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The Sunlit Hearth: How to Create Good Fantasy Maps
Sunfire
CONTENTS
The Premise
Even though avid fans of fantasy love a good story and an equally impressive world, they want to see what it looks like. They want to see the various landmasses, locations of cities and strongholds, geographic features like rivers and mountains which is why many stories come with maps. Thus, it’s important to create truly good fantasy maps that captivate the imagination.
There are several rule of thumbs when it comes to drafting memorable maps. One is to make them easy to read. Having maps that clearly communicate the information your audience needs to know is key to success. You want them to have an easy time and not be frustrated of making sense of what goes where.
All good fantasy maps are consistent in terms of scale. This is a crucial detail to get right since the scale dictates how far one location is to another. Some maps have the wrong scale which leads to incorrect assumptions that throw the viewer off-kilter and makes them not enjoy the story as much as he could.
Don’t overlook the importance of making visually appealing maps. Many creators go for a hand-drawn look or dabble in color to make key areas stand out. People like maps that draw their eyes to key locations in the world and make them want to explore every nook and cranny, even looking at remote places far off the beaten path.
This is article number five in The Sunlit Hearth series. For more, take a gander at our blog page where there’s a scintilla of articles just waiting to be read!
Good Fantasy Maps are Easy to Read
Whether it’s a video game, novel, or graphic novel, it comes with a companion map. This enables viewers to see what the world the plot takes place in looks like. They are treated to landmasses, islands, rivers, volcanoes, and so on. This helps them make sense of what goes where, thereby letting them grasp where the characters are in the world.
One aspect that distinguishes good fantasy maps from bad ones is that they are easy to read. Everything is presented in a clear, concise format that effectively communicates all the vital information people need to know when seeing them for the first time. This includes symbols, shapes, and descriptors that succinctly explain them. They are nestled in a spot that doesn’t deter from the image, usually tucked away in a corner.
Another key component of good fantasy maps is having a compass point. People want to know how people in the world perceive directions since they need to be able to know where they’re going. This is especially valid when it comes to the story since they’ll be journeying alongside the protagonist as he goes from land to land and city to city.
There are different types of maps. Most, if not all, show the whole world in one image. Some are more local, focusing on one city or another. Should you draw such a map, perhaps for a city that plays a significant role in the plot, it is imperative that it be easy to understand and follow. Locations make sense and the geographic features like rivers that appear are in spots where they fit in just right. Even though it might be fantasy, it nevertheless still needs to adhere to conventional mapmaking rules since people need to understand what they’re seeing.
When working on your map for the first time, do an outline before starting the final version. This helps you jot down all the key locations of your world and how they stand in position of each other. You can do this by hand, drawing on a paper, or in an application like Photoshop. You don’t have to do just one outline, you can do as many as you need to. You can always make changes before moving onto the final version. The objective is to create a map that everyone can easily follow and make sense of.
The Scale of Good Fantasy Maps
Another essential ingredient that go into crafting good fantasy maps is having a consistent scale. This means that wherever you look, it has the same layer of consistency as the rest of the map. This matters far more than you think it does.
Why should you, an aspiring fantasy creator, care about the scale of a map? For starters, it provides information about how far one place is to another. For instance, say in your story, you proclaim that one city is about fifty miles from the capital and yet when you draw the map, the scale you use makes it seem like at least double that distance.
Having inconsistencies in your story and map makes it seem like the work of an amateur or at least someone who doesn’t really seem to pay attention to the small details. If you want people to take you seriously, work to synchronize them. Everyone recognizes people make mistakes sometimes but mistakes like this can affect you negatively if you don’t immediately take care of it.
Good fantasy maps don’t just highlight the positions of locations in regard to each other, they showcase the paths that link them. They help your audience understand how people get to these places and using the right scale also shows how long it’ll take them to reach their destination using whichever means of transportation they’re using, whether it’s their feet, horses, or something else. People and animals can only travel so far in one day before they need to stop and rest to recharge for the next leg of their journey.
While applying the scale everyone evenly is important, don’t forget to take into account hazardous conditions and environments. These two elements will slow down people’s ability to travel. For instance, crossing the mountains in winter means people won’t be able to move as far as they could on the plains or people stop traveling when they see a vicious storm heading their way. In terms of the story, they’ll certainly affect how long it takes for your characters to make it to their destination.
Good Fantasy Maps are Visually Interesting
People aren’t interested in looking at ordinary, mundane maps. They want to see something that grabs their attention, something that draws their eye, and fantasy maps are no exception. It’s up to you to come up with one that generates their interest and there are ways you can go about it to achieve success.
Two popular methods are to either hand-draw it or use colors. Using the former hearkens back to simpler times when people actually drew maps by hand. While hand-drawing is certainly popular, it has been overtaken by those awash in color. Colored maps make it easy for people to make out what is what. For example, blue is used to denote water, green for land, and so on.
Good fantasy maps also have visually distinct text that are interesting to read. There are many different typographies out there that can be used to create text that stand out but are clear to read. The best creators use those that fit the vibe of the period of the world the story takes place in.
Besides text, symbols are a powerful tool to have at your disposal when it comes to maps. They denote places of interest such as cities, rivers, and so forth. Using various shapes and sizes breaks up the monotony and adds a dynamic flavor to maps. For instance, using a triangle-based shape with a hole at the top to illustrate a volcano is more intriguing than merely using a dot for the same thing. Whatever shapes and symbols you jot down in your map, be sure to put them in the legend area with a descriptor so that those who view it understand what they’re seeing.
If used correctly, good fantasy maps can heighten people’s interest in a world and its story since they provide information that isn’t readily apparent in said plot. Moreover, it enables people to see what the world looks like and how different parts are connected to each other whether it be by road or river. Creating a visually interesting map might be hard work but the result will be worth it, for you’d have made something that makes people curious to pore over!
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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
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