How to Draw Fantasy Maps: Coastlines

You don’t have to be an artist to draw interesting maps. Too many fantasy maps have long, straight coasts that suspiciously mirror the edges of the pages they were initially printed on. Break up your coastlines with bays, rivers, islands, and peninsulas!

This was a bit of a shorter video because we’re preparing to ✨publish a book ✨ and Cole’s been busy helping to illustrate some things for that. Special thanks to Ben, who made this video possible.

#writingcommunity #authortube #fantasymap #cartography

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[saracosta]

I loved that final technique: mash up existing maps.

[MartianMothman]

You can also look at cows like Holsteins and make maps based on their spot patterns.

[childofatom]

Oh wow... I NEED to learn how to make a map like the one at 1:00. That's my gold standard right there.

[torrent]

As you were drawing your example map I immediately recognized the shapes from Chesapeake/Potomac/Delaware! That’s one of my favorite coastlines!

[baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis]

I prefer drawing the fault lines of continental plates and building coastlines from how they would naturally form.

[Theonetruelordgod]

I don't agree with this. Yes it's a straight line from Lindon to Gondor, but what else would it be? Little islands? And coasts aren't really that rocky, many are very soily and without much rock, like Florida, the Gulf, northern France, Ukraine, and much of Brazil. Some do have more complex shapes, such as Finland. And also (current me if I'm wrong on this, but you implied it) with Middle Earth fitting into a box, it may fit into a box, but much of that box would be sea. It still has complex shapes, such as the lands of the Lossoth, Lindon, Gondor's coast, and in the earlier days Númenor and Nevrost.

[dragonridley]

I've been working on some (this far vague) notions of a fantasy map modeled a bit on western North America. It even has an analog of Baja California, but it's an island rather than a peninsula.

[MartianMothman]

You’re actually wrong about Westeros being just great Britain flipped the opposite direction it’s actually Great Britain just facing it’s normal direction with an upside down Ireland stuck to the bottom. You can see that clearly by looking at regions like the Vale and Flint’s Finger.

[lapiswolf]

0:55 The last example shown was my favourite of those you made.

[Eevee-xo]

What software are you using for the majority of the video 2:14

[LazurBeemz]

I think many fantasy maps are shaped to fit nicely within a box because they're made to fit on a page, unlike real life where the land just Looks Like That and we have to struggle to fit it into neat rectangles

[enchantedlimestone]

To be fair, the majority of fantasy settings don't have satellite imaging, so the maps drawn wouldn't be very realistic or accurate

[tesnacloud]

Another thing to do is think of what the map is for. If it fits your purpose, put something wierd on the map, then explain why it is wierd. For example, have a normal coastline that suddenly has a gash running up it, filled with cliffs. Said gash is there because it is where an earthquake ripped this area apart, and there is a mysterious city that fell into the new bay that opened up underneath it.

[compatriot]

Surprised you didn't mention deltas, swamps or Lagoons. Not all coastlines need to be rough.

The Nile river, Mississippi river, and Curonian spit are some notable examples forming unique geographical features

[garrickstangle]

I use real-world maps all the time. Turn them 90 degrees and change the scale and you've got a great starting point. The west coast of the continent my players are on now is really the north coast of Siberia, turned 90 degrees and the scale changed to what I needed.

[CanyonF]

0:58 what is this style of map called? And how can I make one like it

[simix]

Should there be a major river outlet, I'll make the coast smoother on the side ocean currents mainly flow towards. I also take the opportunity to give a subduction arc coast some grabens and close-by caldera lakes

[ryttyr]

You would cry if you saw the one (and I believe only) world map I've made. Although to be fair it was never intended to be used as an accurate proper map, it's not even to scale with itself. I just needed something to know the rough directions of towns and the types of terrains of various areas that would be travelled through in a text-based rp I played with my friends so I threw together a very rough concept in Microsoft Paint and.. I never took the time to fix it.

[Dongobog-pstz]

South America has a coastline thats too simple and unrealistic for my tastes. It's basically just a straight line from argentina to Brazil. Also see Africa, Arabia, India, Italy...