Simple how to for quick maps

[FangirlKitten]

Another couple of variants of this technique are to invert the water/land and play with scale. For example the first map of upstate Michigan (100 km across the whole map) can represent the edge of an entire continent (1000 km across). Landscapes are fractal and self similar enough that this works well.

Wow I never thought of doing something like that for a map. Inverting it makes so much sense. Feeling inspired, thanks for the tip

[ldvhl]

You can do the same for rivers. If you find one with the right length, you can copy it and use it on your map. You can also bend or adjust as needed to fit the geography you're working with.