If your experience has all been paper-based, does that mean you have no digital graphics tools at hand? Many Guildspeople get good results out of The GIMP, and it's both free and capable. It's a raster type app, if that makes sense. There's a free-and-excellent vector-based tool as well - Inkscape. I use a product that's free in it's early versions; still modestly priced at its current version - Serif Software's PhotoPlus. If you don't need nor want to stick with the free end of the spectrum, there are many possible tools - check out a thread that reviews dozens of map-useful graphics packages, the List of Mapping Software thread. There's some other good info in that Software Discussion forum too.

The Quickstart Guide to Fantasy Mapping thread is a good place to start. And the FAQ thread.....

Oh, and welcome! I used to live in Oak Ridge - nice surroundings you have there.