How to Draw a Town Plan

If yous've always wanted to draw a map, this is the post for you. But please don't go if you've never considered map-making! This is one of those things anyone can draw. Plus, it'southward pretty therapeutic.

I've developed a strange obsession with cartography over the years and I thought I'd show you how I describe my maps, starting with the easy stuff. Of class, there are many dissimilar ways to do this. Probably cleaner ones too. I like the organic and not-so-perfect way of drawing a map, so about of this is freehand. If you don't like that, experience free to use your ruler. 🙂

The map I'm sharing with you today is incomplete – I'm planning on spreading it over four or vi pages, then framing them separately to hang on the wall. I'll snap a pic for you lot when all of information technology is washed. 🙂

I drew inspiration for this map from Roicester, the majuscule of Aelland, where The Physician's Apprentice is set. Roicester isn't fatigued to perfect scale, similar my world map is, but this is for personal employ and won't be included in whatever novel.

OK. Before you beginning, you'll need a basic idea of how your city should wait. Take some time to decide which of import landmarks to include and where your most of import roads should exist. Written report some aerial maps for ideas hither. When I started mapping, I looked at many maps of ancient Europe, or those fatigued by fantasy cartographers.

If you want to include your map in your novel, or the game you're working on, scale becomes important, then consider that. It's likewise a good idea to continue track of where north is, which roads will enter/exit your city and if nature will influence the city's layout. For example, cities built next to rivers or mountains will follow the bend of the natural landmark. Few cities are built to ascension with the mountain slope, most will remain in the valley beneath.

Roicester isn't congenital near any major rivers, forests or mountains, so that simplifies my design.

You'll need newspaper and drawing supplies. If that's not your loving cup of tea, become digital. I've as well made some digital maps and volition include examples at the end of the mail.

The first thing to practise is plot out where your major roads or rail volition run. For Roicester, I wanted a simplified design. It's a pocket-sized, overcrowded city with highly functional railways, then I figured a few, straightforward main ways would be perfect.

I'm sorry the lines are so tiresome, I didn't desire to depict them too dark, since they're but guides. I also drew them wider than the final design will be, so I accept some room to change if needed.

The last matter I included is a tiny n-marker. It's barely visible, just is in the upper-right corner.

Next, you want to place important structures and landmarks. Keep in heed that main roads or track volition often lead to these places, then include that in your layout.

Let the fun commence. Option a place to starting time and draw small shapes with gaps between them. The gaps become streets and the shapes represent city blocks.

To shift the focus from blocks to streets, depict your shapes bigger, so the smaller roads autumn abroad and the more important ones are emphasised (I did this with the 2 digital maps at the lesser of the post). On the flipside, you could get micro and draw in every individual house or edifice. Whatever floats your boat.

Endeavour to keep your shapes organic, and proceed rail roads. You don't want a city with the same foursquare blocks and straight streets, because it becomes too monotonous (except, of course, if that's exactly what yous're going for). Usually, existent cities will be meticulous at the place of origin, with straighter streets and more than defined blocks, but will continue to develop at random. This means foreign expressionless ends, circles and parts that make no sense.

If y'all written report maps of old Rome, versus how information technology looks today, you'll see this thought in reality. Even where the urban center may accept been planned out earlier, renovations and extras will modify the original shape of a city. Plus, buildings will pop upward around landmarks. Vendors volition come and go well-nigh tourist attractions, simply these parts will always be more crowded than the residential areas.

Keep going until you reach the fringe of your city. The border should be irregular, existent cities aren't developed in a perfect shape. More people will remain close to the highways or railroads, while fewer volition stay on the outskirts, especially farther from the roads. These will interpret every bit land areas on your map.

From there on, it's much of the same – which is why I said drawing a map is therapeutic. I've been working on this map for well-nigh five hours while watching Tv, and this following picture show shows my progress. This is an A3 size paper, by the way.

I added some fragments to the outskirts and shaded some of the blocks darker than others.

In that location'due south naught perfect nigh this map, but I think that's what makes information technology more realistic. I like the hand-drawn quality. In fact, I can picture one of my characters, Lance, drawing this map in one of his lessons with Md El-Amin. His fingers are muddied and his tongue pokes from the corner of his rima oris, brow furrowed in concentration.

My digital maps are cleaner. Equally I mentioned earlier, the blocks are drawn much larger then the map represents the more important roads instead of little details.

Acquire from my mistakes and pick a font that's easier to read. 🙂 This one is all fancy-similar, just nobody knows what the hell is written at that place. Again, look at other maps for inspiration.

And that's all I have to say almost maps, for now. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by.

Yolandie

olsonmdlisives.blogspot.com

Source: https://yolandiehorak.com/2017/07/19/simple-city-map/