Mapping Techniques
- Thread starter Phowett
- Start date
Painfully
First Post
Aged documents:
Use parchment paper. It has a nice sturdiness to it and is appropriate for old-looking documents.
Use india ink (preferably from a bottle) and a calligraphy pen or fountain pen if you have one.
Don't mind a few drips and smears. Few people besides upper classmen, scholars and monks were overly concerned with style. Maps should also be drawn out with the pen.
You can carefully burn the edge of parchment with a lighter. I wouldn't recommend an oven, but perhaps a stove would be okay. Keep a bucket of water handy just in case!
Soaking and drying have already been mentioned. In addition to sun drying, you can always use a clothes iron as well.
Wax seals are an option if you're willing to spend the money. And a touch of perfume if it's a love letter, or fake blood stains if somebody was killed over it are a nice touch.
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As for maps:
I only take what I can print out on paper, so I don't do a lot of computer editing of maps. Maps are one thing I still prefer to do on paper. I wouldn't call it old-school, but it just takes too long to edit things on a computer and it doesn't take that much longer by hand.
True "final" quality maps are more easily decorated or flourished by hand as well. You just don't get much embellishment from software programs.
I use vellum (it's a professional tracing paper) to draw out the different layers of a complex. It is especially useful if you have a more vertical dungeon rather than a flat, level one.
For anybody looking for a mapping tutorial, the very end of the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide has a very good one for beginners. I would highly recommend it if you have the time and interest to make more professional looking maps.
Vellum is also very handy to quickly produce an accurate player's map if needed (usually any map the PC's buy from a store vendor are of accurate quality, otherwise I'll freehand or guestimate). Or you can alter premade maps easily with vellum as well.
Use parchment paper. It has a nice sturdiness to it and is appropriate for old-looking documents.
Use india ink (preferably from a bottle) and a calligraphy pen or fountain pen if you have one.
Don't mind a few drips and smears. Few people besides upper classmen, scholars and monks were overly concerned with style. Maps should also be drawn out with the pen.
You can carefully burn the edge of parchment with a lighter. I wouldn't recommend an oven, but perhaps a stove would be okay. Keep a bucket of water handy just in case!
Soaking and drying have already been mentioned. In addition to sun drying, you can always use a clothes iron as well.
Wax seals are an option if you're willing to spend the money. And a touch of perfume if it's a love letter, or fake blood stains if somebody was killed over it are a nice touch.
-------------------------------------------
As for maps:
I only take what I can print out on paper, so I don't do a lot of computer editing of maps. Maps are one thing I still prefer to do on paper. I wouldn't call it old-school, but it just takes too long to edit things on a computer and it doesn't take that much longer by hand.
True "final" quality maps are more easily decorated or flourished by hand as well. You just don't get much embellishment from software programs.
I use vellum (it's a professional tracing paper) to draw out the different layers of a complex. It is especially useful if you have a more vertical dungeon rather than a flat, level one.
For anybody looking for a mapping tutorial, the very end of the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide has a very good one for beginners. I would highly recommend it if you have the time and interest to make more professional looking maps.
Vellum is also very handy to quickly produce an accurate player's map if needed (usually any map the PC's buy from a store vendor are of accurate quality, otherwise I'll freehand or guestimate). Or you can alter premade maps easily with vellum as well.
Painfully
First Post
I buy vellum at the local office depot or office max stores. Look near the drafting supplies. Buy "vellum" not "tracing paper." Tracing paper is what kids use in school; vellum is what professionals buy to use in their work. Vellum is more durable.
The Dungeoneer's survival guide is out of print. It was 2nd edition D&D. You can probably get the ESD version of it for $5. I don't know the link since WotC doesn't seem to want to link to their ESD site anymore.
The Dungeoneer's survival guide is out of print. It was 2nd edition D&D. You can probably get the ESD version of it for $5. I don't know the link since WotC doesn't seem to want to link to their ESD site anymore.
Aeolius
Adventurer
Painfully said:
Actually, the DSG was 1e AD&D, as was the Wilderness Survival Guide. You can find them at http://www.SVgames.com/
For a parchment look, you could look through the WotC map-a-week files. I seem to recall a blank page in there, awhile back.
Just a comment on soaking your paper for the aged look.
I have found that using tea bags works better than coffee, especially on heavy stock paper. I usually do about 20 sheets at a time, so they stay flat enough to run through the printer afterwards. Depending on the shade you want, I recommend 1-4 hrs soaking. The top and bottom pages will be darkest with it becoming lighter toward the middle of the stack. This is good if you are reproducing a book or set of scrolls, where the outer pages would be more faded than the inner ones.
I have found that using tea bags works better than coffee, especially on heavy stock paper. I usually do about 20 sheets at a time, so they stay flat enough to run through the printer afterwards. Depending on the shade you want, I recommend 1-4 hrs soaking. The top and bottom pages will be darkest with it becoming lighter toward the middle of the stack. This is good if you are reproducing a book or set of scrolls, where the outer pages would be more faded than the inner ones.
I use CC2, using layers I am able to add/change/delete items as needed.
As for paper, I found some heavy stock that is low quality, color is light brown. Maps printed on it look great.
As for paper, I found some heavy stock that is low quality, color is light brown. Maps printed on it look great.
My own favorite techniques for aging/distressing a map:
- rub it with dirt, sand, sandpaper or anything rough. This works especially well after youv'e done a "crumple and flatten" step
-fold it or roll it however you think it might be folded or rolled by a character, then distress it while it's in that shape. This tends to create realistic wear patterns on the page
-soya sauce is good for stains. (one of my players figured this out and now sniffs all my maps trying to identify what's on them)
- rub it with dirt, sand, sandpaper or anything rough. This works especially well after youv'e done a "crumple and flatten" step
-fold it or roll it however you think it might be folded or rolled by a character, then distress it while it's in that shape. This tends to create realistic wear patterns on the page
-soya sauce is good for stains. (one of my players figured this out and now sniffs all my maps trying to identify what's on them)
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