Laying Down the Foundation
Added 2017-06-19 18:00:01 +0000 UTCClick here to return to the course index
When starting a map, I like to lay down some grid lines even if I don’t use them in the final image. They’re there to give me a sense of size & distance for the land I’m creating. To best illustrate this point, the image below is just the coastlines of a map I’ve started:
SEE ATTACHMENT: Lines Sample 1 (below)
You have no idea if this is a set of islands or continents. So I add a few lines and…
SEE ATTACHMENT: Lines Sample 2 (below)
suddenly you get the impression that these are islands. I’d make larger features on this map to emphasize that this is a closeup view of a set of islands.
However, if I add even more lines…
SEE ATTACHMENT: Lines Sample 3 (below)
We go from islands to continents and I would remember to put much smaller features on this map. Little tricks like this gives the viewer the illusion of size that you’re intending or, at the very least, reminds you of how large/small you need to make your map’s features in order to convey a world or a cluster of islands.
OPTIONAL EXERCISE: Before going on to the next lesson, decide if you want to make a regional or world map as your practice map for this course. Choose the grid size accordingly and plot it on your paper in pencil.
