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Tips for Students: Drawing Fantasy Maps

Gifted Resources

The following article expands on highlights and insights from one of our Expert Series events, which are exclusive for Young Scholars and their parents. 

Authored by: Wes Jones

Summary

There is something intrinsically appealing about maps. Maps can show us where things are in space, and how we relate to those things. They also show us geographies of all scales, from continents to backyards. The only thing distinguishing fantasy maps from real-world maps is that fantasy maps present imaginary worlds. Fantasy maps have the same power to connect us to place and space. They make a situation feel real and help the reader engage in more tangible ways.

Fantasy maps have long been used in stories. Often, the map is remembered more than the story itself. Fantasy maps appear in books, movies, television shows, video games, role playing games, board games, and more. This session will explore a few classic fantasy maps and explain how you can create your own. It will also include a drawing lesson with easy-to-follow steps that will serve as the foundation for your own mapmaking journey.

Tips

  1. You will learn fantasy map history.
  2. You will learn how to draw your own fantasy map.
  3. You will learn basic drawing principles.

Things students can do to explore this topic further

Fantasy maps are at the crossroads of cartography and art. Studying both disciplines is a great way to expand your knowledge. Look at old maps, current maps, and then more old historic maps. Then, analyze fantasy maps. Examine the art and see how the fantasy map borrows concepts from cartography. Next, study art. Look at works that you really admire. Seek out how-to draw and paint books. A great fantasy map is a great piece of art. The better you are at both cartography and art, the better your fantasy maps will be.

Read books with maps in them. Ask yourself why The Hobbit and Winnie the Pooh are better because they have a map.

Finally, draw fantasy maps for your own created worlds. Draw maps for stories you like that do not have maps. The more maps you draw the better.

Resources

Books

Fantasy Mapping: Drawing Worlds by Wesley Jones

Fantasy Mapping: Drawing Realms and Kingdoms by Wesley Jones

Map Collections Online

David Rumsey Map Collectionhttps://www.davidrumsey.com/

Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/maps/collections/

 

Speaker Bio:

Wes Jones is a cartographer, author, illustrator, and fantasy map artist. He studied geography and history in his  hometown at the University of Calgary. Later, he specialized in cartography at the Nova Scotia Community College: Centre of Geographic Sciences. He currently resides in Redlands, California.

Wes has contributed to a variety of books focused on cartography and geography, including “Cartography.” and “The Locators: Adventure in” children’s book series. He has also written and illustrated several other books and comics.
Most recently, Wes wrote and illustrated a fantasy map drawing book entitled “Fantasy Mapping: Drawing Realms and Kingdoms”.

 

Permission Statement

This article is provided as a service of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted young people 18 and under. To learn more about the Davidson Institute’s programs, please visit www.DavidsonGifted.org.

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