Hand Drawn Maps

[spunky2268]

All,

My search-**** may be weak, but I didn't turn up anything here or in Google. I'm trying to find information on how to draw maps. Specifically, a book, website, or other good reference that guides the user on how to hand draw detailed maps. Something that teaches how to draw to scale, what specific characters/figures to use for roads, trees, fences, etc. I want to be able to produce detailed maps of small areas so I can hand it to someone and they don't have to scratch their head about what I've drawn. I know, I know, there's so much out there in the way of software, but I'm not always around a computer, nor do I have a laptop for navigation yet. IIRC, Boy Scouts of America may have something, but I don't have a BSA store near me to preview the material. Can anyone help me out?

Thanks in advance!

Spunky

 

[UK4X4]

you'll need to elaborate your search using some posh words...."cartographer" "cartography"

cheers

Making Maps: A Visual Guide to Map Design for GIS
By John Krygier and Denis Wood
2005, The Guilford Press
303 pages

 

[spunky2268]

Map maker, map maker make me a map...

Yeah, I tried that too, and couldn't find what I wanted. I'll continue my search and thanks for the reply.

 

[styx]

What you're looking for is a combination of drawing skills and land surveying skills. If you're looking for information on drawing topographical maps of small areas you need to search for land surveying. Cartographers handle large areas, land surveyors do the on the ground measuring and drawing. That's were you'll find the how-to on small scale mapping.
As far as symbols: you can use what ever you want which is a bad idea, or you can use a industry standard like USGS quad map symbols. The USGS website has a legend of symbols that covers just about everything you'll ever come across in the natural world.:ylsmoke:

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I asked the same questions quite a while back, a user recommended the "Elements of Cartography" by Arthur Robinson. I never ended up picking up the book, as I recall the best price I could find was ~$75, with normal retail closer to $100. I believe they were using the book as a class text material in a surveying course?

Be sure to post back on your results, map making has always been a fascination of mine, sadly I think it is really an art that is losing its life at the hands of technology (obvious trade offs to each).

 

[Pskhaat]

At Uni, I got a job doing scans and surveys of mining claims for a county assessor. The work was with early ARC/INFO software, however I worked for the resident cartographer, a mean old British dude who abhored plotted charts.

When in the field and not logging onto a survey notebook, we would regularly work on E2 paper (a.k.a Eye-Ease, and used in nearly all engineering classes) and use the 1inch:1mile on the major grids, with a corner-tie on a township point. Don't know if that helps as a starting point.

 

[spunky2268]

Be sure to post back on your results, map making has always been a fascination of mine, sadly I think it is really an art that is losing its life at the hands of technology (obvious trade offs to each).

Cruiser,

My thoughts exactly! That's why I'm learning Morse Code as well. Working in emergency services, I've found that dependance on technology makes us lazy. Try losing your computer system or all your communications and operating during a crisis; most people shut down rather than falling back on skills that are independant of technology. Great point you make!

To all the other posters:

The information you all have given is right on target; exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks to you all and if anyone has anything else, please fire away!:REOutShootinghunter

Spunky

 

[craig]

My graduating class was the last class at my universities Geography Dept to be required to take Cartography (1990). After our group, they all took GIS only (which I also took). The text we used was very accessible to the average reader without an instructor. I'd reccomend it to anyone looking to get into Cartography.

Introductory Cartography 2nd Ed. by John Campbell
ISBN 0-697-10826-0

Craig

 

[BriansFJ]

Try this link on making orienteering maps: http://users.rcn.com/compassbrook/mapproc.htm

Orienteering maps cover a small area in detail and are often done by an indivdual or club, so these techniques may work.

Here's a freeware of OCAD, which is often used for this purpose: http://www.ocad.com/en/downloads.htm
:arabia: scroll down to OCAD 6 Windows Freeware Full Version

 

[mike h]

A lot of what you want to do isn't really found in a textbook - drawing maps by hand is a skill anyone can develop on their own. It will depend more on your natural artistic ability and your mental maps, that is the pictures we form in our heads that act as our personal GPS. Mental maps get us to our friends houses, restaurants, as well as old trailheads. A detailed mental map is the one we form as we ease our expo rigs over a dry wash - we pattern the rocks on the immediate landscape and correlate that to our tires, diffs, bumper overhangs, etc. It may be a mental map of 10 feet or 10 miles.

