Campaign map in MS Paint by blkstone1

**jfrazierjr** · 08-04-2011, 08:48 AM

Map

Created in: Microsoft Windows Paint

Review
I was originally drawn to this map because of the simplicity and old world feel as well as being hand drawn. What really inspires me about this map is not just the contents of the map itself, but it's means of production by the artist: Microsoft Windows Paint. Yes, you read that correctly.

This map proves that great maps have been, are, and always will be created by a skilled cartographer and not a software program. While every tool has it's own limitations, the skilled cartographer's only limit is his own imagination.

I greatly look forward to seeing more work from blkstone1 in the future.

Originally Posted by Author

Hi all -- this is my first time posting here, so I thought I would bring out an old map I did a few years back using the pit of evil and groaning death that is MS Paint. This map was for a campaign I used to run and is centered on the lands of Westmark. The game lasted quite a while and during the course of the campaign I updated the map here and there, adding icons in the forests and mountains to show the locations of various beasts and locales the party encountered/explored.

I began with an old parchment-style texture to give it the overall feel of a hand-drawn map, and kept the colors very simple and -- not sure if this is a word or not -- 'inky'. I finished it up with some aging around the edges, and decided to give it a center-line crease/tear once the whole thing was complete. I cannot convey just how time-consuming this was.

Looking back, I really wish I had downloaded a better font than the one I ended up using -- my newer efforts generally see me using Boister or Hyborian fonts. I don't even remember what font this was... oh well.

Original threads
Click here to view the Finished Map thread.