THE LEARNING ARCHIVES
Whether you're creating maps for a novel, rpg, or just for fun, this collection of tutorials and map tips will help you create more professional and believable maps for your story!
How to Draw Stone Pillars
If you enjoy finding inspiration for your stories from real-world locations, then look no further than the stone pillars of Wulingyuan, China. These impressive monoliths are one of the most iconic locations in the world; with their unusual shape, covered with trees that somehow manage to grow hundreds of feet in the air like a natural hanging garden. In fact, the movie Avatar pulled inspiration from this location when creating the world of Pandora! But the real question is, how do you draw something like that on your fantasy map? In this tutorial, I’ll break down the process so you can add these iconic features to the world you’re crafting.
How to Draw a Mountain Lake
It’s one thing to draw a lake in a nice open region, but how can you realistically draw it tucked into the mountains? In this map tip, we’ll look into how a lake forms, and then help you to learn how to draw one on your fantasy maps!
How to Draw a Volcanic Eruption
It’s one thing to draw a dormant volcano, but how about one that’s erupting? In the previous tutorial, we walked through How to Draw a Volcano on Your Fantasy Maps, but now let’s make it a bit more dynamic so it can be a real focal point for your worldbuilding.
How to Draw a Volcano
Volcanoes are one of the most dramatic features you could include on your fantasy maps, not only for their destructive power but also for their unique beauty. It’s not surprising many historical cultures viewed them as a place to commune or appease their deity. Adding a volcano to your maps can open up many storytelling possibilities, but how do you go about drawing one? In this tutorial, I will break down my process so you can start mapping!
Where to Draw Marshes on Fantasy Maps?
There are so many ways you can utilize marshes in your worldbuilding and storytelling. They can be a place of great abundance and biodiversity, or they can be somewhere filled with foreboding and danger. Either way, it’s important to understand how they actually form in order to place them on your map.
Where to Place Rivers on Your Fantasy Maps
Rivers are likely an essential feature for the fantasy world you’re creating. Water is vital for life as we know it, not only for survival but transportation or trade. Understanding where to place them on a map is challenging if you don't want it to appear arbitrary. But if you grasp how water moves through a landscape, it will go a long way toward creating a sense of realism for your maps and worldbuilding.
Plateaus, Mesas, & Buttes - What’s The Difference?
Plateaus, mesas, and buttes can look very similar and it can be a challenge to know the difference. Things become even more confusing when you listen to the average person describe these cliff formations, because they’ll often use the names interchangeably. So how can you tell the difference so you know what to name them on your fantasy map? Much of it comes down to the overall size, but there are a couple other things simple things to keep in mind which will help you distinguish them.
How Does an Oasis Form in a Desert?
How does something as lush as an oasis form in a place like a desert? At first glance it may not make sense, but knowing a few simple principles can go a long way in helping you know where to place an oasis on your fantasy maps. It’s little pieces of information on how geology works in the real world that can add a whole new layer of depth and realism to your worldbuilding.