How to Draw Mountain Lakes
Lakes can be a great feature to include on your fantasy map as they become a focal point of the landscape where villages can pop up, or where commerce can flourish. But, how do you draw one tucked within the mountains and get the right perspective? In this drawing tutorial I’ll walk you through my process so you can draw lakes of your own on your maps.
Pine Trees - How to Draw Conifers
Do you want to draw pine trees on your fantasy maps? Using a variety of trees is a great way to convey something about the environment in which your story is taking place. In this tutorial, I will walk you through each step so you can easily draw trees like this for your map.
Cliffs - How to Draw in Top Down Perspective
Want to make the terrain on your fantasy city map stand out? Then drawing cliffs is a simple way to add depth and visual interest to the terrain. In this drawing tutorial, I'll walk you through how to easily draw cliffs in a top-down perspective.
City Map Builder - Easily Map Your RPG
Learn how to use The City Map Builder to create maps for a city, village, or some other settlement that you can use in your next RPG campaign. If you love the classic hand-drawn style but feel intimidated about learning how to draw, this is a great option for you. With over 300 features, you will have everything you need to map amazing locations for your story that you can show off to your friends.
Create Dungeon Maps With a Hand-Drawn Style in a Few Easy Clicks
Do you want to create a classic hand-drawn dungeon map for your next rpg campaign, but you aren't very confident of your drawing skills? In this tutorial I'll walk you through how you can use the new Dungeon Map Builder by Map Effects to easily create a map for your dungeon environment with a few easy clicks and a bit of imagination!
How to Create Firelight on Dungeon Maps | Making Dynamic RPG Locations
In this map making tutorial I'll show you a simple method to add some dynamic lighting on your next dungeon map for your role playing campaign. This technique is a straightforward way to add some moody lighting to your map, and can be done in the drawing app of your choice.
4 Tips for Adding Place Names to Fantasy Maps
Struggling to make the place names on your fantasy map readable? Do you need to start over or is there something you can do about it? In this tutorial I'll walk you through some tips on how to clean up the place names on your map to make them easy to read, how to add them along a curve without Photoshop, and how to give your title some texture and interest.
Creating Continents on Fantasy Maps | Texture Brush Method + FREE Brush
Not sure where to begin drawing your fantasy map and how to overcome the dreaded blank page? In this video, I'll walk you through how I like to quickly block in shapes for my coastlines and continents using my Free Coastliner Brush.
Mountains Aren't Triangles! Simple Trick to Draw Better Mountains
Stop thinking about mountains as triangles! Here is a simple trick to improve the mountains you're drawing on your fantasy maps. With this simple shift in your thinking, the mountains you draw will instantly have a lot more depth and dimension.
How to Draw Rough Stone Walls for Your RPG Map
There are so many ways to draw walls for a dungeon map, but if you want something that looks like it’s hand-made from uncut stone then this is the technique for you. This is great if you’re creating a map of a tomb or a cultic site for your next rpg campaign; anywhere you want a setting that feels ancient and lost to time. In this tutorial, I’ll break down the process so you can draw rough stone walls on your next dungeon map.
Giving Depth to Coastlines - Making Your Coasts Stand Out
In this tutorial you'll learn how to make the coastlines on your fantasy maps pop with some simple details. Regardless of your artistic ability, this method is easy to learn, and you'll be able to start using it on your own maps right away.
How to Draw Jungles on Fantasy Maps
It's one thing to draw a forest on your fantasy map, but what if you want to draw a jungle on the same map but have them still look distinct? In this tutorial, I will walk you through a simple method to draw jungles in an organic, impressionist style that works great for regional maps.
How to Draw Forests on Fantasy Maps
In this tutorial, I'll walk you through one of my favorite methods for drawing forests on a fantasy map. This organic, impressionist style works great for world and regional maps for your RPG campaign or novel. Best of all, once you get a feel for it the technique is pretty simple to use, and much faster than some of the other methods for drawing trees.
How to Shade Oceans On Fantasy Maps
Let’s face it, on most fantasy maps the oceans are a bit neglected. It can be a challenge to make those large blank areas of your map interesting though so most of the time we resort to throwing in a compass, a few ships, and maybe a sea serpent.
While there’s nothing wrong with adding some ships, in this tutorial I want to show you how to give your oceans & seas a little more character. Not only will you get a nice painterly texture, but this method is also a great way to hint at the topography just below the water’s surface.
Easy Method for Shading Your Fantasy Maps
In this beginner-friendly tutorial, I’ll walk you through an extremely simple method for shading your map that I am confident anyone can do; regardless of your perceived artistic abilities.
Drawing Classic Mountains on your Fantasy Map
In this fantasy map making tutorial, I want to walk you through how to draw a more classic style of for drawing mountains like you would see on the map of Middle Earth for Lord of the Rings. Plus, my own spin on that classic style to create something a little more unique.
Easy Way to Add Unique Borders to Your Maps
In this video I want to walk you through how to quickly add a unique border to your fantasy maps in Procreate. For this tutorial we’ll be using the Egyptian Effects add-on for the Map Effects Fantasy Map Builder, but you’ll find different border brushes in the main fantasy map builders, and other History themed add-on packs.
Using The Fantasy Map Builder in Procreate
Do you want a classic hand-drawn fantasy map of your own, but don't have the time to teach yourself how to draw? With the Map Effects Fantasy Map Builder you can create fantasy maps of your own with just a few clicks and a bit of imagination. Whether you want a map for the fantasy book you’re writing or just want something to show off to your role playing buddies, this has you covered. In this quick walk through I'll show you some of the features included in the Map Builder, and how you can use it in the Procreate app for the Ipad. I hope you find this helpful and look forward to seeing the maps you create for your story.
Using The Fantasy Map Builder in Photoshop
Want to learn how to use The Map Effects Fantasy Map Builder to create a map that looks hand-drawn for your next novel or rpg campaign? In this tutorial I’ll walk you through the process I like to use in Photoshop so you can quickly create maps of your own! Anyone who has created a full map from start to finish knows it can easily take 40+ hours to draw each individual mountain, tree, and tuft of grass. But now you can create hand-illustrated maps in a fraction of the time; which means more time with your friends campaigning or writing.
How to Add Paper Textures in Photoshop
There is a better way to add paper textures to your fantasy maps in Photoshop and make them feel more realistic. There are a lot of ways you can do it but I find this method will give you the most control over the color and the final look of your map. If you want your maps to feel aged and like they have a history then paper textures can go a long way in tying everything together.