Chelmsford by Diana Mayo

Relocating to a new town can be both exciting and challenging. On top of the stressful move are the practical tasks of learning your new environment. Diana got around this by compiling a map of her new home, Chelmsford, and mapping all of the new and exciting places around her. 

"I moved to Chelmsford a few years ago from London, and was keen to find new creative people and places. I also recently opened was an independent book shop called Just Imagine story centre, where I helped to establish an illustrators group.

We set ourselves illustration projects to critique and increase our portfolio work. One brief was to celebrate Chelmsford as an exciting place to visit, especially with it's new city status.

This map was my personal response, logging all the great the places to find. And they are all relatively in the correct position, honest!"

Thanks Diana! See more of Diana's bold, bright and beautiful illustrations right here...www.dianamayo.com

Berwyn Books Postcard by Anna Simmons

Knowing where you belong is not always an easy decision, and for some it can mean more than one place. Our sense of where we belong can change over time, as is the case of the talented map maker, Anna Simmons. 
Anna's previous map for this project plotted a train journey; a route that linked two locations. This new map, Berwyn Books Postcard, began as a commissioned work, but soon became a true reflection of where she really calls home.

"[The map] was commissioned by a chap I met in the pub who is an Antiquarian bookseller and entrepreneur (I suppose you might call him). It has a local-literary theme and stars author's George Borrow and Dorothy Hartley as well as the famous Ladies of Llangollen!"

Thanks Anna! For those unfamiliar with Anna's beautiful cartography, click, bookmark and commission here: www.cartographic.org.uk

Winchester by Amber Grayson

Mapping your hometown is a great way to show other artists where you belong. It's the place you're likely to know best of all, and the years of accumulated quirks and treasures that make the place special offer an excellent subject for creative map making.

Amber has done exactly this in her map of where she belongs, Winchester:

"This map of my home town of Winchester shares some of it's well known, and slightly more secret locations, as well as some of my favourites. I wanted to create a map different to the standard boring tourist ones, that reflected the creative and slightly eccentric feel of the city."

This is great Amber! Perhaps the town council should adopt this map as their new tourist guide!

See more of Amber's work here: www.ambergrayson.com

Duluth MINN by Peter Locke

The excellent Peter Locke has an impressive illustration portfolio filled with beautifully composed portraits and wonderful mark making. Here, Peter creates a map inspired by the Minnesota town of Duluth...

"Duluth has become the destination of an imagined personal pilgrimage. It is a place that just seems to keep popping up in my life. I think I first heard reference to it on Nirvana's version of 'Lake of Fire'. A song that, as a teenager, I would proudly (badly) bash out on my guitar. Wailing along to the tape till my parents had simply had enough. I later discovered Duluth to be Bob Dylan's birth place. There alone is reason enough for a pilgrimage. I now carry my pencils and books in a finely crafted 'Duluth Pack' and have completely composed, in my head, the photographs I would take of the magnificent Aerial Lift Bridge. My interest has become an active pass time. Whilst waiting for the next link to expose itself I play detective. Seeking out small references in Dylan songs or discovering new things to become interested in trawling the LIFE magazine photo archives. This map is an attempt to plot some visual clues and points of interest for my pilgrimage and to serve as inspiration, pinned to the wall above my desk, whilst I toil away drawing, day dreaming and humming "Where do bad folks go when they die…"

Nice one Pete! Now go check out the awesome cycling prints on his website! www.whatwouldpeterdo.co.uk

My Rotterdam by Nelleke Verhoeff

Nelleke got in touch with the Maps project after seeing a blog post over in Pikaland. Her project was to make a physical map and this lovely image of her home town of Rotterdam is her response.

"I made this map whilst doing the Pika artist-bootcamp at Pikaland. This map is about my Rotterdam in Holland, the city where I live: My most favorite spots and activities."

Awesome! Thanks Nelleke! See more of Nelleke's work here: www.redcheeksfactory.com

The Arctic Circle by Holly Wales

Illustrator, educator, writer, felt-tip pen hoarder and studio buddy Holly Wales has made this beautiful Map of the Arctic circle. The map comes complete with a Walrus, Polar Bear and my favourite sea-bird: an Arctic tern.

"I find it really interesting that the way we imagine the world is relative to our position in it; the UK-centric weather maps I saw every night on TV when I was growing up is a long way from this map which focusses on the wildlife and position of the Arctic Circle, with just a small footnote to reference the UK. And I love Walrus!"

Amazing map Holly! Make sure you have a good rummage around Holly's portfolio here: www.hollywales.com and keep an eye on her excellent blog here: www.hollywales.blogspot.com

Map of my Head by James Hunter

James created this map a year ago as part of his illustration course at Falmouth College of Art. The map describes his working process - perfect for this project!

