[Award Winner] Tutorial & Guide for Hand Drawn Maps (Pen & Ink w/ Photoshop)

[Badger]

Last, but certainly not least, are technical pens. My opinion is that this is the best instrument to ink with. The one downside to technical pens is the cost, they are probably the most expensive of all pens, and with this expense comes a bit more care and cleaning. I have also found that even the slightest type of abuse can damage a pen. I’m here to save you some money by giving you some helpful information on these pens. My favorite brand is Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph, it is dependable, refillable, and the best pens I’ve ever owned or used.


There are disposable technical pens that are similar to regular technical pens. They differ in the way the inner workings are sealed and have no refillable cartridges. I found the Staedtler Mars professional to be a decent choice. I like that you can sketch fairly fast with these pens and the nib sizes are quite close to the Koh-I-Noor.

Sketch pens and disposable technical pens.

The technical pen consists of a hollow metal nib, a refillable ink cartridge, and a plastic holder. The hollow nib contains a very delicate wire and weight which shifts back and forth bringing the ink supply forward as you move it across the page. NEVER, NEVER remove this wire from the nib. Doing so will have most likely rendered that nib completely useless.


The sizes of nibs range from (largest to smallest) 7/2.00mm; 6/1.40mm; 4/1.20mm; 3½/1.00mm; 3/.80mm; 2½/.70mm; 2/.60mm; 1/.50mm; 0/.35mm; 00/.30mm; 3x0/.25mm; 4x0/.18mm; and 6x0/.13mm.

A 1 is about as big as I use for any map. I usually work with 0 or 00 for most everything, and use the 4x0 and 6x0 for very detailed work and thatching. The 6x0 and 4x0 are even more delicate than the other pens and care should be taken when using them. No extra jarring or dropping of the pen, don’t tap them to try and restart an ink flow, or if you must a very, very light tap. When in doubt, just clean the pen and refill it.

The best way to start the pen is to hold it, nib upright, gently thump it to let excess air escape and then turn the pen nib down to let the ink flow to the nib. Technical pens are gravity fed, so hold the pen more upright than at an angle. Use a steady, light pressure and move across the surface in smooth strokes. Too much pressure will most likely stop ink flow and will pick up ‘fuzzies’ from the (some) paper. DO NOT shake the pen, this will flood the air channel and create a vacuum that will prevent ink flow. Flooded pens must be cleaned. Always cap the pen when not in use, even if you stop inking for more than 15 or 20 seconds to take a drink of your Jolt. Some inks dry fast and can clog the nib.

You should probably clean your pen at least once a month and before storing it for more than a month. When you aren’t actively using the pen, I always keep the pen strait up and down with the cap up. If you lay them down flat for any length of time, I’ve found they clog more frequently. If I’m storing the pen I do so unassembled from the pen holder, the body and nib still connected, usually in a small tin or in an empty pill bottle or film canister. I should also note that when you screw the pen together, barely hand tight is all that is necessary, that is to say, snug.

Disassemble the pen and remove the nib from the body of the pen. Again DO NOT REMOVE the wire from the nib. Rinse the nib, pen body and cartridge under running water. I use a small strainer to hold the pieces so I do not accidently drop them in the sink. You can use brand pen cleaning solutions, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I use a diluted solution of 1 part ammonia and 10 parts water, or 1 and 5 if a pen is really clogged or dirty. I do recommend a pressure cleaning syringe so you can thread the pen nib to and flush it out. I then finish with another straight water flush and then air dry.

While this was probably more than you ever needed to know about technical pens, I promise if you invest in them, this information is invaluable.

[Badger]

Inks

I primarily ink my maps in black and white. I only use black India Ink and use either speedball brand for my dip pens and rapidograph brand for my technical pens. Past that, my knowledge on inks is limited. I almost always use something that is waterproof and when working with an open ink bottle, always keep it fixed to the table with some tape or other restraining device. Spilling ink all over what you are working on is no fun at all.
I actually bought a small deal of Crayola Model Magic which I molded into little holders for my ink bottles. The texture was perfect because even on my drafting table at an angle it doesn’t slide. I however, always stick tape underneath to ensure that it will not slide or move. I also molded a stand to keep my dip nibs in as well as one for holding pens and pen-holders.
My experience with colored inks is somewhat limited. Most every colored ink I’ve used for dip pens aren’t waterproof. I’m sure there are inks out there are. I know that there are colored inks for the rapidiograph pens that are waterproof. But as it depends on what kind of effect you want to end up with, such as ink washing.



Paper

Paper comes in so many shapes and sizes. An absorbent paper with a firm polished texture provides the best surface for pen and ink. Your pen should glide over the paper without snagging or stuttering.
For finished works I like a Bristol board, because it’s smooth and allows you to draw in any direction without stubbing a rough place. It stays flat and doesn’t have a tendency to buckle unless vast amount of ink is applied.
For practice work and rough drafts, I use any old piece of paper I have handy. A sketch book is a good thing to have around as well. For most of my large maps I use a 24” x 18” sketch pad, Penciling in a rough draft, then doing a final rough before moving on to a my Bristol (and more expensive) board. As long as you keep a black and white final copy, most copy and print businesses can turn it into a digital PDF file or other popular formats (JPG, PSD, etc.) for a nominal fee.
When working with your final copy, it’s a good idea to keep either a set of light cotton gloves with the thumb, fore and middle fingers cut out, leaving the ring and pinky finger intact so that you do not leave oily or dirty stains from the natural oils your skin produces. It also helps prevent smudging and smearing if one is careful. You can use a lint free cloth wrapped around the edge of the hand to help if you don’t like cotton gloves. I like to use latex, powder free gloves; they fit skin tight so that it doesn’t feel like you’re out of contact with the work you are doing.

I hope that you found this article at least mildly useful. The art of Pen & Ink is a wide and versatile one that not even a whole book could cover all of it. The advice I give is mainly directed towards cartography and mapping; even then it only covers the technical aspect. Covering the artistic aspect of shapes, shading and thatching and the finer details of overland, buildings and cities is far too great of a subject to broach here. But to those who wish to take up this gratifying and fun media, I can only say practice, practice, practice, and practice.

I plan on continuing this by following up with techniques, tips and pointers on how to draw (specifically B&W) maps. This would be the tutorial part of the guide. So keep an eye open.

[Badger]

This made it in the Alliance Zine for the Summer/Fall issue much to my surprise... and maybe I should have waited because it's put together much better than what I did here... you can get the zine here: http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=3018