Welcome to Mapsterpiece!
A blog about maps and other fun stuff
Greetings! In addition to finally getting out our first newsletter, I've also finally come around to writing a blog, which I will try to update in tandem with the newsletter. If you’re joining in from there, welcome! And if not, but you’d like to see Drunk Kitten in your inbox, feel free to sign up at the bottom of the Home page.
Let’s get in to our exciting new developments, as well as some progress photos to show you what I'm working on currently.
Progress photo of a Gondorian cartographer’s map of Middle Earth
New Partnerships
First, I'm happy to announce that Drunk Kitten Cartography is now partnering with Flights and Fables fantasy and destination travel company. They specialize in designing and booking your dream getaway, doing all the tricky planning stuff so that you can just enjoy the experience. I’m really excited to be partnering with a such an enthusiastic group of people. I’ve always enjoyed traveling, and I think their idea of creating a magical getaway for people just adds that extra layer of fun to a trip that can make it so memorable. Check out their website and contact them through the link above, and receive one our our map prints as a commemoration of your fantastic trip!
Additionally, the Moon Dog Meadery in Durham and Sidequest Game Lounge and Bar in Raleigh have been gracious enough to put my maps on display (and for sale) in their spaces. Please visit them, and enjoy games and a nice brew while getting lost in the maps, or in your bottle. Or both, no judgement.
Current Projects
Middle Earth: 22x30 inches, Arnhem 1618 art paper, Ticonderoga pencils, Pentel Energel 0.3mm gel pens
I am especially excited about this map of Middle Earth. I am drawing it from the perspective of a Gondorian cartographer in the late Third Age, after Sauron's return to Mordor but before his defeat in the War of the Ring. The map is oriented to the West, towards Numenor-beneath-the-waves and the Undying Lands, and the geography is somewhat distorted, especially the further one gets from Gondor, to reflect the limits of premodern mapmaking technology.
The map features various inscriptions in Tengwar as well as an iconographic border depicting scenes from the Silmarillion. I expect to have the black-and-white original done sometime in early summer, at which time prints will be available (sign up for our newsletter if you’re interested in hearing about the release).
I've recently acquired a light-box and will be able to trace a second version of the map onto watercolor paper using non-water-soluble ink, so there will eventually be a watercolor original as well, and colored prints to boot.
This map's style is different in many ways from what I'm used to. I'm drawing a lot of stylistic inspiration from Jan van Linschoten and Olaus Magnus, who worked as cartographers in the 16th century. Many of the inscriptions are at least partially inspired by the 1375 Catalan Atlas, which was remarkably accurate for its time (if not in its inscriptions, then at least in its depiction of the Mediterranean and Western Europe!)
Map of Great Britain (a.k.a. Perfidious Albion) and Ireland
Britain and Ireland: 15x22 inches, Arnhem 1618 art paper, Ticonderoga pencils, Pentel Energel 0.3mm gel pens
This is another map I'm excited about, though I haven't had much time to devote to it lately. Alas, drawing maps by hand is slow and meticulous work, and there are only so many hours in the day (and night) that I can spend drawing. I received a lot of suggestions as to what to include on this map and will try to fit in as much detail as I can without overcrowding. Hoping to finish this map right after releasing the Gondorian Cartographer’s Map of Middle Earth. (I’ll be needing to come up with a shorter title for that one…)
And last, but not least…
North Carolina: size TBD
"How do you not already have a map of North Carolina?!" one might ask, to which I would answer: because I am a dingus and a goof. I suppose it’s also because home is less alluring than far-off lands, though I will admit it has some interesting and beautiful geography of its own. I got started on a full-size map of the state over a year ago, but given time constraints, I'll probably start over with a small or medium-sized version first. This will be my third state map after California and Texas (not counting Hawai'i and Pennsylvania, which are in need of a redesign). New York and Florida are also planned, after which I might leave it there unless I get a commission for another state. I know some have gone about designing beautiful maps of each and every state, but I have no such ambition.
Until Next Time…
That’s all for now! We hope to see you out in the world at some of our upcoming events. And if you can’t make it to those, no worries. We’ll always have the wonderful world of the Internet. And this blog. Definitely easier to find us here.
Best,
Keegan and Hannah
Our Drunk Kittens