"The image depicts a fictional map of my working process - strangely enough the image is a map of how I made the map! From the brain [ideas, concepts], through the brainstorm and thumbnail process, to the final idea [exports!] including all the contributing factors and inspiration along the way."

Nice work James! See more of his work here: www.jwhunter.blogspot.com

Home by Luke Whittaker

The multi-talented Luke Whittaker is one busy dude, but his work load has significantly decreased since completing this awesome map of his home. Luke explains the idea behind his map...

"To feel at home to me is to feel surrounded by a collection of little stories, each one present in all the objects and spaces in it. I wanted to represent that in some way with my current home, and, seeing as every object is different, or means something different, using a multitude of different info graphics seemed like an interesting way of exploring the idea. I also enjoyed the idea that these stories are somehow encoded like this, and you need to look closer to see them. It's been enjoyable making a record of the home too, even if a lot of the facts are half remembered and very possibly apocryphal."

Awesome work Luke! See more of Luke's work here: www.lukewhittaker.co.uk

Ernold Same by Grandpa Snail 

Grandpa Snail (known as James amongst gastropods) has sent over his incredibly detailed illustrated map of suburban London. Inspired by the Blur song of the same name, the map captures the mundanity of the city's samey suburbs.

"A familiar sight in suburban London."

Thanks Grandpa Snail! I guess today will always be tomorrow.

See more here: www.grandpasnail.com/comics.php

U.S.A Map by Gabriela Nicole Gonzalez

This wonderfully textured map of the U.S was sent over by Gabriela. Whilst creating the map, she realised there is much of her own country she is still yet to see...

"Since I was really little, I have been very into traveling, and my family would take me on big trips to Europe or South America, places far away. As I've gotten older, my love for traveling has not faded at all and I've saved up my money several times to go abroad exploring new places and new faces. But recently it has dawned on me that I have not traveled much in my own country, so I am making it a point to explore the U.S. and what it's all about soon in my future."

Thanks for getting in touch Gabriela!

See more of Gabriela's work here, and check out her cool portraits on her tumblr blog right here > fromgabriela.tumblr.com

Seaside Map by Lucy Davidson

Lucy Davidson (aka Peas and Needles) sent over her lovely image of where she wants to live; by the sea...

"I've always wanted to live by the seaside in a big tall building right on the coastline. Where you would have views of all the boats sailing past and people swimming in the sea. This is my dream and where I feel happiest. Minus the seagulls though please."

Thanks Lucy! Keep a look out for Lucy's website... www.peasandneedles.co.uk

The Village of Hartley by Kerry Hyndman

Kerry Hyndman has a large and impressive portfolio, and now it's just got even more impressive with this fantastic map of Hartley...

"This is where I grew up and where my parents still live. I didn't realise until I moved away how great it was to have friends and family living so close by. Even though when I was growing up it felt like everybody knew what I was up to! I've made it look at lot more picturesque that it actually is. But in my mind it's pretty idyllic!"

Thanks Kerry! Go have a look at more of her work here > www.kerryhyndman.co.uk and while your at it get yourself a lovely print from her shop at kerryhyndman.bigcartel.com

Where I Grew Up by Timothy Hunt

Tim got in touch via Twitter to contribute to the Maps project, and this is his awesome creation.

"The map is of the village where I grew up, the forest was very scary and there were a lot of strange stories about ghosts and all sorts of weird things.
I made up the lake, there wasn't one, but that is all that was missing. There were lots of open fields of grass and some filled with crops, getting chased by farmers was a regular occurrence."

Beautiful, simple and great colours; Nice work Tim!

Go have a look at Tim's other works at www.ficklefate.co.uk

Lighthouse by Ryan Chapman

Illustrator and artist Ryan Chapman has sent over this great map 

of where he belongs; on a luminous beacon by the sea...

"People say the Lighthouse keepers job is the loneliest job on earth, I however think it's ideal as you have the days to surf, paint, cook, fish and relax. Then at night you guide ships home while falling asleep to the sounds of the sea. And best of all; no neighbours."

Nice one Ryan! Now go check out www.ryan-chapman.com

Continuing from my last post, here's more of my favourite maps created by the students of the Maryland Institute of Art...
















Janna and the World of Wonderful Shoes by Janna Morton

Janna's colourful map of shoes...

"It is hard for me to be sure at this time in my life where I belong geographically and/or emotionally, but one thing I can be certain of is the fact that I belong in wonderful shoes! With an 11 wide shoe size, thick calves, a tiny budget, and a penchant for the bright and unusually obnoxious, I have a lot of difficulty finding agreeable footwear. Everything is either too tight or too loose or too boring or too sporty! In my dreams, however, I walk in forests of De Stijl flats, breakfast-themed high tops, and kitten heels (adorned with actual kittens!) and every shoe fits me better than Cinderella’s glass slipper."

Forest Memory Map by Meghan Walsh

I really love Meghan's delicate and detailed map of the forest behind her house...

