continuetheboundarylines,makingsurenottocoveranyiconorlabel.Aboundarylineshouldalwaystakeabackseattoallotherelementsinamapandblendin.

STEP4:FinalDetails

Continuewiththerestofyourboundarylines,followingsteps1–3.Finally,finishupyourboundarylines,takingcaretocleanupyourlinesasbestyoucan.

BoundaryColors

Usingcolorsfornationstotellthemapartisanothertechnique.Theuseofcolorasboundarieshasbeenthemostcommontechniqueincartography,andunlikelineboundaries,isanimmediateandboldwayofpresentingaviewerwithinstantanddefinitiveinformation.Generally,colorboundariesarebestusedonmonochromaticorsimpleparchmentmaps,wherethecolorwillstandout.Historically,colorboundariesemergedwiththebirthofthefirstnationstates,becomingcommonplaceinmapsfromaroundthe1600sandon.

STEP1:SelecttheColor

Tobegin,selectthecolorthatbestservesyourpurpose,andpaintinyourfirstlinebyhuggingtheshoreboundariesandrivers(ifany),beingcarefultonotcovertheactualdarkboundarylines.

covertheactualdarkboundarylines.

STEP2:ContinueAddingColor

Trynottocoveranytownsorcitiesdirectly,goingunderneaththemwhenpossible.Completeyourboundarylinebycomingfullcircle.

SubtleColorsHereisaselectionofcolorsthatworkwellwhenpaintinginboundaries.Boundarycolorsshouldalwaysbesubtleandsomewhattransparentsoasnottocoveranydetailsortheterrain.Ifusingapaintbrush,thindownyourpaintbymixingitwithwatersoyoucanbrushinyourcolorsslowlyandcarefully.Ifusingacomputer,reducetheopacityofthecolortoatleast50percent.

STEP3:KeepColorSeparate

Whencolorboundariesbordereachother,whichwillhappenoften,theyshouldrunparalleltoeachother,carefulnottotouch.

BoundaryTypes

Therearetwodifferenttypesofboundaries,nationalandregional.Nationalboundariesaretheboldestandthickest,andareusedmostoftentodenotenationalborders.Regionalboundariesaremuchmoresubtlewithsmallermarkingsbutarethemostcommonandversatile,oftenusedtodepictcountyandpoliticalborderswithinakingdom.

NationalBoundariesNationalboundariesshouldbethickandverypronounced,usuallysolidandbrightaswell.Nationalboundariesshouldbequiteboldandinstantlyrecognizable.

RegionalBoundaries

RegionalBoundariesWhendepictingcountiesorprovinces,regionalboundarylinesarebest.Theselinesareoftendotted,orbroken,andaremuchthinnerthannationallines.Thisisusuallyduetothefactthatcountiesandprovinceswouldblendintoamap,notstickoutlikeasorethumb.

UsingNaturalBoundaries

Whenlayinginboundaries,youshouldalwaystrytofollowthenaturalcontoursofmountains,hillsandriverswhenyoucan.Naturalboundariesareoftentheplacewherestateboundariesreside.Waterboundariesneednotbehighlightedbyregionalboundaries,thoughnationalonescanoverlapandcoverthem.Youshouldalwaysthinkofyourmapanditsfactions,andhowtheywouldshareorfightoverland.Properlyestablishedboundariescanbeaninterestingcomponentofagoodmap,spurringaviewertothinkmoreaboutthepeopleandplaceswithinit.

RiverBoundariesWhendrawingriverboundaries,tryandhugtheriverascloseaspossible.

CHAPTERNINE

Backgrounds

Backgroundscanbemadeupofagreatmanythings,fromthebordersandcorners,toinformativemotifboxesthatprovidedesignandcompositionalelementstoamap.Amapbordershouldoftenbethoughtofasaframeofsorts.Justlikeapictureframe,abordercanbeverysimpleorveryelaborate,dependingonthetypeofmapyouaremaking.Aproperbordernotonlylookssuitableandcontainsdesignflourishestoenhanceamap,butalsoincludessubtleinformationforaviewer.Themostinterestingbordersarethosethatareintegrateddirectlyintoamap’scomposition,givingyouaseamlesspiece.Backgroundsalsobroadlyincludeoneofthemostimportantpiecesofmapinformation,thelegend,whichisakeystonetoanymap.

Borders

Borderscanbeportrayedinavarietyofways,fromsimplelinearttomorecomplexpaintedframingdesigns.Oneofthemostimportantelementsofamap’sborderisthe“neatline”thatactsasatrueframebygivingthemapadefinitiveborder,whichnoartworkshouldexistoutsideof.Manymapsalsoincludeascaleruler(orborder)withintheneatline,givingamapthatdistinctivecheckeredborderlook.Inthissectionwewillbefocusingonbasictechniques.

STEP1:MarktheCorner

Takeyourrulerandlightlymarkapointineachcornerofyourmapabout ⁄ – ⁄ "(6–13mm)infromeachedge.

1 4 1 2

STEP2:CreateaBasicFrame

Thenusingyourrulerasastraightedge,connectyourdots,formingabasicframe.Youmaymakethelinethickerorthinnerdependingonyourpreference.

STEP3:AddAnotherFrameLine

Nowdrawanotherframewithinthelinesyoujustdrew,about ⁄ "(3mm)insidethefirstline.

STEP4:CreateaScaleRuler

Eachsegmentshouldbeequaltogiveauniformlook.Measurethelengthofyourneatlineanddivideitbyasmanyscalesegmentsasyouwant.Useyourrulertodotintheroughplacements.Filleveryothersegment,likeacheckerboard.

1 8

STEP5:FinalDetails

Afteryourscaleiscompleted,takeyourruleranddrawanotherframeabout ⁄ "(6mm)outsideyourneatline.Yourscaleiscomplete.Justaddcolortofinishthepiece.

