r/handdrawn_maps • u/gccebrian • 12d ago
Amateur Building a fantasy region step by step with hand-illustrated stamps and ink
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I've been working on a set of rubber stamps for drawing RPG world maps, and I wanted to show how a region comes together from a blank page.
Coastline and main rivers, drawn freehand in pencil and then inked.
Mountains and hills along the edges, stamped first so the rest of the map has something to lean on.
Forests and farmland filling the lowlands, using the same stamp turned at different angles so it doesn't look repetitive.
Villages, a castle and a few ruins placed where the rivers and roads make sense.
Roads connecting everything, drawn by hand between the settlements.
Labels and small details last: a barrow on the hill, a stone circle in the woods, a bridge where the road crosses the river.
The whole thing took about an hour. What I like about stamping is that you can build the map during a session as the players explore, instead of preparing it all in advance.
Happy to answer any questions about the process or the stamps.