City of Exeter

I did this for a contest on They Draw and Travel for a contest they are holding for their new book. Basically, the terms of the contest were to illustrate a map of your favorite city. I chose Exeter as my favorite city because it truly is a wonderful place. I attended the MA program at the University there and can easily say it was the best year of my life. The city is full of history and natural beauty. Everywhere I went I found something new or interesting. The city had a life that I just couldn't get enough of, and when I had to leave after a year, it was too soon.

So here it is, Exeter as I remember it. Most of these places were places that I frequented quite often or passed by often. It's real selective in what is represented as I only put things that I personally experienced and loved. So really, its my interpretation of Exeter. There is so much more there and I found I wanted to put so much more on the map. Much like my short lived time there, there is much in Exeter that is not represented. Perhaps I will have to do a more indepth map in the future.

Taiwan

This was my first little foray into watercolor and ink mapping. Taiwan.

A challange for those who go, a dream for those who stay behind.

Though I know virtually nothing about racing, this particular race has captured me with its glamor and prestige. It was founded by Thierry Sabine, who became inspired in the Libyan desert when he got lost in a 1977 race. Somewhere in his dream through the sands, he decided the race would be a great setting for a regular rally car race. Henceforth, the Paris-Dakar.

Originally this was going to be a submission for the monthly contest at the Cartographer's Guild, but I missed the deadline by about a month. Never-the-less, I finished it and here it is. Debuting, of all places, my sketchblog. I'd do a ton of things differently. Having never worked with watercolor until, well, this year, I'm still getting the hang of it. Ink though, I've got the hang of that. Maybe I should try a strictly ink map... hmm... stay tuned.

A Tide in the Affairs of Men

So this was for a contest at the Cartographer's Guild in which contestants were tasked to come up with any map whatsoever that featured NYC. The top three winners get a prize and the top 45 will go to Soho to be displayed in a digital art show over at the Soho Gallery of Digital Art. Prints will be available, so if anyone feels so inclined... ;)

So yeah, its cool in a sense as I like how the inks worked out with the energy of the splatters and the sketchy contours of the coast. But the areas of burnt like black ink irritate me a bit and I wish I did more to integrate them into the style better. Most of all, I wish I went for warm colors over cool as that would convey the energy of the city much better, but I had this image of the cold New York harbor stuck in my mind. So I went for cool.

Anyway, I can't wait to start my next mapping project for another contest over at the Cartographers Guild, this time the theme is castles. So stay tuned!