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How to Make Hand-Drawn Maps: A Creative Guide with Tips, Tricks, and Projects
With wonderful examples and easy-to-follow instructions, this beautifully illustrated how-to book makes it simple and fun to create one-of-a-kind hand-drawn maps. Helpful templates, grids, and guidelines complement a detailed breakdown of essential cartographic elements and profiles of talented international map artists. From city maps and family trees to treasure maps, palmistry charts, platformgame maps, and more, the wide range of projects collected here will satisfy first-time cartographers as well as veteran mapmakers inspired by the popular map art trend.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 22, 2018
73 people are currently reading
245 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 26, 2018
Obviously, I loved it.
July 23, 2018
THIS is the book on mapmaking that I was looking for. No technology, no bells and whistles, just you, a pen (and paints or whatever) and a place/idea/route to map.
The author does a fair job of giving an overview of historical map styles, as well. (It's not overly in depth, but there are other books for that. This is more of a *make your own map* than a *here's everything we know about maps* type of book.)
I got this from my local library's online service, and half way through, after having to stop several times to draw a few things, went to Amazon and ordered a physical copy. It's that good.
Highly recommended for people who want to make illustrated maps, but don't want to have to futz around with Illustrator to do so.
The author does a fair job of giving an overview of historical map styles, as well. (It's not overly in depth, but there are other books for that. This is more of a *make your own map* than a *here's everything we know about maps* type of book.)
I got this from my local library's online service, and half way through, after having to stop several times to draw a few things, went to Amazon and ordered a physical copy. It's that good.
Highly recommended for people who want to make illustrated maps, but don't want to have to futz around with Illustrator to do so.
January 23, 2019
I have a fascination for maps so was excited to read Helen Cann's book: How to Make Hand-Drawn Maps. As Cann says: "Hand-drawn maps are a perfect means of providing directions, remembering your travels, or simply expressing yourself." And she has created some amazing ones!
To become a mapmaker, Cann says, you need to know how to create compass roses, cartouches, and symbols. She begins the book with these basic tools and gives detailed instructions for creating them.
A compass rose helps a map user orient themselves so they can navigate from any point. They show the four cardinal directions of north, south, east and west. Cann provides instructions for drawing a basic compass rose as well as some directions for hand-lettering.
"Cartouches are the often decorative panels that you see on many traditional maps, informing the viewer of the map's location, the name of its creator, and the date it was drawn," Cann says. Her example is a crown used to represent Queens in New York City. There are cartouche templates in the back of the book for readers to create their own.
All of Cann's maps are beautifully illustrated and in full color. There are also guest illustrators included in the book such as Tilly, an illustrator based in Brighton, England. Her map example is of La Paz in Bolivia, in vivid red, yellow and green.
Text maps are a type of map that describe the features of a place using words and symbols and axonometric maps are maps drawn in 3-D. They're useful for showing a broad sweep of a landscape from above, as Cann points out. Paper is included in the templates section of the book for readers to try their hand at an axonometric map. There's also graph paper for drawing an architectural map for the plan of a building.
Ribbon maps "are a way of mapping the path of a journey while leaving out any surrounding areas or extraneous information." Cann's example is of a walk in Paris. "The earliest ribbon maps can be found drawn on the bottom of ancient Egyptian coffins, showing the deceased the way to the afterlife," Cann writes. The history Cann provides of various types of maps is a particularly interesting aspect of the book.
"Maps of Ideas" include phrenology maps, palmistry maps, body maps, and maps of movies and fiction. Cann's example of a movie map is of the plot of The Wizard of Oz. "Each plot point is shown in circles, which are color-coded to symbolize various locations." It's a delight to see "The Journey of Dorothy Gale from Kansas to Oz and Back Again" in this visual form on paper.
For those wanting to create maps to share with others there are wedding maps that can be part of an invitation, Valentine's Day cards that include a map of one's heart, new address cards, and business cards with the location of one's business.
For something different in map folding there are instructions for the "Turkish map fold" also known as the "pop-out."
There are many delights in the book which is visually pleasing, full of the history of various types of maps, with clear directions for creating your own. The possibilities are endless!
by Mary Ann Moore
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
To become a mapmaker, Cann says, you need to know how to create compass roses, cartouches, and symbols. She begins the book with these basic tools and gives detailed instructions for creating them.
A compass rose helps a map user orient themselves so they can navigate from any point. They show the four cardinal directions of north, south, east and west. Cann provides instructions for drawing a basic compass rose as well as some directions for hand-lettering.
"Cartouches are the often decorative panels that you see on many traditional maps, informing the viewer of the map's location, the name of its creator, and the date it was drawn," Cann says. Her example is a crown used to represent Queens in New York City. There are cartouche templates in the back of the book for readers to create their own.
All of Cann's maps are beautifully illustrated and in full color. There are also guest illustrators included in the book such as Tilly, an illustrator based in Brighton, England. Her map example is of La Paz in Bolivia, in vivid red, yellow and green.
