# Community Participation > Mapping Challenge Suggestions >  Draw a map by hand!

## RecklessEnthusiasm

We often change the mapping subject--castles, cities, kingdoms, trade routes, etc.--but we never talk about the medium. This is because different people use different tools and some folks don't have access to (Photoshop, for example, is cost prohibitive for most people).

One tool that we ALL have access to, however, is paper and pencils! I know for a fact we have some cartographers here who do art in the traditional way and are only just learning digital mediums. This would give them a chance to shine and really push the limits for some of us. Plus, I would really, really enjoy watching peoples' WIP posts!

So, what do you say we try doing some cartography the way it had been done for thousands of years--in physical media? Pencil, pen, ink, paint, dioromma, architectural model, origami, whatever you want! As long is it is a physical product you made with your own hand, it is acceptable. Just snap a photo or scan it and throw it up!

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## Hungry Donner

I enjoy mapping by hand but I usually keep this for smaller locations and most of my cartographic work covers larger areas.  A few years ago I managed to pick up a drafting table for $20 at a liquidation sale and had a blast detailing the ruins of a palatial city - some day I'll need to go back to that project  :Smile:

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## Ascension

Good idea.  I've been thinking about doing my current map on paper.

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## eViLe_eAgLe

I usually doodle on paper to practice mapping by hand.
But, I can never seem to get tree's right.

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## Gamerprinter

Because my style is a hybrid of hand-drawn and digital creation, I always create hand-drawn work, its just I never consider it finished in that format, so I finish it digitally. I don't know if I could be satisfied with a hand-drawn only map. Its that I don't apply heavy shadowing with cross-hatching  or what have you. I do the shading in Xara as digital drop shadows, stacked transparent layers. I got to have color and I don't want to color it by hand. I'm not a colored pencil guy and I hate to paint. I will vote in favor of this, but as stated, I prefer to finish the map I do digitally.

GP

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## jtougas

This is a very interesting idea. I have drawn many maps by hand back in the day and for the most part really enjoyed it. It would certainly push me out of my "comfort zone" as I am in no way an artist.  :Smile:

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## Ryan K

I am horrible at drawing just about anything by hand  :Smile:

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## RjBeals

nice idea. it wouldn't hurt to find a pencil after all these years.

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## ravells

Great idea. I can't draw for toffee but I'm up for it!

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## morikahn

Would it need to be pencil and paper, or just physical art. Example: one could carve a map into wood.

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## RecklessEnthusiasm

Anything you like, so long as it is a physical product, I say. Make a globe, if you like!

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## NeonKnight

SOunds Cool. I know I entered one of the contests a while back with an entire Hand Drawn Map.

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## jbgibson

I'm up for something tangible.   All these electrons are probably giving me a negative charge or something.

Now, where's that blue racketball I was saving to make a globe......

By the way, for those who insist they think best on-screen -- it should be ok to do your mock-ups, composition, and layout digitally; the final product is all that has to be physical.   Did that once for a sort of logo contest at work, where they insisted they be hand-drawn.   I'd have never gotten the text spacing right doing colored pencils from scratch.    Though for the spirit of this one, I would figure all transferral to paper has to be by hand and eye - no printer output :-).

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## Beoner

I like the ideia. As I usually draw the map on a paper (the general land and mountains) and I finish it on the computer, it could be interesting to see what I can do.

_Yes!_

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## bartmoss

Like the idea. Might be good for a Lite challenge, too.

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## tilt

what is this pencil you talk about?   

*lol*... I think its a great idea, especially like the diorama idea, been years since I've made one of those ... but I'd probably go for pencil - but it could be cool to have a dioramas only challenge at one time - and what about using only common household items *lol* ... we have thought about it as a challenge at some point but been afraid that people would be intimidated by the really good hand-drawing-artist we have in here - but of course its all about pushing ones limits and expanding on ones skills, and a totally analogue map would be a cool way to do that  :Smile:

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## Jaxilon

Every aspect of it would be hand drawn then? Labels and all? I'm in. I just hope it happens when I've got some time and not when I'm slammed with work.

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## BerricDondarion

I am totally in, since (at least for now) hand drawn maps is the only thing I can do

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## cantab

I'm awful at drawing...which is why I'm voting Aye.

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## Hugo Solis

This would be very interesting -and old-school-, totally great.

+1 vote!

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## Alex

Good idea *votes yes*  :Smile: 

I draw my maps by hand mostly (just learning how to use PS CS5 for it) anyways, but maybe seeing others work could help me with my trees! xD

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## Diamond

I'd be up for this; it's been years since I've done a hand-drawn map.

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## Lukc

I'd be up for this too ... though I don't have that much experience at *cough* *cough* ... actually, I do.  :Razz:

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## Diamond

> I don't have that much experience


Yeahhhhhh..... I think we all know who'd win a hand-drawn map competition...   :Very Happy:

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## Marc

Shamelessly reviving this old post.
I have seen alot of very impressive digital maps during the short time I have been a member.
But I would love to see and learn from the veterans doing their magic with traditional pen and paper maps  :Smile:

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## Olvyr

Happy to oblige ...
All hand-drawn and -coloured, exept for the hexgrid. 

Sent from my BLA-L29 using Tapatalk

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## Greason Wolfe

Eh, my only issue with this would be for those folks who don't have access to a quality scanner. We could certainly take pictures of the work, but sometimes quality photos are hard to achieve. Having it scanned would be okay, but some folks, depending on where they live, might encounter some cost (driving, scanning fees, and so on) that might pushed them away from participation. That being said, I still like the idea, so I'll vote 'Aye' on this even if I probably wouldn't participate given my work schedule and what not.

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## LunaticDesign

I always hand draw my maps so I'm a little biased on this one.

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