Why is it called Mercator?
I'm working on a map using the Mercator globe style presented in Profantasy's Cartographer's Annual 01. I could do and have done a conversion from FT3, but just for fun (?) decided go with the hand-drawn version as well. My sketching skills are atrocious, as shown by my first attempt. After much looking up break points and moving nodes around I got the East coast of North America and South America properly sized and placed.
Attachment 122275
After much more plotting of break points and moving nodes around, I have another version.
Attachment 122276.
The Americas, the southern and west coast of Asia, and Africa are now in the right position and recognizable shape. I still want to do the Mediterranean, north coast of Europe. Australia, and some major islands. This is technically called doing it the hard way, and the chief thing I have learned is...not to do it that way again if I can avoid it.
Why is it called Mercator?
My Deviantart: https://vincent--l.deviantart.com/
This style of projection was used by Gerard Mercator, and was more popular in the 16th and 17th centuries than it is today. Since it uses two circles It's not the same as the more familiar projection also named after him, which uses straight lines of latitude and longitude on a rectangle.
Last edited by Confutus; 05-01-2020 at 06:22 AM. Reason: Misspelled name
The sketch with the Mediterranean, North Coast of Europe, Red Sea, Black Sea, Greenland, and Eastern tip of Russia is done. There are further details and refinements that can be done, but this is sufficiently recognizable that it will do for now.
MercatorCA01Trial2c.PNG
I'm still not entirely happy with it, but there comes a time to shoot the surveyors and draw the map. I can always go back and refine it with more detail.
MercatorCA01Trial2eShow.PNG