Comments for Fantasy Map Maker

Comment on Black and White Overland Map by john

john — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:16:14 +0000

You could just mention my website, http://www.FantasyMapMaker.com, in case your readers would like to see more maps. Thanks, and good luck with your story!

Comment on Black and White Overland Map by Pan

Pan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:55:31 +0000

John,

Thank you. Although i must confess this map is simply a little project a friend and I will be working on. Your permission has just made me a very happy man today.

(Shall i just refer to you as John in the credits?)

Comment on Black and White Overland Map by john

john — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:05:33 +0000

Hi Pan,

As long as your project doesn’t violate this license, then you absolutely have my permission. You can use it, edit it, whatever.

If you need the map for commercial purposes, just shoot me an email and we can discuss.

Comment on Black and White Overland Map by Pan

Pan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:33:53 +0000

hi, i am writing a story, and will be needing an awesome map for it. I think this is that map. I just need your permission. May i have it? (i may also edit it at areas, and perhaps add borders for the countries.)

Comment on Fantasy World Map #5: Sarah Wroot Style by john

john — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:23:17 +0000

Hi Bartimus. You can definitely use the map for anything non-commercial – you can see the details of my license here.

Comment on Fantasy World Map #5: Sarah Wroot Style by Bartimus

Bartimus — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:30:41 +0000

Hello. I love this map! You did a wonderful job! I was wondering if you were able to take the names off of the map. I’m writing a novel and I can’t seem to draw my own map, and I would love to use this one. Lemme know if that would be okay.

Thanks, Bartimus.

Comment on About by john

john — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:45:46 +0000

Hi Terry,

Sounds like a really fun project and a great way to share your message.

Actually, I don’t have my own “tools” per se – I primarily use Campaign Cartographer to make my maps (easy to use and make nice looking maps, but takes a lot of time to master if you want professional-grade quality). I also sometimes use Photoshop (hard to learn and master, but lots of tutorials can be found to help) or Gimp (a free alternative to Photoshop). There are a lot of other mapping tools out there too.

I you’d like to try your hand at cartography and explore your creative side, then definitely shop around and find a product that works for you.

But if this is just a one-time project and you’re not looking to start mapping as a hobby, and your primary goal is just to make this map project go off smoothly, then I would NOT recommend you take the time to learn how to do it on your own. Unless you’re already a talented artist, great-looking maps won’t happen overnight – it takes time, patience and a lot of practice.

Instead, go to the forums at Cartographers Guild and find the section on “map requests.” You can request a paid or unpaid project (yes, some people will do it for free!). But, if you really want to get top quality, offer $200-$300 and you’ll probably get some very talented cartographers offer their services. The money you spend will be far less than the cost of software and time needed to make the map on your own.

Comment on About by Terry Pontius

Terry Pontius — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:43:07 +0000

At our church we are trying to develop a Disciple Journey Map with an oldworld/fanatsy look and feel. The Disciple Journey Map would show paths through three regions or realms of loving- I- Loving God,
II- Loving One Another, III- Loving God’s World. On the map would appear the various learning, worship, inter-relational, and making a difference experiences the will help people grow deeper in these three realms of loving.
We also want to develop a Passport to document the experiences of each journey and a Journal for people to record their reflections.
Do you think your tools would help us in this endeavor? What would be our next step?

Thank,
Terry Pontius

Comment on Fantasy World Map #3 by Estian Rosslee

Estian Rosslee — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:37:33 +0000

Thanks for all the info I really didn’t know all this. I will definitly use this to my advantage thanks once again.

Comment on Fantasy World Map #3 by john

john — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:11:53 +0000

Hi Estian,

It really depends on how you publish.

If you’re goal is to get an agent and publish the book for mass consumption, then don’t worry about making a perfect map. Just sketch out your map for your own reference, because your publisher will hire a professional to make the final map for you anyway. Focus on what you do best – telling the story.

If you plan to self-publish and you don’t have budget to pay a cartographer, then you’ll have to learn on your own. If you use CC3, then check out the forums on the Profantasy site for tips on map making. Also, regardless of what mapping software you use, check out cartographer’s guild – they have a very friendly forum where you can learn how to make maps (even using free software or by hand or whatever). There is also a place there to request people to make a map for you – some people might even do it for free.

Keep one thing in mind – if you publish in print, your map will most likely need to be in black/white. But if it’s just going to be an ebook, then go all out with the colors!