Fictional mapmaking: turning Erewhon into Somewhere

Map artists need two things from an author: a list of all the names and places that are going to be on the map and a rough draft of the map itself. Some of those roughs are turned in on anything from scraps of paper to napkins, but others, says Davies, are clearly planned out.

“Most authors do have a rough sketch of their world, if for their own reference,” said Paul. “I’ve gotten very rough sketches, where just the names of the countries have been placed on a paper, showing their location to each other, to more detailed drawings.”

From top left, clockwise: Author sketch of the map for  Alex Marshall’s A Crown for Cold Silver. Tim Paul’s in-progress map. The final map.

Occasionally, but not often, mapmakers get to read a copy of the book. This was the case for Paul, who had a chance to read Wake of Vultures by Lila Brown before making the map (the Wake of Vultures map is currently his favorite).

“I really wanted to make a map that could easily be an artifact from the world of the book,” he said. “I came up with the idea that the map could be a page ripped from an atlas, and someone had written notes on it. Both Lauren and the author liked this idea. I then got to stick in a couple of little details that only a few people will get. I love stuff like that.”

Map for Wake of Vultures by Tim Paul

Both Paul and Davies usually begin drafting their maps by hand. Davies works by hand before turning to Photoshop to clean things up, fine-tune his work and add old paper textures to the finished product (he uses different textures for the land, the sea, etc.). For Paul, who uses a Cintiq touchscreen, working by hand also means he’s working electronically.

“Once the information is processed, and I start, the process is pretty much the same for each map,” said Paul. “I draw a rough pencil, and place all the names, and other map elements, such as grids, compass roses, cartouches, and borders. I’m just going for placement and accuracy.”

The maps also have to be tweaked so that they fit on the page.

“If it’s a double page map consider that there needs to be a clear space down the middle for the gutter,” said Davies. “You can’t have any crucial towns or details fall into the gutter.”