How to color map?

[mapmage]

I'm relatively new to cartography, so can anybody tell me how you color your maps? I know most people color it in digitally, and if so, are there any free (or relatively cheap) programs for inserting color into your map?

[mazdoc]

Digital:
You can go with either GIMP (Free) or Corel's Paint Shop Pro (Paid). You can find a lot of textures for free to use in your maps. Layer blending modes is your best friend.
essentially you create a new layer, add the color/texture, mask away what you don't need and then change the blending mode to overlay or color. (Experiment with the modes a bit).

Real life:
Watercolor is the best. It has relative transparency so your inking will not disappear beneath all the paint. Acrylics are pretty useful too but you have to thin them down.
Keep in mind lightfastness if you're choosing paints and your artwork will be displayed. Natural light has a bad habit of breaking down some pigments. When choosing watercolor paints always go for artist grade (They have the lightfastness grading on each tube) such as Sennelier, Windsor and Newton, or Magellan to name a few.

[mapmage]

I'm gonna have to write this down. Thanks! I tried watercolor on my most recent map, but it looked really lame.

[Tiana]

I'm gonna have to write this down. Thanks! I tried watercolor on my most recent map, but it looked really lame.

Yeah, but that was just because of your skill level and not the material. Watercolor is a good choice. You just want a heavy weight paper, decent watercolor pigments, and a few different sizes of brushes for good results. And patience. And experimenting because you will get it wrong.

Digitally, put a texture underneath your scanned lineart, set the lineart layer to 'multiply' for a very easy basic beginners coloring technique. 'Multiply' will filter out the white from your scan.

[Adfor]

Colored pencils are worth a mention, they take a bit of finesse to get used to, as pressure applied makes a world of difference, but they can create solid results, and generally don't cover ink. They're not as whimsical as watercolor, though they can be, depending on how you use them. I like them for the precision, as opposed to the sloppy feel of watercolors/acrylics, but it's all up to your preference of medium and style. Try them all and see what speaks most to you.

I've dabbled in digital fabrication in my teenage years, but not since then, hopefully I can take up those reigns when I get my hands on a laptop eventually. Until then I'm not well versed enough to provide guidance outside of traditional methods.

[mazdoc]

There are watercolor pencils if you want. It makes it easier.
Also Like Tiana mentioned up above, the weight and quality of the paper is very important. Watercolor paper should be 100% cotton, at least 220 gsm (grams per square meter).

[mapmage]

Thanks, guys! I'll definitely use one of those methods. This is really helpful!