ColorVariation

Youdon’thavetosticktoblackandwhitewhenconstructingaborderruler.Avarietyofcolorslookgoodasbothaneatlineandaborderruler.Reds,bluesandbrownsallareperfectforoldmaps.

1 4

BorderCorners

Thecornersofyourborderareagreatwaytoaddsomecharactertoyourmap.Cornerscancomeinalargevarietyofforms.Cornersareessentiallytheirownsmallillustrationsthatintegratewithyouroriginalneatlineandscaleborderelements.Properlydone,cornerscandomuchtomakeamapshine.Thissectionwillfocusonbothsimpleandmoreadvancedtechniquesfortacklingcornerillustrations.Simplelinecornersaddaniceaccenttoyourmap,andarequickandeasytodo,whilecomplexcornersmakeuseofadditionalelementsthatrequirepatienceandpracticetomaster.

STEP1:PreparetheCorner

Selectthefirstcorneryou’dliketoillustrate.Let’susethesamecornerwewerejustworkingon.Takeyoureraserandcarefullycleartheworkarea.

justworkingon.Takeyoureraserandcarefullycleartheworkarea.

STEP2:AddtheBasicDesign

Let’sstartwithasimplegeometricdesign.Don’tbeafraidtotrydifferentshapes!

STEP3:AddMoreDetails

Continuebyaddingafewmoredetaillinesandmarks,tryingtokeepthemaseventooneanotheraspossible.Drawasmallcirclecenteredinthecorner.

STEP4:FinalDetails

Finishyourcornerbydrawinginthepartsoftheborderandscalethatyouhadinitiallyerased.Thiswillintegratethecornerseamlessly.

SimpleCornersSquaresandrectanglesarewonderfulforcorners,butyoushouldexperimentwithothershapestoo.Youmightbepleasantlysurprisedwithwhatyoucancomeupwith!

ComplexCorners

Whilesimplecornersarefittingforsimplermaps,sometimesyouwillwanttoincludemorecomplexillustrativeelements.Complexcornersareessentiallysmallillustrationsthatareabitlikebookcorners,addingsophisticationandcharactertoanin-depthmap.Inthissectionyouwilllearnhowtoconstructcomplexcornersbystartingwithgeometricshapes,andprogressingwithmoreorganicelementstoformyourowndistinctdesigns.

STEP1:PreparetheCorner

Selectacorneranderasetheneatlineandborders.

STEP2:AddtheBasicDesign

Drawacircleascenteredaspossibleinthecorner.Tryandmakeitasroundandevenaspossible.Complexcornerscanvaryinsizebutshouldneverbelargerthan1"(25mm)indiameter.

STEP3:AddDetails

Drawanothercircle,givingtheoriginalcircleaborder,andthennotchtheedgessotheylookbraided.Drawafewmoresmallercircleswithinyourbraidedcircle,andconnecteachwithsomesmalldetaillines.Thinkofaknotandhoweachstrandbraidsaroundoneanother.

STEP4:ConnecttheCorner

Finishyourcornerbyreconnectingyourneatlineandtherulerbordersothatitisseamlesslyintegrated.Tryyourhandatsomecircleortriangledesigns.

STEP5:FinalDetails

Addshadingandcolortofinishit.

CornerFlourishes

Tospiceupyourcornerborders,youcanincludeafewdesignelementsthataddfurthersophisticationtothelookandfeelofyourmap.Flourishesaregraphicelementsthatservetobetterintegratethecornerswiththeneatline,butcansometimesstretchintothemapitself.Theycanvaryfromsimplelinedesigns,tocomplexillustrativeelements.Unlikethecornerart,theymayextendout,formingapartoftheneatline’sborder.Flourishescanberoughlycharacterizedasbothbasicandadvanced.

STEP1:PreparetheCorner

Startbyerasingtheinnerneatlinefromyourcorner.

STEP2:AddtheBasicShape

Startingfromthecornercircle,drawapetalpointingintothemap.Thisisyourmainpetal.

STEP3:AddDetails

Thenoutlinethepetalwithanotherlineandaddacircleoneachside.

STEP4:IntegratetheFlourish

Fillinafewsmallcurledtwigsoneachsideandconnectthembacktothemainpetal.Redrawanypartofthecornerthatwaserasedandintegratetheflourishintoyourcorner.

STEP5:FinalDetails

Finishitupbyaddingshadingandcolor.

BasicFlourishes

BasicFlourishesBasicflourishesaresmallembellishmentsthatarequickandeasytodo.Theyarebasedonsimpleflowerandplantleavesthataredrawninaboldandgraphicway.

AdvancedFlourishes

Advancedflourishesarelargerandmoredifficulttodo.Theyusuallyconsistoflongerbrancharmsandmorefloralelements.Theycanalsobemadeupofothersmallerillustrationsofweaponsandfigures,andhavealessgraphicandmoreillustrativelook.Forthisexamplecompleximage,let’stryavinelikedesignwithsomeberries.

STEP1:PreparetheCorner

Beginyouradvanceddesignbyerasingyourinnerneatline,andpreppingitforyourlinework.

STEP2:AddtheBasicShapes

Drawintwovinesextendingoutfromthebordercorner.Trytomaketheseasevenandsymmetricalaspossible.

STEP3:AddDetails

Continuethedesignbyaddingafewmorevinesinthesamefashionasthefirstandsecond,eachabouthalfthesize,aswellasaclusterofberriesinthecenter.Addmoresmalloffshootvinestoeachmajorvine,curvingtheminwards.

STEP4:IntegratetheFlourish

Completeyourdesignbyaddinginanothersmallergroupofvines,andafewclustersofberries.Cleanupyourdrawingandintegrateitwithyourneatline.Ifyourdesignoverlapsyourneatline,that’sOKtoo!

STEP5:FinalDetails

Finishitupbyaddingshadingandcolor.

AdvancedFlourishesMixingheavystraightshapeswithleaves,berriesandflowerscanformsomeverynicedesignelementsforyourcorners.Takealookatsomeoldmedieval

verynicedesignelementsforyourcorners.Takealookatsomeoldmedievalmaps.Medievalartistswereverygoodatcombininghardandsoftelements.

Compass

Thecompassroseisperhapsoneofthemost,ifnotthemost,indicativeimagesofcartography.Notonlyisitabeautifulpieceofartthatcantieamaptogether,itisalsofunctional,providinginformationanddirectiontoaviewer.Compassescomeinmanysizes,shapesandstyles,thoughallsharesomesimilarqualities,suchasgivingdirection.Usuallythenorthpointisthemostemphasized,thougheachpointisrepresentedasadifferentdirection.Compassestraditionallylooklikeastarwithanumberofpointsthatcanvaryfromfour,eightandsixteentoeventhirty-twopoints!Thesepointsalsodepictnauticaldegreesandhelpseafarersplotcoursesandmakeuseofthewinds.Sincecertainareasoftheoceanwouldprovidebetterwindsthanothers,therewouldbesmallercompasseslocatedonsomemapsforthepurposeoftriangulation,orgettingbearingsonaspecificpoint.Thisisveryusefulinthewideopensea.Notallcompasseswouldfocusonmagneticnorthasweareusedto,andsomewouldfocusonthestarsastheprincipalguide.However,today,youwillbelearninghowtoconstructabasiccompassforyourmap.

STEP1:DrawtheCenterShape

Whenconstructingacompass,firstdrawacircleaboutthesizeofaquarter(about1"[25mm])andthenanotherinsideit.

STEP2:AddthePoints

Startingwiththenorthpoint,drawtwolongtrianglesonthetopandbottomof

Startingwiththenorthpoint,drawtwolongtrianglesonthetopandbottomofthecircle,andtwoshorteronesonthesides.

STEP3:DividethePoints

Divideeachofthetrianglesinhalf.

STEP4:AddDesign

Gobackintothemiddleofthecentercircleanddrawaknight’sshield.Thenfill

Gobackintothemiddleofthecentercircleanddrawaknight’sshield.Thenfilltherestofthecirclewithfloraldesignsforembellishment.

STEP5:FinalDetails

Markthesouth,eastandwestpointswiththefirstletteroftherespectivedirection.Fornorth,putinalargerNtogiveitmoreemphasis.

Legends

Thelegendistheheartofamapinsomerespectsandcanformawonderfulcenterpiece.Itiswherethetitle,iconsandscaleelementsareexplainedanddefined.Alegendcanbeabeautifuldesignelementwhenintegratedwithyourcornerandboundaryart.Thebasicconstructionandinformationareexplainedindetailinthissection.

STEP1:PreparetheCorner

Decidewhereyouwouldliketoplaceyourlegend.Agoodplaceisusuallyinoneofthefourcorners,orthecenterbottomofthemap.Drawinyourroughlinesasaguide.

STEP2:AddtheBasicFrame

Takingyourstraightedge(ordesigntemplate),carefullydrawinyourbasicdesignframe.

STEP3:AddDetails

Oncethebasicsarein,addsomedetailstothecornersandedgelinestotheframe.

STEP4:IntegratetheFrame

Ifyourlegendisclosetoyourborderartorboundaries,integrateyourlegendframeintotheborder.Youcandothisbyaddingsomeadditionallineworkor

frameintotheborder.Youcandothisbyaddingsomeadditionallineworkorfloraldesigns.

STEP5:FinalDetails

Finishitupbyaddingshadingandcolor.

LegendInformation

Theinformationthatyouincludewithinyourlegendisuptoyou,thoughtherearesomeelementsthatshouldbeincludedforittobeeffective.Thebasicthings,likethemap’stitle,needtobeincluded.Otherdetailssuchasiconandboundarydefinitionsaredependentonwhattypeofmapyouhavemade.

STEP1:SketchthePlacement

Lightlypencilinmarkersforwhereyouwanttowriteinthetitleofyourmapfirst.Then,dependingontheinformationyou’dliketodepict,spaceoutyourothertypography.Trynottocrowdyourinformationtogether.Spaceoutwhereyouwouldliketolayinyourmap’sscale.

STEP2:AddtheTypography

Layinyourtypography,titlefirst.Thendrawinanyiconsyou’dliketoinclude,makingsuretheyarelinedupandthespacingiseven.Drawinyourscale,usingastraightline.Itshouldbethesamelengthasyourrulerboundary.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Finishyourlegendbyaddinginsomemoredetails,shadingandcolor.Shadingthebordersgivesthelegendsomedepth.

InformationBoxes

Informationboxesaredesignelementsthatareusefulfordepictingeitherimportanttextinformationincertainareas,orgivingyourmapsomenicefantasticalclutter.They’reverysimilartolegends,butaremuchsmaller,andshouldhavelessemphasis.Theyareagoodwayofcomplementingyourlegendorthecornersofyourmaps.

STEP1:DrawtheBasicShapes

Whenyouhavedecidedwheretoplaceyourinformationbox,carefullydrawinyourfirstcircleorrectangletoserveasyourinitialframeandfillitoutwithanotherline.

STEP2:AddDetails

Thendrawanotherboxwithinyourcircleandaddsomesimplefloraldesignelements.

STEP3:FinalDetails

Finally,addinyourtypographyandyourinformationboxiscomplete.

CHAPTERTEN

PaintingTechniques

Therearetwotypesofpainting:traditionalwithbrush,paintandpaper,anddigitalwithatabletandacomputer.Thoughthetwosharesimilaraspects,andthefinalproductcancometoresembleoneanotherclosely,theydorequiresomedifferenttechniques.Inthischapter,Iwillgiveyouacursoryglanceintoboth.Itmayhelpyoutoproduceandexplorebyyourownmeans.Beforeyoustart,thereareafewquestionstoaskyourself.

WhattypeofmapdoIwanttomake,digitalortraditional?WhatdoIneedtogetstarted?WherecanIgetthematerials?

Soonyouwillbepaintinginthelandsanddetailsofyourveryownkingdom!

Inking

Inkisanextremelyversatilemedium.Whetherinkisbeingappliedwithabrush,apenoraninknib,itcanbeusedtolayinsubtlelayersaswellasforillustratingprecisedetails.Thoughinksareusuallythoughtofasblackorblue,bottledinkscomeinawholevarietyofdifferentcolorstoworkwith,allofwhichcanbemixedandmatched,orwatereddowntoproducesurprisingresults.IpersonallyuseNoodler’sinks,whicharebothacid-freeandwaterproof,givingyouaveryclean,deepandlastingfinish.Thereareagreatmanytechniquestoworkwith,thoughIwillintroduceyoutoafewbasictoolsandmethodsyoucanusetoexploreonyourown.

InkingTools

CopicMultilinerSPPens

BlackInks

0.5mm

0.2mm

0.05mm

BrownInks

0.5mm

0.1mm

0.05mm

BSpen

Brushes

Loew-Cornell ⁄ "(19mm)flatwash

Siennano.1round

Siennano.4round

Siennano.10roundSpeedballMappingPen

PenNibs

Nos.100P,102P,103P,104P,107P,108PNoodler’sWaterproofInks

Black

FoxRed

GoldenBrown

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WashTypesAhardwashisamixof50/50inkandwater,usefulforstrongdefinitionofmountains,oceans(dependingonthemap),andforsomestrongshading.Asoftwashismixofthreepartswater,onepartink.Softwashesareexcellentforbuildinguptonality,andcanbelayeredtobuildupdefinition.

BoundaryWashesTodefineyourlandboundaries,firstdampentheareasofthepaperthatyouwillbeapplyingyourinkwashto(usuallytheseasandlakes),makingsureyoudon’toverlapintoyourlandboundaries.Yourboundarywashshouldbesoft,andshouldbeappliedcarefullywithyourlargeflatorroundbrush.Tofurtherdilutethewash,usemorewaterandbrushoutward,awayfromyourlandboundaries.

DefiningTerrainHardwashesareidealfordefiningyourmountains,hillsandtowns.Usingaroundbrush,firstapplyasoftwashoveryourmountainsandhillsasaninitialbaseshade.Oncedry,applyanotherlayeratthebaseofthehillsandmountains

baseshade.Oncedry,applyanotherlayeratthebaseofthehillsandmountainswithyoursmalldetailbrush,carefulnottocoverthewholearea.Oncethoseareasaredry,carefullyapplyanotherwashatthebase,andkeepgoinguntilthemountainsandhillsarewelldefined.Alightshadeshouldbeappliedunderneathyourcitiesandtown,andaroundyourborderboundariesandlegendboxtoshadethemandgivedefinition.

PenandBrushInking

Basicinkingshouldbedonewitheitherpensorthinbrushesfordefinition.Apenwillgiveyouanevenlinethatismoremechanical,whileabrushorcalligraphypenwillgiveamoreorganiclookthatislesseven,butcanvaryinthicknessbyapplyingmoreorlesspressure.BeginnersshouldstartoutusingPigmaMicronandCopicpensfirst,sincetheydonottakeintoaccountpressuresensitivity,andareeasyandcleantouse.Whenyouarereadyandfeelmoreconfident,practicesomelineworkwithyoursmalldetailbrush,aswellasyourcalligraphypenanditsvariousnibs.Landboundariesshouldbeillustratedfirstwithathicklinesothereisacleardefinitionbetweenwaterandlands.Next,thebasicmountains,hills,bordersandcompassshouldallbedrawninwithmediumlines.

MediumLinesMediumlinesshouldbethinnerthantheheavylandboundarylines,andareusefulfordefiningmountains,hills,rivers,boundarycorners,basiccityshapes,

forestsandbordercorners.

ThickLinesLineweightwillbeimportantinaninkmap,andthicklinesshouldbeusedforclearlandboundaries,thelegendboxandoutliningthecompass.

DetailInking

Afteryourbasicinking,it’stimetodetailthemostintricatepartsofyourmap.Usingyourthinnestnibsandpentips,goinandcarefullydefineyourmountains,cities,bordersandallotherpartsofyourmap.

ThinLineToolsThinlinesareexcellentfordefinitionanddetailwork.Mostlinesonamapshouldbethin,oratleastthinnerthantheheavylandboundarylines.Thethinnestlinesserveforthemostintricatedefinition,suchasdetailingyourcities,heraldry,mountainsandhills.

Typography

Oncetheillustrativeelementshavebeeninkedin,it’stimetolayinallthetextandtype.“Tags”arelabelsforthevariouselementswithinyourmap,andeachshouldbeportrayedalittledifferently.Generally,inkandcalligraphypensareexcellentforinkingintags,especiallyforclearandbolddefinition,thoughyoumaywanttouseabrushforregionalandoceantagstomakethemappearlesshardandbold,especiallyifyouelecttousewashes.

Capitals,Cities,TownsandVillagesCapitalsandcitiesshouldbeinkedinalluppercase,whiletownsshouldstartwithacapitalizedletterfollowedbylowercase.Villagesshouldbedoneinalllowercasesotheyarepushedbackanddon’tinterferewiththeothertags.Citytypeshouldalwaysbestraightfromlefttoright.

RiversRiversareoftenlabeledinlowercasetype,andshouldfollowthecontoursoftheriverbeinglabeled.

MountainsMountainsshouldalsofollowthecontoursofthemountainrange,stretchingasbestitcantocovertheentirerange.Mountainscanbelabelledineitherupper-orlowercasefashion,dependingonthemap.

Ocean,SeaandBayLabelsOceanandsealabelsareusuallyalluppercase,andfollowthecontouroftheareabeinglabeledinaslightlycurvedfashion,whilebayareasshouldbesmallerandstraightacross.Baylabelsshouldbecapitalized,butnotuppercaselettersforthewholelabel.

Painting

Usingpaintandbrushforcartographyisalittlebitdifferentthanusinginksandwashes,thoughbothtechniquescanbecombinedforanexcellentresult.Whileinkservestodefineboldlyandgivesagraphicelementtoamap,paintingisgoodforgivingamoreorganicandcolorfullook.Paintingalsooverlapsdirectlyintothedigitalrealm,andbothtraditionalanddigitalsharemostofthebasic(andsomeadvanced)paintingtechniques.Thereareseveraldifferenttypesoftraditionalpaintingmediumsthatcanbeused,eachwithdifferenttechniquesandlooks.Mostcommonly,watercolors,gouacheandacrylicsareusedincartographyfortheirlayeringcapability.

PaintingTools

Brushes

Loew-Cornellno.1detailroundSiennanos.1,4,10and14roundSiennano.4flatLoew-Cornell ⁄ "(19mm)flatwashLoew-Cornell1"(25mm)flatwash

Winsor&NewtonandMoGrahamPaints

Gouache

BurntSiennaIvoryBlackPermanentYellowDeepPrussianBlueQuinacridoneRedRawUmber

SpectrumRedYellowOchreZincWhite

Watercolor

AzoGreen

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OliveGreenMasterson’sSta-WetPalette

CreatingaDetailedBorder

Whenyouhaveyourbasiccolorsonyourpalette,it’stimetolayinyourbasetones.Basetonesarethemediumtoneofacolorthatyouareusing,andcanbeshadedwithdarksorhighlightedwithwhites.Basetonesshouldbethefirstcolorspaintedontoamap,formingthefoundationcolors.Foranexample,let’sworkonadetailedborder.Afterthebasetonesarelaidin,it’stimetoaddsomedefinition.

Thisistherealmeatandpotatoesofpainting,anditisabitlikesculpting.Darksarelaidintogroundanimageandgiveitdepth,whilehighlightsmakeitpop,addingcontrast.Contrastiswhatdrawstheeye,andthisisincreasedthecloserthedarkestdarksaretothelightestlights.Youwantshadowsandhighlightstocomplementyourbasetonesinamap,notoverpowerthem.

STEP1:SketchtheBorder

Startwithabasicpencilsketch.

STEP2:AddBaseColor

Usingyourflatbrush,layinyourbasecolors.Tryandstaywithinyourpencilsketchboundaries,layingincolorasevenlyaspossible.

STEP3:FinishtheBaseColor

Finishupyourbasetones,eveningoutanyinconsistenciesasbestyoucan.Havingyourpencilsketchshowthroughcanbehelpful,butbepreparedtopaintoveryourbasetonesforthenextstep.

STEP4:ApplyDeeperDarks

Usingyourshadetones,layinyourdarksfirstbeforethehighlights.Blacksshouldneverbeusedwithoutbeingmixed,aspureblacksareunnaturalandaremuchtoodark.Forsmallareas,useyoursmallestroundbrush,thoughforstraightedgesuseaflatbrush.

STEP5:ApplyHighlights

Onceyourdarkshavebeenpainted,it’stimetomixsomehighlights.Highlightswillprovidetheborderwithdefinition,givingitamoresophisticatedlook.Highlightsshouldbepaintedontopofyourbasetone,butnotoveryourdarks.Often,it’sbesttoapplyhighlightswithyourdetailbrush,soyoucanbettercontroltheareabeinghighlighted.

STEP6:AddtheLightestLights

Onceyourbasichighlightslightenthearea,youcanfinishthemoffwithafewwellplacedlightestlights.IuseZincWhitewithasmallamountofthemixedcolortopopouttheimage.Lightanddarkcolorsdirectlynexttoeachotherwillcreatecontrastanddrawtheeye.Thelightestlightsshouldbeappliedsparinglyandinsmallspots.

STEP7:InktheDetails

Wheninkingontopofbasetones,useyourmediumbrushorpenforoutlining,andyourthinnibfordetailwork.Browninksaremuchmoreforgivingthanblack,thoughblacksarebolder.Inkfirst,applyfinaldetailsandcleanup.

STEP8:FinalShading

Usingyoursmallflatbrush,addsomewatertoRawUmber,andgentlyapplyshadingtoyourpiece.Thiswillgivethepiecedepthwithintheimageitself,andallowittomeldinandnotcontrastjarringly.

DigitalPainting

Digitalpaintinghasreallycomeintoitsowninthelastfewyears,andwiththeadvanceintechnology,ithastheabilitytocombinethelookoftraditionalpaintingwithoutthesetupandmess.Digitalpaintingisquicker,andinsomerespectseasiertouse,turninghoursoftraditionaldecisionsintomereseconds.Mistakesareinstantaneouslyerased,whilegrantinganartistthequickabilitytoexploreandcompleteartalongmanydifferentavenues.Whilethereareproponentsofboth,Ithinkofdigitalpaintingasbothanartformandatool.Knowledgeoftraditionaltechniquesisveryhelpful,butnotnecessarilyneeded,thoughcolortheoryinanymediumisessential.

DigitalTools

DigitalBrushes

Roughroundbristle

Airbrush75round

Hardround3pixelbrush

Airbrush45round

Hardpasteloncanvas

StylusandTablet

AdobePhotoshoporGIMPsoftware

AdobePhotoshoporGIMPsoftware

DigitalToolsTopaintusingacomputer,it’sbesttohaveatabletofsomesort.Atabletactsasyourcanvas,andastylusasyourbrush,andisexcellenttosimulatepaintingbytranslatingyourbrushstrokesontothescreen.Tabletshaveapressuresensitivityaswell,sotheharderyoupressasyoupaint,thedarkerorwiderthestroke.ProgramssuchasCorelPainterandAdobePhotoshopusevirtualbrushes,andthesebrushesareeachusedtododifferentthings.Youcanmakeyourownbrushes,orusethepresetswithintherespectiveprograms.Fornow,wewillusesomepresets.

OpacityOpacityisatoolformakingcolorsandmarksmoreorlesstranslucent.Thelowertheopacity,theweakerthetoneofthecoloris,andthemoreitcanbe

lowertheopacity,theweakerthetoneofthecoloris,andthemoreitcanbelayeredontopofothercolors.Acolororlayercanvaryinopacityfrom0–100percent.Forlayeringcolorandmixingcolors,opacityisimportant.Layerscanbereducedandfadedbyloweringtheopacityoftheentirelayer.Tryfadingandstrengtheningyourlineworklayersbyincreasinganddecreasingthelayer’sopacity.

LayersLayersareauniqueelementofdigitalpainting.Layerscanbeoverlaidoveroneanother,likepanesofglass,witheachlayer’selementsshowingthroughtothenext.Youmayuseasmanylayersasyou’dlike,andit’sbesttousemultiple

next.Youmayuseasmanylayersasyou’dlike,andit’sbesttousemultiplelayersforthedifferentelementsofyourpiece.Byusingmultiplelayers,youmayoverlaytextures,combiningthemalltomakeanimage.Tomakenewlayers,gotoLayers>MakeNewLayer.Typeinanappropriatename,andthenewlayerwillappearabovethecurrentlayer.Layersareorganizedintoahierarchy,withanylayerontopofanothercoveringanythingbelowit.

DrawingDigitaldrawingisabitdifferentfromtraditionaldrawing,butbothobeysomeofthesameprecepts.Withastylusanditspressuresensitivity,youmaymakelinesthickerorthinner,anderasequicklyandefficiently.Beforedrawingmakeanewlayer,andnameit“Linework.”Thisiswhereallofyourdrawingshouldbedone.Whendrawing,it’sbesttousebrushes4–8pixelsinsizeforbasicterrainlinework,andbrushes1–3pixelswidefordetailwork.

PaintingPaintinginthecomputerresemblestraditionalpaintinginsomeways,butdiffersinmanyothers.Youcanstartbymakinganewlayerunderyourlineworklayer.Thenlayinyourbasetonelayerusingyourbroadbrush.Aftermakinganotherlayer,paintinyourdarks.Addanotherlayerandlayinyourhighlights.Afinallayeroverthetopshouldbefordetailwork.

TypographyLayingintypographydigitallyisverydifferentfromtraditionalmeans.ToapplytypetoyourmapselecttheTypetool,andselectanareaofthemaptomakeatextlayerforinsertingtype.Youmayalsoclickanddragtomakeatextbox,whichwillcontainalltexttypedintothatbox.Onceatextlayerismade,youcantypeinyourtag,andthenalteritssizeandfonttypewithafewclicks.Whenusingtypeinamap,it’sbesttosticktoonefonttype,andnotvarythesizetoomuch.Keepsimilarelementsthesamesizetoemphasizeuniformity.Atexttagmaybemovedaroundatwill,andeachtexttagwillformitsownseparatelayer.Onceyouaresatisfiedwithyourtypographyplacement,youcangroupallofthesetagstogetherandmergethemforoneeasy-to-managelayer.

DigitalFinishHereisafinisheddigitalmapIhavedoneformyownworld,Hyranden.Thoughthismapusessomeothermorespecializedtechniques,manyofthetopicsIhavediscussedinthischapterareputtogoodusehere.Traditionalanddigitalarthavemuchmoreincommonthanpeoplethink,thoughtheirexecutioncanvary.

CHAPTERELEVEN

PuttingitAllTogether

Creatingafantasymapfromscratchisalotofwork,andismuchlikeweavingacomplextapestryfrommuchsimplerthreads.Don’tbeoverwhelmed!Nowthatyouhavelearnedthebasictechniques,aswellasthemoreadvancedmethods,it’stimetoputalloftheseelementstogether.Inthischapter,Iwillconstructamapfromthegroundupgoingstepbystepinorderofexecution,slowlypiecingittogethertoformacohesivewhole.Beforestarting,collectallofyourmaterials,andthenaskyourselfafewquestions.

HowlargeofamapdoIwantmyworldtobe?Isthemapgoingtobeinfullcolorormonochromatic?WhattypeofmapdoIwanttomake—county,regional,countryorworld?DoIhaveanymapstouseforinspiration?

CreatingaFantasyMap

IwillbecreatingaworldmapofthefantasylandsofAldriin.Thismapwillusealloftheelementsincludedinthebasicandadvancedtechniquessectionstoshowyouhowtheyshouldbeapproached,andinwhatorderelementsshouldbetackled.Whetheryouareapproachingthemapfromatraditionaloradigitalperspective,thisbasicrundownwillshowyouhowamapismade.

STEP1:GeneralSketch

Thefirststepistotakealightpencilandgentlydrawyourgeneralsketch.Startwiththelargelandmassesfirst,thenislandboundaries.Fromthat,lightlydrawinthebasicmountainareasaswellasmarkingthegeneralareasofcities,rivers,bordersandcorners.Yoursketchshouldbelightandverygeneral,servingasaplaceholderforthenextstep.

placeholderforthenextstep.

STEP2:Coastlines

Whenyourgeneralsketchiscomplete,it’stimetogoinanddetailyourcoastlineswithaheavierline.Thislineworkshouldbemuchdarkerandmoresophisticatedthanthelightsketch.Hereiswhereyouaddinlets,baysandsmallerislandformationsaswellasinteriorlakes.Besuretoleavesmallopeningswhereriversrunintothesea.

STEP3:HillsandMountains

Alwayslayinyourmountainsfirst.Startwiththegeneraloutlineshapes,thengobackintodetaileachmountainwithsmallerdetaillines,givingthemeachdefinition.Whenyourmountainsarefinished,moveontoyourhills,smallergeneralshapesfirst,andthenafewdefininglines.Thedetailinglinesshouldbethin,anddrawnatthebaseofeachhill.

STEP4:TownsandCities

Drawinyourcapitalsandcities,thenyourtownsandvillages,andfinallyyourfortressesandholdfasts.Keepthemasgeneralaspossible.Ifthereareanyshieldsorheraldry,drawthegeneralshapesintoserveasplaceholders.

STEP5:Rivers

Afteryourtownshavebeendrawnin,it’stimetolayinallofyourrivers.Startwiththelargestones,thenmoveontothesmallerones.Riversemptyingintotheseashouldbeintegratedwiththecoastalborders.Drawintherivertributarieslast,taperingfromthemountainstotheriverstheyjoin.

STEP6:ShoreandWaterLines

Nowthatyourriversandcoastlinesarecomplete,layinyourshorelines.Thefirstlineshouldrunabout ⁄ – ⁄ "(6mm–13mm)outfromtheland,andhugthecoastclosely.Thenextlineshouldbeanother ⁄ "(6mm)out,huggingthefirstline,andsoon.Anywherefrom3–6linesaregood.Theselinesshouldneveroverlapthelegendorbordersketches,stoppingwhentouchingtheiredges.Lakelinesshouldonlyhaveoneortwooftheselinesatmosttodifferentiatethemfromthesea.Forwavelines,groupthemtogetherandlaytheminrandomgroupsofthree.

Becarefulnottoplacetoomany.

1 4 1 2

1 4

STEP7:BackgroundBorder

Thebordershouldbeoutlinedfirst,tracingoveryourlightsketchline,usingastraightedgeifneeded.Drawinbordercorners,outliningeach,thendrawtheinterioranddetailwork.Theoutlinesshouldbeboldlinework,whiletheinteriorofthebordersshouldbethinnerandmoredelicate.Theselinesarestillrelativelytemporary,andwillbecomepermanentonlyintheinkingstagelateron.

STEP8:LegendandInformationBoxes

Whenyourborderandcornersarelaidin,drawyourlegend,anddetailit.Theoutlineofthelegendshouldbestrong,andtheinteriorthinnerandlighter.Layoutandarrangeyourlegend,plottingoutthetitleandthecontentsasbestyoucan.It’snotcompletelynecessarytolayinyourtitleyet,butanycityiconsandscalesshouldbedetailedoratleastoutlinedandpreparedforlaterinking.Ifyouhaveanyinformationboxes,laytheminaswellanddetailthem.

STEP9:Compasses

Afteryourlegend,drawinyourcompassrose,usinganytemplateorstraightedgeyouneed.Startwiththecentralportion,thenpencilinthepoints,startingwithnorth.Thenmoveontotheminorcompasses.Drawinyourcompasslines,makingsurenottointersecttheoceanlines.

STEP10:Forests

Nowtackleyourforests,layingthemingroupbygroup.Forestsshouldflowaroundrivers,andbeplacedatthebaseofmountains.Leavegapsintheforestforyourforest’slabels.Youmaywanttopencilthelabelsinnowsoyouknowwhattoinkinlater.

STEP11:RoadsandBoundaries

Nowthatyourforestsaredrawn,layinyourhighways,roadsandpaths,aswellasanyboundariesthatyou’dliketoincludetodifferentiatekingdomsandregions.

STEP12:MinorDetails

Nowthatmostofyourmajorelementsarein,it’stimetoaddtheminordetails.Cities,townsandterrainelementsshouldbefullypenciledinnow,aswellasanyshadingforthoseelements.Iconsshouldbeplacedandpenciledinaswell.

STEP13:Iconography

Addiconographytothemapandstartshadingtheterrainwithlinework.

STEP14:Typography

Withthemapalmostcomplete,it’stimetolayinyourtypography,erasingtheterrainelementstomakeroom.First,layincapital,citadelandcitytags;thentown,villageandholdfasttags.Oncethesearedone,thelake,river,oceanandbaytagsshouldbedrawnin.

STEP15:Inking

Bynow,yourentiremapshouldbefinishedinpencil,andinkingitisonewayofcompletingit.Usingyourthickpens,inkinyourcoastallandboundaries,aswellasyourlegendandborderoutlines.Moveontoinkingtheterrainelements,andthenthecities,heraldryandborderinteriorelementswithasmalldetailpen.Inkingisthelaststepinaninkedpiece,butcanbeskippedifyouaremovingontopaintingyourpieceinatraditionalmanner.

DigitalInks

Ifworkingdigitally,allofyourlineworkshouldbeonseparatelayers,andthepieceshouldessentiallyalreadybe“inked.”Yourcolorscanbepaintedinbehindyourlineworkonaseparatecolorlayer.Digitalworkisveryflexibleinthisrespect.

STEP16:HeraldryandOtherDetails

Don’tforgettoaddtheheraldrydesignstoeachofyourshieldsaswellasfillingintheinformationboxesandothersmalldetailsthroughoutthemap.

STEP17:FinishedInks

Onceyouhavelaidinallofyourvariousdetailsthatmakeupamap,youcanthengoinanddothefinalinks.Inkingthemapwillgiveitafinisheddynamicthatisquitebold.Finishedinkedmapsarequitepretty,andstandverywellontheirown.Withafewlightwashesforsomeaddeddepth,thismapwouldbeconsideredcomplete.However,forourpurposes,wearen’tgoingtostophere.Buckleup,becausewearegoingtomakethispieceintoacoloredmap!

STEP18:WaterElements

Thefirstcolorsintroducedintoamapshouldbethewaterelements,usuallyadeepblueorbluishgreen.Seasandoceansneednotbedark,however;itjustdependsonthemapitselfandhowyou’dlikeittolook.Paintintheocean,startingatthelandboundaryandworkingyourwayout,paintingaroundyourcompasses,legendandborders.Ifpaintingdigitally,makeaseparatelayercalled“water”tokeepitseparatefromthelinework.

STEP19:Shading

Tobringoutsomeofyourelements,applydarkershadingaroundthem.First,mixadarkshadetoapplytothelandboundaryinteriors,usingwashestobuilduptone.Addshadingtothemountainsandhillstogivethemmoredimension.Leavesomehighlightsatthetoptolooklikesnowonthehighestpeaks.

Leavesomehighlightsatthetoptolooklikesnowonthehighestpeaks.Forests,cities,iconsandheraldryshieldsshouldbeshadedbyapplyingtones

underneaththeelement.Riverlinesshouldalsobeshaded,sincethenextstepwillinvolvepaintingthemin.Finally,shadetheborders,cornersandlegend,makingthempopfromtherest

ofthemap.

STEP20:Rivers

Startwithadarkblue,andfollowingyoursketchlines,paintinyourriverlines.Then,withasmallerbrush,paintinamuchlighterbluetomakethempopfromthedarkblue.Usingabitofwhite,highlighttherivermouththatspillsintothesea.

STEP21:TownsandCities

Paintinyourtownsandcities,layinginoff-whiteundertonesfirst,thenaddingcoloredroofsanddetailsusingathinnerbrush.Defineeachcitywithdarktones,andthenapplyhighlightstoeach.Iconsshouldbepaintedinaswell,withsolidtonesovertoptheiconshading.Cityiconsshouldbepaintedinwithadeepred,highlightedwithalightenedredandfinishedoffwithawhiteforcontrast.

STEP22:Trees

Treesshouldbepaintedinadarkgreen,overtopthedrawingandshading.Applyafewlightcoatsandbuildupthetonalityasneeded.Applydarksorlightstoshadeorhighlighttheforest.Don’tmakethemtoolightortoodark.Ifpaintingdigitally,makeaseparatelayerandmultiplyit,paintingingreens,ormakeyourownpaintbrushtopaintinthetrees.

STEP23:BackgroundBorders

Bordersshouldbepaintedbylayinginyourbasetonefirst,beingcarefultokeepyourpaintstrokeswithinthelinework.Startwithyourborderfirst,andthenworktothecorners.Whenallofyourbasetonesarein,layinyourdarktoneswithathinbrush.Onceyourdarktonesarein,layinyourhighlights.Afterbothdarkandlightsarein,inkyourpiecewithadetailnib,andfinallyapplyyourlasthighlightsandlightestlights.

STEP24:HeraldryandShields

Whenpaintinginshieldsandheraldry,layinyourbasetonesfirst,carefulnottogetpaintoutsideofyourlinework.Next,addsomeshadowsandhighlightstoyourbasetones,andoutlinetheshieldinathindarkbrownlinetogiveitsomeemphasis.Paintinthesymbolnext,anddetailit.Finally,addafewhighlightsofwhiteanddarktofinishit.

STEP25:CompassRose

Whenpaintingyourcompass,it’sbesttousedarkbrownsandreds.Layinyourbasetonesfirst,thenmoveontothepoints,addingdarksfirst,andthenlights.Highlightsshouldbepaintedinlast,afterthedetailshaveeitherbeeninkedorpaintedin.Thecompassshouldbeoutlinedindarkbluesordarkbrowns.

STEP26:Typography

Thoughmosttypographyshouldbeinkedinwitheitherbrownsorblacks,someothertypesshouldbepaintedin,suchaslargeregional,country,seaorbaytags.Sometypesshouldbecapitalizedwithlargerpaintedlettersforemphasis,suchascapitalsandcitadels.Carefullypaintoveryourlinework,usingeitheraflatbrushorasmallround.Oceanandseatagsshouldbewhiteorlightblue,whilecountryandregionaltagsshouldbedoneinreds.Textmayalsobeoutlinedwithwhitetomakeitpopwhenthetagisinahardtoreadarea.

STEP27:Terrain

Farmlands,marshlands,deserts,plainsandotherterrainshouldbepaintedinwithaflatbrush.Applyingmultiplelayersandbuildingthemupisbestsoyoudon’toverwhelmthemap.Startwithabasetone,thendarksandthenlights.Ifyouwish,addinsomeinksforalittleextradefinitionortidyingup.

STEP28:Detailing

Thefinalstepinyourmapshouldbedetailing.Addinanyfinalelementsyoumayhave,suchasscufforfoldmarksandadditionalcolors.Touchupshadingandhighlights.Youshouldalsopaintinthetypographyorfinalcolorsforthelegend,aswellasanyinformationordesignsthatyouwanttoincludeinyourinformationboxes.Theseshouldfollowthesamepaintingprocess:basetones,darks,lightsandthenhighlightsanddetailing.Lastofall,paintinanysearoutesyoumayhave.

AbouttheArtist

JaredBlandoisaprofessionalfreelancecartographerandconceptualartistwhoworksintheRPG,bookandgamingindustry.ThoughheisbestknownforhisRPGfantasymaps,heisalsoprominentintheboardgameandpublishingindustry,producingartworkforbothlargeandsmallpublishers.Hehasapenchantforhistoricalworksandminiaturegaming,aswellascatsandgluten-freepizza.Youcanseemoreofhisworkonthewebatwww.theredepic.com.Youmaydrophimanemailanytime,thoughhealsoacceptsmessagesviacarrierpigeon.

Acknowledgments

Thisbookhasbeenanincredibleamountofwork!However,therewerecertainpeoplethatcamethroughinspadestohelpmeoutofthequagmire,namelymylovelyChelseaandmyparents,JohnandIris,andafewclosefriendsandfamily.Withouttheirsupportandappreciation,thisbookwouldhavebeenthatmuchhardertoputout,leavingmeindebttoagreatmanypeople.Mythankstoyouall!

Copyright

HowtoDrawFantasyArtandRPGMaps.Copyright©2015byJaredBlando.Allrightsreserved.NopartofthiseBookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeansincludinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassagesinareview.PublishedbyIMPACTBooks,animprintofF+W,aContent+eCommerceCompany,10151CarverRoad,Suite200,BlueAsh,OH45242.(800)289-0963.

OtherfineIMPACTproductsareavailablefromyourlocalbookstore,artsupplystoreoronlinesupplier.Visitourwebsiteatfwcommunity.com.

eISBN:9781440340321

Thise-bookedition:July2015(v.1.0).