Tools of the Trade. Part One: Analog Tools

The analog tools every fantasy cartographer needs

When I first started out with mapmaking, one of the things I was interested in was what kind of tools other people used to create their maps. There are two ways to think about this: going analog or going digital.

I have less experience with analog tools, at least for now, even though I love the tactile feeling of having a pen in my hand and drawing on a flat sheet of paper. It’s also a scary thing to do since nice art supplies are never that cheap, so if you mess up, that’s a waste of money, and a waste of time, there’s no undo button, and you have to start over, right?

But that’s also why drawing on paper is so cool. You’re not limited by the capabilities of your computer or your drawing software, and you get a physical item out of the process. (Yes, I know, printers exist, but it’s different.)

So if you want to be bold and go the analog route, here’s what I recommend.

(I will mention specific brands below. I assume they’re available internationally, if not in your local stores, then from Amazon, but if you live in Hungary, I highly recommend you check out Rajzshop, an art supply store that has basically anything you could possibly need.)

Papers, pencils and pens

Paper

One of the most important decisions to make when starting a map is to select the appropriate paper for your project. Sure, you can start with printer paper, for practicing mountains or trees, but you might not want to draw a whole world map on that. Printer paper is quite thin, it doesn’t hold up that well to erasing or certain techniques, therefore I think it’s best not to bother with it.

What I recommend instead is to buy some cheap, maybe even off-brand 180 g/m2 drawing paper. In Hungary, a stationary shop called Pirex has its own brand of paper for technical drawings, and it works well for pen & paper techniques and is quite cheap. I’m sure there are local alternatives where you live.

However, brands like Canson, Strathmore, and Fabriano are really popular and widely available, I’m certain you can find something in their catalog that’s suited to your needs. They have an overwhelming amount of pads and notebooks, so I recommend you check out some reviews before buying.

Pencils

Nothing fancy, just some H or HB pencils for the draft.* Something you can clearly see, but is also light enough to be easily erased. I know some people go straight to inking, which is fine, but that’s not me, I’m constantly changing my mind, so I need the insurance that comes with drafting out my maps.

Mechanical pencils would also work, but they’re probably more expensive, and if you’re not careful and push down too hard (like I tend to do), you could leave unerasable marks on the paper. I use a Uni Kuru Toga 05 (the one that comes with the Pipe Slide mechanism), which is an over-engineered Japanese mechanical pencil. The Pipe Slide protects your lead, and when you lift it off the paper, the inner mechanism rotates it, so while you’re writing or drawing, it won’t get really sharp on one side, instead, it stays nice and round.

Clutch pencils would be a great option, too. They’re these mechanical pencils that use lead that’s at least 2 mm thick, so it’s more ideal for drawing and shading than regular mechanical pencils. Read more about them here.

*H or HB refers to the hardness and blackness of the lead in the pencil. H is hard, HB is somewhat hard, but somewhat dark, while a 4B pencil would be really soft and dark. For more info on this, check out this post on Faber-Castell’s website.

Rubbers

I use a Tombow Mono Stick Eraser, but any good-quality rubber would work just fine if you’re drawing lightly enough.

Pens

Okay, so you’re done with your draft, and you want to start inking. Any old pen would do, but fineliners are much more suited to the job.

Faber-Castell’s Ecco Pigment Fineliners served me well for years now — they have waterproof, acid-free inks with maximum lightfastness, so in theory, your artwork will last a long time. (Although that depends on the paper as well.) I use sizes 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5 the most. You can read more about them here.

Another brand I would recommend is Pigma Micron. I believe those fineliners are the industry standard, or at least tons of people use them, with good reason. They also contain archival ink, so it’s waterproof and fade-proof, and they’re generally slightly more expensive than the Ecco Pigment pens, at least where I live. I haven’t used them as much, so I don’t know if they’re that much better than the cheaper brands, but they’re certainly good quality.

However, you have other options, too. Why not draw your map with a fountain pen and some nice waterproof ink designed for fountain pens, like sketchINK from Rohrer & Klingner? Why not try using a dip pen? It’s a surprisingly cheap option and can be a lot of fun.

Copic markers, a dip pen, some ink and watercolor paint

Copic Markers or…?

If you’re looking to create colorful maps, you can go a few different ways. You can try watercolor, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, or markers.

The most popular markers are made by Copic. They are the industry standard, and ridiculously overpriced, but the results they produce can be quite spectacular. I have a few of these but haven’t really used them yet, however, it’s definitely in my future plans.

With that said, Copics have alternatives. Jazza recently did a review about Ohuhu markers, and they seem great, so there are other more budget-friendly, and maybe even better options.

Conclusion

That’s it for the analog part. I hope it helps. I might update this in the future when I have more experience with this. Until then, if you need some help or clarification, feel free to email me or reach out on social media.

Up next: the digital side of mapmaking.