Map-Making

One of my very first loves was map-making: as a kid, maps were one of my favourite things to draw. I would make maps of treasure islands, maps of our neighbourhood and maps of my bedroom (usually during my annual rearranging-fest when I was trying to figure out where I wanted my stuff to be for MAXIMUM BEDROOM PERFECTION. As an adult I still do this but for my studio. The never-ending goal of finding just the right place for everything is a curse I am willing to bear.

Illustrated diagram of the same bedroom with 3 room variations, titled “Various permutations of my room”.

Recently I’ve been getting into the animated series Craig of the Creek (which is absolutely delightful and fast becoming a firm favourite with me - thanks Mitch for the recommendation!). The titular character, Craig, is a self-proclaimed map-boy whose goal (while adventuring with pals) is to map the Creek where all their adventures happen. Watching it has reminded me of my absolute love of maps and prompted me to share some of the maps I’ve made, including this Story Maze Map.

Forest Story Maze Map. The map is of a forest with a yellow sandy path. The words START HERE and a bonfire are in the middle of the forest. Throughout the forest are scattered different monsters.

This one was originally designed for an issue of Pigeon Post (a quarterly publication by 100 Story Building, a centre for young writers). You start in the middle of the forest and choose a path to follow. Throughout the forest are scattered different monsters, events or items and when you come across one of these you need to incorporate them into the story you’re telling.

E.g. It was a bright sunny day and we were in the middle of a lush green forest. The trees were so tall and the canopy was so thick that you could barely see the sky. We couldn’t at all remember how we got here.
“We have to get home!” Sophie said. “It’s almost tea-time! I can’t miss dessert. Not again.”
We all agreed: missing dessert was not acceptable.
“I have a good feeling about the path to the left,” I said.
“I think right is the right way,” said Tom.
“Split the difference?” asked Carsen.
It was settled; we would go down the middle path. A short way into our journey there was a sharp turn which opened into a small clearing where we saw a large black cauldron bubbling over with something sticky, pink and incredibly smelly.

I’d love to do more of these Story Maze Maps. Or just more maps in general. Is it really a story if it doesn’t have a map?

A small section of my collection of maze & map making books.

I’ve shared my love of map-making with a variety of my students over the years. Recently I ran my map-making workshop with my Inky Fingers kids and they took to the challenge of making maps like a duck takes to eating popcorn. Here are some of the maps they created. They had to include:

• A compass

• A key (with 3 different items, e.g road, forest, lake)

• A cartouche (a fancy illustrated title for the map, so people know what it is a map of and who drew it)

• At least 3 special landmarks (e.g. home, a mysterious mountain, the best fish & chip shop).

I’ve been wanting to put together a short map-drawing activity book for a while (maybe once the final art is all done for Oh Brother and I have a bit more free time). But I have created a little guided resource for the workshops I currently run and I’ve just popped a free downloadable PDF version up on my online store. So if you’re looking for a fun summer holiday activity, head here to download it for free.

Two black and white worksheets on a green checked cutting board with two rulers and a lead pencil.

I love poring over maps of all types, they help me make sense of a world and give me a feeling of comfort and order. But also there is so much storytelling you can do with maps! If you have a go at making your own map, I’d love to see what you come up with.

A short comic where a friendly postal bat give a map to two lost witches.