I created this map after seeing a similar example on the LOTRProject. This took over 5 hours to finish and I was quite pleased with the result.

So how did I make it?

For the paper, I used Daler Rowney Mixed Media Paper, size A3 with a gsm of 250. (For those who don’t know, Gsm is the quality and thickness of the paper. ) To stain and color it, I used a mixture of Earl Grey and Yorkshire Gold tea and brushed it onto the paper.

Mordor

Firstly, I began by drawing the coastline of Middle Earth in HB Pencil, as light as possible. Then I marked out roughly where each section of Middle Earth was to go.After that, I drew lines where mountains would go, and then started on Mordor. I first began on the mountains, using Derwent Black Graphik Markers, and then the other landmarks surrounding it, such as the sea, Barad Dur, Mount Doom and Minas Morgul. I then used Windsor & Newtons Promarker Sky Blue to color in the sea, and then started on surrounding areas, such as Near Harad, the Dead Marshes and Gondor. I then began the Misty Mountains, working my way up to the Rhûn and Eriador.

Mirkwood and surrounding areas

A challenge for me was creating the forests of Mirkwood and Fangorn, especially the first, as I was following Tolkien’s style of the Map, meaning that forests had to be made up of hundreds of small circles to represent trees. This took me over half and hour to do, and was the most tedious of all the landmarks on the map. However, when it was completed, it was definitely worth it.

So I continued with the rest of the map, adding labels, rivers, hills, mountains and marshes. Then after all the land was completed, I drew several lines in the seas and off the coast to represent water, and added some color to the water on the coast.

Compass, title and miles

Finally, I added the compass, the text and the miles. And I had finished.

So what’s next? Will I do this again?

I was very pleased with the end result, and this has encouraged me to think about drawing Thorin’s map of Erebor from The Hobbit. However, I need to learn the runes first, so that I can draw them on, as well as think about how to have hidden text, as in the Moon-runes on the map.