How to Draw a Fantasy Map (Part 1: Landmasses)

A NEW map making tutorial! Coastlines, and the shape of your world.

Thanks for watching!

Come back for new RPG videos at least once a week on WASD20. D&D, fantasy maps, PC games, and more.

Music: This Desolate Land by Sonus Sanctus

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[adamfortier]

I have a friend who is a dairy farmer. He uses the patterns on the cows as inspiration for world building.

[KingBobXVI]

Another option for inspiration:

Go to a gems and mineral store, some place that sells those polished stone spheres/orbs. Find one you really like with some interesting patterns and inclusions, and bam - not only do you now have an inspiration for a world you can difinitively refer to, but if you buy it you also have a physical spherical representation of your fictional planet!

[westindonnell]

Me: Ok, this seems easy enough even though my artistic skills at trash.
Me, 5 minutes later: Ah, I see, step one is drawing the map

[parkchimmin]

YOUTUBE’S FINALLY RECOMMENDING SOMETHING THAT I LIKE!

[mns-bq]

"so i'll take my eraser and erase the parts i didn't like"
(rubs out whole thing)

[nemanjadjukanovic]

Me and the boys at 2AM making a fantasy map using *_BeAnS_*

[tristanhawkins]

Protip: if you haven’t any beans on hand, human teeth work just as well! All you need is a pencil, paper, and a heavy blunt object. Invite friends over to collaborate and watch your map grow!


P.S this is an unoriginal comment, I went back to the original video on map making and saw this. It's hilarious so I felt the need to share it.

[kattriella]

Me: *has spent over a decade creating a fantasy world that spans an entire planet"

Also me: *sweating profusely* I'm gonna need more beans . . .

[eBuddy]

Everyone noticed how Westeros is clearly UK, but no one's really bummed about it!

[LiotIV]

I actually used to get inspiration from the way fallen leaves (and pollen) would pattern after a rain fall. Leaves would clump together into piles and leave rivulets that the water would drain out from. Sometimes the leaves would be in one large pile. Sometimes it would be a archipelago of piles. Either way, each passing rain system would always create something unique and interesting. I wish I knew how to share a photo to better explain it.

[sdrawkcabsiemansiht]

I took a picture of a cloud in the sky. Instant original continent.

[WorldAnvil]

World Anvil has one thing to say about this - SUPER HYPE!!!

[spiffyleek]

“You probably don’t want to use canned beans”
Dang it I already messed up

[DovaDude]

this will be great for my expansions on the bionicle universe

[bryansmith]

Nate- when are you going to develop a Photoshop Virtual Bean Scattering Addin, so we can toss digital beans on our digital canvases???

[napoleondynamite]

For “the bean technique, ” I found that using legos works well too, especially because of all the different shapes and sizes of the pieces, it gives nice landforms.

[justa_]

I once opened a jar of mayonnaise and thought to myself, "Wow. The mayo on the lid looks a lot like a map"

[rowena]

I found an old notebook that looked old so I thought what if this was a diary of an explorer who documents these creatures and new plants and stuff along those lines.






Now I’m creating a world to put him in...

[ColinBoyardee]

generate a minecraft world
map it out
find area you like

[BaconPilot]

Saw this in my recommendations, thought it would be pretty cool so I watched it.

I am quite possibly the least artistic person i know. I try to make cool fonts or copy other people's handwriting if I'm bored.

Then this struck me. I feel so inspired by this I feel like I could just take out my old notepads and art kits and just start mapping away.

Thank you so much for this. I finally feel like I actually have something to do and another "hobby" to add to the relatively short list.

First inspiration: Tamriel!