[WIP] Hand drawn regional map

[Meton]

Thank you mbartelsm! I like detailed maps too, as you can guess

I wrote a sort-of tutorial to another thread about how I made the graticule by hand. So, I'll quote myself:

- Find an atlas that is larger than the size of paper in your map
- Select a map with the same scale than your map, and from the same latitude as the place in your map (longitudes doesn't matter, naturally, and neither the hemisphere.)
- Place your map on top of the atlas's map. North to north if the maps are on the same hemisphere and upside down if they are on different hemispheres.
- Mark the locations of the lines of latitude and longitude in the sides of your map with pencil.
- For longitudes, the points can be just connected with a ruler (in most projections).
- For latitudes, I measured the distance of the line from the side of the paper in places where they crossed the longitudes and marked them on the map. Then I connected the points to one line with a flexible curve.
- If you like, write labels for the lines in the map. Longitudes can be anything you like, latitudes the same as in the atlas.

The result is a grid of a real projection, exact as in the surface of our earth. Of course, it's only a mock projection, but it looks good. If the depicted area is large, you have to take different distortions into considerstion to keep it realistic.

The flexible curve is a rubber-coated bending ruler, which stays in its position once it's bent. I found it from a local art supply shop without knowing before that I would need it. A good find.

[Meton]

All right, it seems it has been six months since I posted anything to this thread. But that doesn't mean I had stopped working with this map, quite the contrary. I've been adding names slowly and finally, after 16 months of making, from which 11 months of just lettering, the map is ready for colouring! All the labels are now added.

scan 1.2.2019 1700.png

So, a small recap of the map:
- Depicts a fictional country of Magran, based on some continental maps I made several years ago
- Completely hand drawn with pens on paper, including labels
- Labels written with six different invented languages
- About 30 x 35 cm (12" x 14")

The lettering was quite an enormous project. Well, I have to say that there were many long breaks when I didn't do anything to this map, and I have also spend some time in the meanwhile drawing other maps and testing colours for this map. However it's done now. Ever since I begun writing the labels I marked them also to separate list, so I could count them and keep some tracking. First I thought there would be about 400 - 500 labels but I was very wrong, the final amount was 950. About three quarters of the labels are for the cities, towns and villages and rest for natural features and regions. If someone is interested in details, I might edit some more info about the names later.

So, I have been also doing a lot of testing with the colours, I mean a lot. It has taken more time than actual drawing lately. I thought for a long time that I would colour this with Koi watercolour brush pens. But the more I used them, the more I realised that firstly I wasn't happy with the evenness of the colours and secondly the colour schemes I could get were not satisfying. So after going back and forth I decided to switch to copic pens. But then I had to find the right colours with then, which was also frustrating. I have a good art supply shop near where I live, but there's only Copic Ciao pens and not even all of them. I like to test the pens in the shop, but then again I couldn't decide anything because I knew there would be more options for colours available. So I bought some more pens from the web, but even with them I wasn't satisfied, so I had to go to a big art supply shop when visiting Helsinki, because there are all copic colours available. And finally I found the scheme I was looking for, from colours I couldn't have known without testing. Whoah. So now everything is ready for finishing the map with colours! (And I also have a ridiculous amount of Copics with different shades of green. They were not very cheap but I'm sure there will be use for them later.)

Here's also a test map I made, this map has the colours I will be using in the map. It's really difficult to get the colours look the same in the picture as in the paper but I think this is quite close. The scheme is quite pale, but it's close to the 1950's atlases from which I have taken the most inspiration to this map.

Magran_colours2.jpg

I hope I will get the map finished until the end of March.

Feel free to give any comments or thoughts you have!

[Veldrin]

Ok so... I'm pretty sure now that you're really crazy !
Your map is wonderfull. I can guess how long it's been to draw every single line... But the result is fantastic. There's a crazy amount of details, different styles in lining, and this huge bunch of names... But I trust you when you say that the worst was to write all the names. Again, you're as crazy as the drawing is good ^^ I'm particularly fan of level line maps, so I'm not really objective. But congratulations anyway !
Also, your colour palette on the second little map appears very well chosen. It reflects exactly this atlas flavor you speak about. Besides the colour is homogeneous, which is pretty hard to get on paper.

I'm blazed we cannot see it in a better resolution (because of the scan, which is the recurrent problem with handmade drawings), but I'll keep following this thread with the highest interest.

[Rubikia]

This is absolutely incredible ! So much detail and so many names ! I especially like the coastlines, coastlines and how you’ve pictured true larger cities Have to agree with Veldrin about the colours, they hit the nail on the head for that atlas style, and I personally love it
Keep up the great work

[Meton]

Ok so... I'm pretty sure now that you're really crazy !
Your map is wonderfull. I can guess how long it's been to draw every single line... But the result is fantastic. There's a crazy amount of details, different styles in lining, and this huge bunch of names... But I trust you when you say that the worst was to write all the names. Again, you're as crazy as the drawing is good ^^ I'm particularly fan of level line maps, so I'm not really objective. But congratulations anyway !
Also, your colour palette on the second little map appears very well chosen. It reflects exactly this atlas flavor you speak about. Besides the colour is homogeneous, which is pretty hard to get on paper.

This is absolutely incredible ! So much detail and so many names ! I especially like the coastlines, coastlines and how you’ve pictured true larger cities Have to agree with Veldrin about the colours, they hit the nail on the head for that atlas style, and I personally love it
Keep up the great work

Thank you Veldrin and Rubikia! I guess I might be little crazy... But thank you, it seems the work was worth something! I think the worst thing about the labeling was that it was so slow, a lot of patience was needed. It's great you both think that the colours are good! Helps me to be sure that the search for perfect colours is over now.

I'm blazed we cannot see it in a better resolution (because of the scan, which is the recurrent problem with handmade drawings), but I'll keep following this thread with the highest interest.

Well, I have to admit that I resized the scan quite much for the forum. Maybe a bit too much. I attached a small part of the original scan, so you can see some details. I has about the same pixels as the earlier scan of the entire map.

[Meton]

Al right, this map is reaching the end so I think I should post some updates a bit more often!

I started the colouring of the map and it's coming along nicely. It's great to see how the map transforms to a real map-looking map (if you know what I mean). When drawing maps by hand, the colour is the last thing to add, so it's a bit surprise how it will look in the end. But for now I'm happy how it's becoming. Over half of the land areas are now coloured.

Attached are a straight forward picture of the map from today, and an oblique view from yesterday.

The colouring is both fast and slow, I've used three days now to it and this is the situation. It's hard work, I have to say.

There has been some issues with the Copic pens I've used. It seems that when you use the same pen for a long time in one go, the ink concentrates to the bottom and the colour gets darker. This was a surprise to me, and I have to say I'm a bit dissappointed. Luckily the differences are quite small and they are not so easy to see. Have any one of you noticed this same problem with Copics?

[Naima]

Very nice and detailed, ,it looks almoust real.

[Veldrin]

Yes I noticed some differences (for instance the orange-brown colour on the moutains is darker on the two isles on the right than on the continent on the left), but in overall it is not chocking.
All my apologies for the first comments I posted in this thread, arguing that it'll be very difficult to come up with such level lines map by hand by the way. You're doing a really handsome job. Congratulations, again

[Meton]

Yes I noticed some differences (for instance the orange-brown colour on the moutains is darker on the two isles on the right than on the continent on the left), but in overall it is not chocking.
All my apologies for the first comments I posted in this thread, arguing that it'll be very difficult to come up with such level lines map by hand by the way. You're doing a really handsome job. Congratulations, again

Oh, I forgot to say that the colour differences seen in the picture are due to the bad light conditions when I took the picture. The picture was taken by a window, and there were more light on the left side. In reality the colour difference is not at all that big, fortunately.

Hah, you don't have to apologize that! I remember well your words back then I and I think you set me a really good challenge with that. Partly because of what you said I have tried to make the as good and detailed as I can possibly get. So thank you

[Diamond]

Holy cow, you are a madman. This is purely amazing to me. I'm with Naima, it does look almost real. Great job.