There is no way to get around the fact that any map is partly judged by how it fits into the long history of mapmaking.   People really like maps because of this history and to pretend that it is not a big factor is to miss an essential point.  Even though my maps are made today and are enhanced by modern technology, and other systems exist which mean that you would not navigate by my work, there is still an allure to seeing how a

  As previously discussed, as each map is more fully drawn, it takes on a life of its own.  The backgrounds give way to more detail.  The details require more research and careful consideration and this often leads to further areas of study not originally planned for.  This is not only OK but positively exciting.  The maps aren’t produced on a schedule and each one has to take as long as needed to reach a satisfying place.  Sometimes these investigations are really fruitful and supply especially

Once I’ve been able to settle on correct and accurate data, which often includes personally walking the sites to verify certain details, it’s time to actually begin drawing the backgrounds of the main elements.  This very tactile experience really begins to put me in contact with the area I’m working on in a way that is personal and somewhat transforming.  As I draw each individual line and point, bump and node, a connection to the forms develops which is both special and difficult to describe.  

In my last posting, the basic form of the new maps was decided and I had gathered a fair amount of basic information that could be available.  The next big step is rectifying and justifying all the competing and contradictory data.  The big secret of maps is, despite all the great information they contain and the comprehensive manner in which that information is presented, there are often many inaccuracies in every one of them.  Usually, their main focus is quite correct.  That is, nautical maps

Getting Started, Where to Begin--Having stated in the “Cartographic Thoughts and Ideas” section about taking you along with me on the journey of making a map, this is step one of the “getting going” phase.  Decide what area to work on and begin with basic research of what already exists.  This used to be much more onerous but not since the Internet has been invented.  Although my process really stresses the hand-crafted quality of the final product, it does not mean that I am anti-technology.