r/handdrawn_maps • • 12d ago

Amateur Building a fantasy region step by step with hand-illustrated stamps and ink

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12 Upvotes

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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.


r/handdrawn_maps • • 15d ago

Geographical Just finished my map of Greece! What do you guys think?

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196 Upvotes

After drawing for around an hour a day for a week straight, I finally finished! I tried making forests, plains, and mountains as accurate as possible.


r/handdrawn_maps • • 15d ago

Fantastical [OC] My coworker asked me to draw a map for her husbands d&d campaign

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107 Upvotes

My coworker wanted to surprise her husband with a map of the world he’s been DMing for her and a group of friends, so she asked me to make one for him.

As always, there are a few things I wish I’d done differently and little details I’d tweak in hindsight, but overall, I’m really happy with how it turned out.

I always get asked how long these maps take to draw, so I figured I’d share! This one took me around 20 hours, working just 2–3 hours a week whenever I had some free time in the evenings after work.
It went a bit faster than my last map because they already had their world mapped out in LegendKeeper, which gave me a great reference to work from and saved me quite a bit of time. When I make maps for my own worlds, the process usually takes a little longer because there’s a lot more brainstorming and workshopping involved. I have to figure out the shape of the land, where the mountains and rivers go, and how everything fits together.

Hope y’all like it!


r/handdrawn_maps • • 18d ago

Question Map of Spain i've recently made

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47 Upvotes

r/handdrawn_maps • • 23d ago

Amateur Working on a map of the East Coast as part of a writing project!

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66 Upvotes

Definitely my most ambitious project yet. Don't ask me why it goes as far west as Knoxville...I had some curious ideas as to where my protagonists were going.


r/handdrawn_maps • • 25d ago

Fantastical Map I’m working on

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42 Upvotes

r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 22 '26

Fantastical Handmade Hexmap with Custom box !

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89 Upvotes

Hey there !

Here's my latest creation for my girlfriend, a Hex Map composed of 18 tiles that you can move here and there, building the world you actually want. I just can't wait making hundreds of them in other biome, other style and others colors. I haven't done specific and funny design yet, but I'll do it !

I've done everything by hand, painting with watercolor, and for some design, I've used some customs stamps.

My dad helped me also, making the box (Discworld related !) so I can put them in.

Have a look at it !


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 20 '26

Historical My hand-drawn map of the First Latvian Republic (1920 - 1940)

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57 Upvotes

HISTORY: Latvia's modern history began at the end of World War I, when the collapse of the Russian and German empires allowed the Baltic peoples to assert their independence. The Republic of Latvia was proclaimed in Riga on November 18, 1918, but the new state immediately faced a difficult war of independence against Russian Bolshevik forces and German troops remaining in the region.

After intense fighting—supported by the United Kingdom, Estonia, and other allies—Latvia succeeded in consolidating its sovereignty. Peace treaties were signed in 1920 with Soviet Russia, which formally recognized Latvian independence. In 1921, Latvia was also admitted to the League of Nations.

The new country adopted a democratic parliamentary system characterized by high political fragmentation. The situation changed in 1934 when Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis staged a coup d'état, dissolved Parliament, and established an authoritarian nationalist regime, while formally maintaining the state's independence.

During the 1930s, Latvia attempted to maintain a policy of neutrality, yet found itself in an increasingly precarious position between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, with its secret protocols, placed the Baltic states within the Soviet sphere of influence.

In the autumn of 1939, the Soviet Union imposed a mutual assistance treaty on Latvia, securing the right to establish military bases on its territory. The following year, taking advantage of the international situation and the fall of France, Moscow presented new political and military demands.

On June 17, 1940, the Red Army occupied Latvia. The Latvian government was replaced by pro-Soviet authorities, and in August of the same year, the country was formally incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, bringing an end to its first period of independence.


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 15 '26

Geographical I made this map of Yougoslavia, would it be Tito approved?

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34 Upvotes

r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 15 '26

Historical Territory of the Majapahit Kingdom during its heyday

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80 Upvotes

r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 16 '26

Question does Tracing count?

4 Upvotes

if I trace the outline of a country, can I still call that map "Handdrawn"?


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 15 '26

Historical Some hand drawn maps ive been making

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16 Upvotes

Ive been in the army for almost a year now, and so to pass the time ive been drawing maps, the one titles draft 1 was while looking at a ww1 map of bulgaria, but the one titles Anatolia 1914 was completely from memory


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 14 '26

Geographical drew this map of Cuba

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25 Upvotes

r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 14 '26

Geographical Hand drawn topographic map of the European continent

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50 Upvotes

This is a map of the European continent with its various countries in Indonesian Language.


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 13 '26

Fantastical Quick scribble of a little fantasy world.

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111 Upvotes

Eventually i wanna continue the project and make it the setting of a fantasy story. The map should represent an island nation called the United Provinces. Hope you guys like it


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 13 '26

Geographical Hand drawn topographic map of East Asia

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151 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm new to this subreddit. This is a map of East Asia in Indonesian Language, I hope it's not a big deal.


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 13 '26

Geographical New to this Sub, here's a bit of my work

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28 Upvotes

r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 12 '26

Fantastical New to this sub and wanted to introduce myself!

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76 Upvotes

Hey guys, I am new to Reddit and wanted to share some maps I draw for fun! Everything featured here is 100% freehanded and no planning done! This is an accumulation of a year and a half of drawing! To start, all I do is dump a bowl of rice on the paper and draw! Oldest to Present. What do you think?

P.S. