Map making

Canyons are a striking feature of any landscape and can really be a focal point in the story you're telling. In this tutorial, you will learn how to draw canyons that bring a sense of depth to the landscape and make your fantasy map really stand out.

I’ve realised I have a particular workflow for drawing coastlines in my maps. Here’s a quick walkthrough. Each step is done on a new layer in photoshop, and I use a 5px hard round brush in each case with size set to pressure. However, all of these steps can be done in Gimp – or … Continue reading "How to Draw Coastlines on a Fantasy Map"

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There are lots of ways to indicate water on a map with lines – and many more with tone or colour. Here are four I regularly use. 1. Broken Waves After you have your coastline, use short, gently curving lines along the shore. The lines should follow the shapes of the coast, but smooth out … Continue reading "4 Coast Styles for Mapmaking"

3045 likes, 53 comments. “Making maps.”

Rivers have to be the most common thing for new map makers to get wrong; and even seasoned cartographers may have some of these mistakes sneak up on them if they’re not careful. But, having an awareness of some of the most common issues that come up when it comes to river placement will go a long wa

Not sure how to make your coastlines more interesting? Here is a little cheat sheet to give you some ideas on how you can make your fantasy maps more dynamic! #rpg #dungeonsanddragons #fantasy #pathfinder

The mountains on your map shouldn't be the same height! Varying the height of your mountains will make the terrain in your world not only more realistic, but more interesting. How you draw the initial ridgeline plays a big role in how your mountains will look when you're finished. Click through for my full tutorial on how to draw mountains on your fantasy maps! #mapeffects #map #fantasy #tutorial #howtodraw #rpg #dungeonsanddragons

From the gloom of Mirkwood to the comfort of the Hundred Acre Wood, forests are one of the most iconic settings in storytelling. There is just something about a forest that brings a feeling of mystery, not knowing what lies around the bend in the trail. Whether you are creating a setting for your next rpg campaign or writing a story for your book, an enchanted glade in the middle of a dense canopy, or a lost city reclaimed by the trees is where myths are born and retold.

Plateaus, mesas, and buttes can look very similar and it can be a challenge to know the difference. Things become even more confusing when you listen to the average person describe these cliff formations, because they’ll often use the names interchangeably. So how can you tell the difference so you