Text maps are a type of map that describe the features of a place using words and symbols and axonometric maps are maps drawn in 3-D. They're useful for showing a broad sweep of a landscape from above, as Cann points out. Paper is included in the templates section of the book for readers to try their hand at an axonometric map. There's also graph paper for drawing an architectural map for the plan of a building.
Ribbon maps "are a way of mapping the path of a journey while leaving out any surrounding areas or extraneous information." Cann's example is of a walk in Paris. "The earliest ribbon maps can be found drawn on the bottom of ancient Egyptian coffins, showing the deceased the way to the afterlife," Cann writes. The history Cann provides of various types of maps is a particularly interesting aspect of the book.
"Maps of Ideas" include phrenology maps, palmistry maps, body maps, and maps of movies and fiction. Cann's example of a movie map is of the plot of The Wizard of Oz. "Each plot point is shown in circles, which are color-coded to symbolize various locations." It's a delight to see "The Journey of Dorothy Gale from Kansas to Oz and Back Again" in this visual form on paper.
For those wanting to create maps to share with others there are wedding maps that can be part of an invitation, Valentine's Day cards that include a map of one's heart, new address cards, and business cards with the location of one's business.
For something different in map folding there are instructions for the "Turkish map fold" also known as the "pop-out."
There are many delights in the book which is visually pleasing, full of the history of various types of maps, with clear directions for creating your own. The possibilities are endless!
by Mary Ann Moore
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
February 5, 2020
Fantastic book with some many gorgeous examples and instructions - plus blank graph paper and more in the back! So glad I bought a copy. Will be using this extensively.
January 21, 2020
"How to Make Hand-Drawn Maps" by Helen Cann is an excellent guide if you wish to create simple journey, mind, system, and nature maps. She provides numerous examples, and templates that readers can copy and use to create their own versions.
My only disappointment with the book is that Ms. Cann also names several people who have created maps, and provides the name of the map, but does not provide an Internet link or the actual map. For example "Liam Robert's illustrated map 'The Tree of Brixton Pubs and Cafes', created in 2012 shows a stylized tree growing from the banks of the River Thames in London." (page 72). I want to see that map. Alas! I shall need to do an Internet search to see if I can find it.
Nonetheless this book will supplement well my upcoming workshop on using maps when nature journaling.
My only disappointment with the book is that Ms. Cann also names several people who have created maps, and provides the name of the map, but does not provide an Internet link or the actual map. For example "Liam Robert's illustrated map 'The Tree of Brixton Pubs and Cafes', created in 2012 shows a stylized tree growing from the banks of the River Thames in London." (page 72). I want to see that map. Alas! I shall need to do an Internet search to see if I can find it.
Nonetheless this book will supplement well my upcoming workshop on using maps when nature journaling.
February 15, 2024
I borrowed this book from friend as a source of inspiration for art journalling/wellbeing. I ended up reading it in just a few days! It is one of the most beautifully illustrated and informative books I have encountered. I had never thought to pick up or buy a book on cartology, just because it was never an obvious subject to explore in my own creative fields and endeavours. However, after reading this beauty, I really want to explore the map making ideas and also expand upon them in my own creative fields. This book is a great ideas prompter for sure! I will be giving the book back in a few days, but I have ordered my own copy as I have to own it as it's a book where you can open the page and be instantly inspired. Applauds to the author, Helen Cann.
January 5, 2021
This book is beautiful and inspirational. I wish I had more artistic talent, but this inspires me to create my own hand-drawn maps, however unprofessional, of my travels. I have a great fascination with maps, and this book covers every sort of map imaginable, from architectural to negative space, to tree maps, mind maps and transit maps. I especially loved the annotated maps, which show not only geographic features but narratives about the experience as well. This will definitely be my cup of tea! I hope to incorporate these map ideas into my travel journals in the future.
October 18, 2022
I’ve collected many books on maps, and this is exactly the book I’ve been looking for. Just the right balance of techniques, examples, information about maps and map making, Artist spotlights and going well beyond traditional cartographic maps to consider other elements of our real and imagined worlds that can be mapped. Beautifully illustrated and presented. I’m a new fan of Helen Cann.
October 3, 2019
Liked it! I wish there were images of the maps she references of the other artists. I could have (and may) look them up in my phone but that pulls me away from being immersed in the book experience. Will be nice to have in my collection for reference.
February 24, 2020
Inspiring!
January 5, 2021
I read this in digital version on Hoopla - the images were wonderful. Some great ideas and clear instructions.
February 11, 2021
The maps in this book are beautiful!
July 20, 2021
Excellent overview and how-to for making hand drawn maps. I did wish that there were images of some of the other maps the author mentions in the text. Overall, very inspiring!
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January 27, 2022 "Locations are always more than the sum of their geographical features."
January 8, 2019
What a fun book! You can explore various types of maps that a creative person may want to design. Author Helen Cann provides examples and clear directions for making hand-drawn maps for personal use, like a family tree, geographic maps for a book, or travel map journals. If you like adult coloring books, this might be a good next step for you to further explore your creative side.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews