# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > Pen and Paper / Traditional Methods >  Ancient Dwarven Metallic Map

## Big Damn Heroine

This is a map I recently did. It coincides with a simple map my players have as a rough guide to get them around. The in game explanation is that it was made with metallic inks on a papyrus made from a dark mushroom (and it turns out it is an ancient dwarven map of the area now settled by humans). Second map is the one that the PC's have in the game, for comparison.





Comments and critiques appreciated

----------


## Redrobes

Just read and approved your intro and thought that a map with metallic markers would look very cool. So very glad you posted this. A long time ago I used to use them on black and dark coloured paper too. I am sure that in reality the map shines and looks more vibrant than the photo suggests. Its a very good idea for Dwarven maps and I like the idea of dark mushroom paper. Excellent work.

----------


## Big Damn Heroine

Thank you! I have some others Ièm working on, but they're works in progress that I don't think I'm ready to show quite yet.

----------


## clam

Very cool effect. I love the color scheme and the texture of the forests. Mountains look great as well. If I was to suggest something, I might make the hills more dense-- as it is, they stand out a bit too much for me, and they kinda look like sporadic dunes rather than hills (but maybe that's what you're going for).

Have you considered labeling place names in white? Could make the map pop visually. Great work, very original.

----------


## Big Damn Heroine

> Very cool effect. I love the color scheme and the texture of the forests. Mountains look great as well. If I was to suggest something, I might make the hills more dense-- as it is, they stand out a bit too much for me, and they kinda look like sporadic dunes rather than hills (but maybe that's what you're going for).
> 
> Have you considered labeling place names in white? Could make the map pop visually. Great work, very original.


I tried that on an earlier draft, but the hills end up blending together, and I wasn't too happy with the effect of leaving a small black line between them, so I went with more sparse. Plus, it will be realized by the PC's later that each hill on the map corresponds really well with the taller hilltops of the area.

----------


## etrnlflame

Amazing to use metallic with papyrus! I'm inspired.

----------

