Frames!

[Naima]

So I have a problem with frames, I either don't get much ideas or I do not match them well with maps, how you did learn to make good fitting intheme frames ? Any tips , solutions or things to study ? ...

[Kellerica]

... people make frames with some kind of rhyme or reason?

LOL, if anyone has any answers, let me know as well. I always pull my frames completely out of my ass and just mess around until I get something that looks decent, or just give up at some point and go with what I have so far. It's usually one of the last things I do for a map, so I have very often already reached a point where I'm so sick of the project that I just want to get it done, so I tend to be less critical about it. Not sure how well it shows.

My overall advice for anything like this: find things you like and shamelessly steal the ideas for your own projects, and put your own twist on them. That's what we all do

[bkh1914]

Other than the obvious of looking at other people's maps...

Look at other art-forms.
- look at the frames in a framing store, an art gallery, an art museum...
- Look at pottery. A pot is a pot is a pot. There's only so much you can do with form. The rest is surface decoration. Some of my favorite patterns are classic Greek pottery patterns. My sister has a set of tableware with a US Southwest Indian design that I love. So go the store and look at the designs on tableware. And look at pots in the museum. (I've thrown a few pots.)
- Silverware sometimes has interesting patterns on the handles.
- Needlework (sewing) sometimes uses border patterns. They're usually pretty simple patterns.
- Celtic knot-work seems to be a recurring theme...

A number of years ago I saw a book that was frame/border patterns. Hundreds of patterns.

I like simple patterns that don't compete for your attention.
Other people like fancy ones.
And for some, the frame is virtually an extension of the map.

In my opinion, the border should fit the style of your map, supporting it rather than competing for attention.

[RenflowerGrapx]

I honestly have always loads of ideas for frame, but no one of them usually work.

So, i just do what Kell said. lol.

I also think that maybe you just need to be inspired.
I share the opinion to take a while to watch other artists, and surround yourself of art, more than ever.
You will never notice how subtle will be the idea diving inside your mind.

Just move the pencil after a good rest, and things will come by theirselves. I'm of this school.

When i get "blocked" for any reason i just quit and enjoy everything as other comissions, watch art, read, walk.

Maybe you will notice a pattern you never noticed, just there, in the main square of your favourite walk..and pouff.. Magic.



I'm running off topic I guess.
Sorry if so!

[Azélor]

how you did learn to make good fitting intheme frames ?

I have no idea if I'm supposed to answer this since I don't think the frame is an essential part of the map.
Francesca would certainly disagree. Some of her frames are more detailed than the map that fills the gap.
J. Edward also has some good ones.

I have a tendency to avoid frames or have a wooden frame if I really need one but I'm out of ideas.
Pick something that fit the map theme.
Avoid having a succession of black and white lines (not sure how it's called) unless they actually means something, otherwise it looks silly (im my opinion).

Another idea I took from J.Edward is to use the surroundings and integrate them to the map or create a fake surrounding around the map.
Like this : https://www.cartographersguild.com/a...9&d=1512506282

[Hai-Etlik]

It's worth being aware of the distinction between borders in general and "neatlines". A border is just any element that surrounds a graphic. A neatline is the border between the portion of the map that represents space (the "extent"), and everything else.

On some maps, there is nothing outside the neatline except possibly blank margins and the neatline can be considered an overall frame for the map as a whole. On others, you may have one or more extents within a larger composition with other elements and this may all be tied together with a border.

A regular border just needs to tie things together, but a neatline needs to separate things clearly. A design that is too fancy or complex can make it hard to distinguish where the edge of the extent is. A fancy border with a simple neatline as an innermost element can work as a compromise.

A neatline can also provide additional function. Many neatlines have a design that emphasizes the graticule. Some look like ruler running along the side of the map but a particularly common design is a chequed or double chequed line. It's also common to incorporate numbers into the neatline to label the lines in the graticule. Using this design if it doesn't align with the graticule is very bad practice as it suggests there's a meaningful coordinate system that doesn't actually exist. Chequed neatlines also suggest a certain degree of modernity and precision the same way a graticule does, and this may not be appropriate for your map. A chequed graticule also has all the same concerns that a graticule does in terms of saying things about the map that you may not intend. You shouldn't use either unless you have some idea of where the map is on your planet and what projection it is in.

You should also not extend map elements past the edge of the neatline. Some people do this with graticules or rhumb lines but these become meaningless outside of the map extent so they should always stop at the neatline. There are some cases where you can get away with extending map features past the neatline in specific areas which is called an "extrusion". This should be done on an "understanding the rule you are breaking" basis and usually only becomes necessary when you have a set of related maps with adjacent extents like a set of topographic maps.

For example, this map has several separate extents with single checked neatlines that also incorporate labels for the graticules, all of it is tied together by a decorative border.

https://www.cartographersguild.com/a...chmentid=36691

This map has a double checked neatline which aligns to the grid used by the game this map is based on. I wouldn't have normally have used a chequed line with a map styled this way but I felt the representation of the game grid justified the stylistic clash. Non-map elements are on a cartouche within the map extent so the neatline also serves as an overall border.

https://www.cartographersguild.com/a...chmentid=31455

This portolan style map uses a simple double ruled neatline serving as an overall border. Portolans were navigational charts that were used when the primary form of navigation was dead reckoning using a compass rather than celestial navigation using latitude and longitude so graticules or chequed neatlines would be inappropriate.

https://www.cartographersguild.com/a...chmentid=29592

Not all maps need neatlines or borders. Thematic maps, particularly very simple ones can often get away without them as can more "hand drawn" looking maps.

https://www.cartographersguild.com/a...chmentid=52614