"I have always felt most at home in the forest behind my house. It was always a place I could escape to during my childhood and the possibility of having a place where I could be alone and have adventures was very freeing for me. My dog would escape my house and I would always have to be the one to capture her, so I've mapped out the routes on which I've chased her. This map is meant to portray this forest as I remember it, so I have drawn different portions from different viewpoints to more accurately show how this place exists in my memory.

"Recurring Dream from my Childhood by Caleb Lin

Great underwater colours in Caleb's map...

"When I was in elementary school I had a recurring dream where I would be drowning and a lifeguard would come and rescue me. Once I learned how to swim in the 3rd Grade the dream altered so that the same lifeguard would be drowning, and I would rescue her.The more memorable part of this dream, however, was the fact that it was set on the rocky California coast, where I grew up. In this dream I had an underwater home carved right into the rock, and the entrance was hidden deep underwater and functioned like that of a beaver’s den. This dream was a favorite of mine because I guess it fulfilled fantasies of being a hero, having superhuman swimming ability, and having my own secret hiding place."

It's Really Frustrating by Sarah Straub

Sarah maps the process of making her map, and in turn creates a journey of frustration...

There comes a point in every semester where you are given an assignment that causes your brain to just cut its losses, power down and cut up the power cord. At the ripe old age of 22, I don't really "belong" anywhere geographically, but instead I belong to my mind and its twisted route of frustration. So with this particular task, I mapped out and listed some of the phrases that trampled up and down my cranium when I'm stuck. Hence, we have a map of frustration. And if this map was not frustrating enough, consider this: just prior to getting the title in, the file corrupted and I had to re-finish it, resurrecting it from its festering grave from a pdf.

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A big thanks to all the students who took part in the assignment and to Rebecca Bradley for helping the collaboration take place.

Keep an eye on all of the work created by the MICA illustration students by following their blog here: http://micamaps.blogspot.com/

Earlier this year, I worked with Rebecca Bradley at MICA in Baltimore on the Maps project for her illustration class.

Each of the students produced fantastic and original maps and I was totally blown away by the standard of the work.

Here's a selection of my favourites...

Icons of the American Outdoors by Mitchell Goodrich

Mitchell created this amazing map of the American outdoors. Being a bit partial to outdoor living myself, I was instantly attracted to the theme and drawing style of this map.

"It is not in the "Great American Outdoors," as a geographical location, that I find a sense of belonging; rather it is in the image of this imagined landscape. My comfort dwells in nostalgic associations, such as hot-dogs and hamburgers cooking atop a grill, as symbols of family vacation. This image is an attempt tocompile several vibrant icons representative of the American materialization of the outdoors. Exclusive of the real-life annoyances of actually inhabiting the "natural world" is the comfortingimage of the idealized American landscape."

Where I Belong in 10 Years by Jilly Yoffe

Jilly's map is one which imagines her future country retreat, complete with letterpress studio out the back!

"This map is the mental plan I have for my future home. Thinking of this place always makes me feel at peace. This imagined home is on a small farm with plenty of space for my dog to run, and in a house that has plenty of room for my favorite material things (books, records, art supplies). This place will be my sanctuary."

Sailing the Open Ocean on a Piece of Driftwood by Danie Drankwalter

I really liked Danie's map of a raft, which contains everything she needs to sail the world...

"Sailing the Open Ocean on a Piece of Driftwood. How great would that be? No obligations, just a fishing pole and a tent. I don’t even eat fish! My suitcase would be a large infinite magical suitcase in which Everything I Need would be among its contents, regardless of if I packed it. I could visit my friends all over and make new ones along the way! The garden would do wonderfully most of the year on the sunny seas, though upon entering colder climates a hoop-house can be erected. The watchtower is both for looking out for pirates (or friends) as well as reading in the sun."

Bel Air, Maryland Map by Kristin Nohe

Kristin's maps her hometown according to the places she's at the most...

"This is a map of my hometown, Bel Air, Maryland. I don't know that I belong here forever, but so far that is where I have spent the majority of my life and obviously have the most meaning to me. I haven't included everything in my town, but only the places that I frequent or have special meaning to me, and the roads that I take regularly. Important places on my map include my house, my boyfriend's house, Spenceola Antiques(my former place of work), and the parks that I frequent."

Map of a small section of the Internet by Aimee Fleck

Aimee has mapped the unmappable...

"My map is of part of the internet-- a "place" I spend a lot of time. I think everyone sees it somewhat differently-- I often picture it as a library, partially because of the overwhelming amount of knowledge and media you can find there, but also because I find libraries comfortable. It's a small section of the internet because I think that no matter how long you spend there, everyone kind of sees only their own corner of it: thus, a small section of the large "series of tubes" that some say make up the internet."

See more work from the class here: http://micamaps.blogspot.com/search/label/assignment%202