Greetings! Any SCA cartographers here?

[anachronista]

'SCA' meaning; Society for Creative Anachronism... I'd love to see any other examples of geographical or event maps!

I've got a couple of low resolution example pieces here for everyone here who has no idea what I'm talking about.



The one with all the heraldry around the edges is the Kingdom of the Outlands. It consists of a portion of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska, most of New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. Except it's an island, because I was required to include ships! All of those red castles are cites or towns that really exist, but the names have been changed to things like Caerthe (Denver, CO) Al-Barran (Albuquerque, NM) and Windkeep (Cheyenne, WY). All of those Baronies, Shires and Cantons have Heraldry shown on the edges of the map. I live near Caer Galen

Ask me about the 'period' methods I used to create this map sometime... pigments and quills, baby!




The BattleMoore map is of a specific camping event where about 1200 people get together over a 4 day weekend in July, in the Kingdom of the Outlands. As you can see, there are places for battles and tournaments, archery, merchants and more... it's pretty fun in person. This was included in the gatebook so people wouldn't get lost. I drew this by hand but not with quills and ink...I had only two days to draw it, so I used modern pens.

I know it's hard to really see the goodness in these with the low res images, but any feedback is appreciated. Like I said, I'd love to see more maps of the SCA kind, but for now I'm having a great time looking through all the other great work that is here!

Thank you!
-anachronista

[tilt]

welcome to the guild - neat maps ... looking forward to seeing more of what you do ... personally I prefer a modern quill made of "Bamboo"

[anachronista]

Thank you Tilt! I think you are talking about a digital pen?

[ravells]

These are super-beautiful! Is there any chance that you could post up higher resolution images so we can appreciate them in all their glory?

It's great to have you join the guild. Making fictional alternative reality period maps is a great use for the mapping techniques you will find here. Bear in mind virtually all the techniques here are for drawing using software, but we live in awe of people like yourself who draw their maps by hand....and with real quills! I would love to see a video or photo tutuorial of that one day!

Enjoy your time here and very pleased to have you on board! I hope you decide to stay awhile, give your comments on the maps already here and to upload more of your own.

[anachronista]

Thank you! I can post an update with better images soon. I had the color map made into prints so I have a really nice image of it.

I have some process shots on the Battlemoore map, and 'documentation' for the kingdom map. That's the resources and techniques packet required when entering works into art competitions. That info could be a while posting, since it's a bit buried in a storage box. I'll elaborate as best I can from memory with the better image.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

[Lukc]

anachronista, let me also join the others in saying these maps are gorgeous and that you're most welcome here! I'm also a big fan of hand-made maps and your map of the Kingdom of the Outlands is just drop-dead fantastic. It breathes 1450s ...

[anachronista]

anachronista, let me also join the others in saying these maps are gorgeous and that you're most welcome here! I'm also a big fan of hand-made maps and your map of the Kingdom of the Outlands is just drop-dead fantastic. It breathes 1450s ...

Thanks so much! I want to post the actual documentation I wrote with the map to enter it into SCA competitions, but the original documents are buried in a storage unit right now.

I remember that the time period I can 'date' this map to is 1540-1570, using a combination of styles of two cartographers, Abraham Ortelius (who is pretty well known) and another whose name is Camico or Camioco, I can't recall. I did this map in 1996 so it's not exactly fresh memory

[ScotlandTom]

Gorgeous maps! Thanks for joining us and sharing your work! I look forward to more!

[junius_gallio]

Vivat, Anachronista, and welcome!

I used to go Scadian once in a while, but don't have the steadiness of hand any more for calligraphy, much less maps. I'm in Atlantia right now, possibly moving to Atenveldt in a couple of years. Out there where the weather is warmer, I may get back into the SCA.

Your maps are absolutely gorgeous, but I do admit that I'm accustomed to seeing SCA maps oriented with west at the top. Is that just a local custom out here?

[anachronista]

I do admit that I'm accustomed to seeing SCA maps oriented with west at the top. Is that just a local custom out here?

Thanks junius! To answer your question, I think the orientation of maps was much more fluid in the past than it is today. Lots of period maps have other directions besides north at the top. Also paper shape and sentence direction can influence all that. You should see some Ottoman maps, they are fun to try and figure out where on the earth they are!

Anyways, our Kingdom is tall and skinny in 'real life', with a long swath of mountains running north-south...and it's very ingrained into those of us who live here to use those mountains as a 'real life' orientation tool. Turning it sideways would look 'weird' to all of us Outlanders.

I hope you move to Atenveldt, then we'd be neighbors!