How to draw a map you have no idea how to start?

[Gamerprinter]

To me, world maps tend to be random places to locate specific countries that are a part of a given story - it's the specific locations, cities, those terrain features that are a part of the story, a specific mountain range, a given river, bay, whatever. The world tends to be built around those places important to the story. It might be good to create a realistic lay of land and sea, one that is aesthetically pleasing perhaps, but for the most part the world is just filler content surrounding your story focused terrain. Unless you're creating a globetrotting campaign where going from place to place around your given world is important to the story - then you have more specific locations to build your world around. The world, to me, is less important than the areas that the story is focused around. Many worldbuilders start small and work their way out. If the story begins in a village, you start by creating the village. Where the capital is, or the major city nearest your village is what you develop next. You shouldn't think of the planet in macro terms, that will come only after you develop the geography of the story concerns first. I'd say I'm one of those kinds of world builders.

[Jaxilon]

I'm sort of in line with GP's thoughts. Although, as others have mentioned you might need to ask a more specific question to get a better answer for you.

I have gone both ways. What I will call "outside in" and "inside out". What do I mean? Well, the first means start with the landmasses and move inwards the other means start at a location and move out.

Outside In
The planet doesn't care about the denizens, it makes it's form and people just naturally gravitate to the best places. Ie, fresh water, lots of game, various industries. Imagine you are the first colonists, where would you want to build? and then just keep adding colonists and imagine the cities they would have built depending on the opportunities provided by the nature around them. Keep asking yourself, "Why does this city exist here in this spot"? As in business, 'location, location, location' means everything. Mining towns existed because there was a valuable mine nearby. Most also failed after the mine was depleted, unless they had another value added reason.

When doing this type of map I try to create the best of what I consider "cool" looking continents and go from there.

Inside Out
Here I've got a specific location in mind. This is how my Homebrew game map has grown. I started with the location I wanted my players to begin and expanded from there. I imagined a Keep on the side of a mountain with a river flowing thru the valley below on it's way to a distant sea. I had to add mountains to help explain why the river flowed the way it did and forests needed to be nearby for timber. I made sure the mountains divided them from the more civilized cities because I wanted them to be out in the middle of nowhere so they have a lot to deal with on their own. That provides all sorts of gaming opportunities. Everything then moved into cultures of my the world, the various races. Dwarfs beneath the mountains, a city of thinkers and so on and on and on until I have what I have now and yet, It's still not finished.


IF on the other hand you mean how to you come up with ideas for what a city might look like based on it's technology, well that's a different matter.

Start with references. Grab a snapshot of a huge organ and use the pipes for an idea connected to some sort of engine. Honestly, this is a rabbit hole that never ends, just grab any image that inspires you and then draw a kobashery (made that up) of bits and pieces as a new whole to build crazy ideas. Get like 10 images and turn them into 1 somehow and see what you get.

Anyway, that's all i got for now. Hope it helps.

[Badger]

draw a kobashery (made that up)

That's a good word. I think I'm going to start using that one!

Del

[Tiana]

I'll have to disagree. I am artistically challenged to say the least but mapmaking allowed me to explore and develop some skills in the field.

[SNIP]

But I strongly believe mapmaking is something everyone can achieve.

I didn't say it was impossible for anyone to achieve, just that it wasn't FOR everyone. Let me expand. Not everyone is going to be interested in it. Some people's eyes glaze right over when I tell them what I do. I can think of several people in my real life who have no interest in drawing a map, ever, and it's enough that they remember that I do and direct people to me if they run into someone who needs them. Your experience of being non-artistic and turning out to really enjoy the process is your story. I'm glad you found out you love making maps. Your art has inspired me many times in the past and I certainly wouldn't call you artistically challenged anymore, just perhaps artistically focused?

So while I respect your experience, I hold my point. Statistically speaking, the visitors to this site are probably more interested in making maps than most. I imagine almost everyone who comes here either loves maps or wants to learn to make maps.

I believe artistic skills aren't necessary to make a map though, and that anyone who has an interest in map-making could with reasonable time and patience, make a map. The simplest of maps I'm handed to work from might be no more than a few circles with labels and maybe some distance written between them on a line. Certainly no art was needed to decide there would be a castle beside a river 60 km from an active volcano, which has logged most of the nearby oak forest but thickens up as it approaches a lagoon infested by fae and a legendary sea monster. Some imagination, however, was needed. I made it up right now and I could map it. Some other bro's out there right now, though, watching MMA and drinking a lager and he knows all of the baseball scores and hitters and whatever, and he figures anyone could get into craft beer and baseball and the idea of making up a fake world to play games in has never crossed his mind outside of "eh, that's nerd stuff".

I feel like the hobby is taking off in popularity alongside the roleplaying game revival. I get that this is definitely bringing new people in. By no means do I want those people discouraged. I only mean to acknowledge that this is a niche hobby not performed by many other humans.

Having an interest in worldbuilding and map-making puts people in a very interesting creative slot where they consider the impact of what they draw in a socioeconomic perspective too. I know a lot more people who are just artists, who don't actually know how they'd handle all of the data maps require. I've had artist friends ask questions like, "But how do you put all of the text on and make it look good?" or say things like, "I don't think I could handle drawing all of those trees".

And meanwhile they're doing like... vector chibis with a couple dozen different animated poses or something and I'm like, "I don't know how you do THAT and make it look good". So similarly, while I'm artistic and could theoretically learn to do great vector anime sprites for video games... it's just not for me. It's not an art form I feel any desire to explore, and that's fine.

[LunaticDesign]

I run into issues when I take on world mapping as well. I start thinking grander than I need to to start. So pick a place that you think is interesting and draw that. Then draw another place and so on and so on hopefully you'll have lots of interesting places that just need to be connected together.

[Larb]

I tend to work from the inside out so I don't start with a world map. I start on a regional or city level - and develop it from there. Then as my world and the ideas grow, I start adding more things.

It's not an approach for everyone but I find it works for me. For example my longest conworld project which has been going on years is still only based around one continent - I've never tried to map the entire world.