As for symbology, look at the legends of USGS topo maps which cover most cultural and natural artifacts. Specific maps such as orienteering will use a separate symbology unique to that genre of mapping and field use. You can invent your own symbology as needed, but most of the known objects (in the US) have been covered by the USGS.

Cartography textbooks will certainly be helpful, but they will present the whole scope of map making, and it sounds like what you want to do is hand draw sketch maps (literally becoming a lost art) based on your mental maps, or perhaps traced or sketched off of USGS or other trail maps.

Krygier and Wood's book is an excellent resource, but it also assumes you may be using a GIS or graphics package to produce the map. The majority of 'pretty' maps are made using Adobe Illustrator, and GIS maps are usually database driven more for analysis than aesthetics. You aren't crunching population stats or importing an urban infrastructure of sewer and power lines - you just want to share a trail.

my advice is to grab your pencil and paper and start drawing - start with a map of your home to your office, or any local route by car, bike or foot. This will start you thinking about spatial relationships and how to symbolize them.

Who knows, you may find this leads you into a new career... it did for me about 20 years ago.

You may enjoy this forum:

www.cartotalk.com

 

[spunky2268]

Eloquently put!

Cartography textbooks will certainly be helpful, but they will present the whole scope of map making, and it sounds like what you want to do is hand draw sketch maps (literally becoming a lost art) based on your mental maps, or perhaps traced or sketched off of USGS or other trail maps.

Mike,

Well said and spot on. You all have helped, with a little help from a couple of other forums from "high speed, low drag" guys. I've got an idea of the items I need and references to get started. Just have to get things together and, as you said Mike, get to drawing. I will compose a list of items for a "mapping kit" here and any other references I find. I plan on purchasing the two cartography references listed, and possibly the book Mike recommends. I'll post a review in this thread after I've had some time to apply the learned knowledge.

Interesting, Mike, that you mention career changes. I only get a small taste of the outdoors compared to most on this forum. I've noted that some here actually use their unique vehicles as work platforms for surveying, geology, etc. I've often thought about changing careers and moving into something that keeps me outside. Here's to dreaming...

Lastly, thanks again to all that have replied. All of your comments have helped guide me imminsely.

Spunky

 

[Luke]

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en...a=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPP1,M1

Look in section 4-26
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/23-10/ch42.htm

 

[spunky2268]

Luke,

Thanks! I hadn't found those.

Spunky

 

[spunky2268]

Yet another resource I hadn't thought about! I knew about the book, just hadn't remembered that that was an available resource. Thanks Big Al!

 

[DaveM]

I just saw this post so I’m a little behind but thought I would add my 2 cents.

First some terminology clarification. “Small scale” and “large scale” are often used in everyday language with the exact opposite definition as they are properly used in cartography. “small scale” means large area and “large scale” means small area. Think of fractions when you think of scale ratios. The number 1/100 is a larger number than 1/5000 (even though it uses a smaller denominator). So a 1:24,000 scale map is a larger scale than a 1:100,000, but it covers a smaller area. You can find more about this online.

Next, the book recommendation (Making Maps: A Visual Guide to Map Design for GIS), is spot on, and contrary to the title, you do not need to be working with a GIS to learn from it. In fact most of what it talks about is basic cartographic design. They focus on GIS because good map design is often missing from GIS education. If you want really delve down into cartography take a look at Edward Imohf’s Cartographic Relief Presentation. Its dense and academic but covers most of what goes into a good topo map (digital or paper).

My advice for doing basic home cartography would be to use a drawing program like Illustrator and trace the information you want from other sources. Pull in different maps sources (Google maps, USGS topos, forest service maps, whatever). Trace the info you are interested in, ignore the rest. Add your personal information and style. Look to maps you like for inspiration and don’t worry too much about scale or projection at first. For the most part the adage, “if it looks right, it is” fits what you will be doing.

HTH

Dave
Medeiros Cartography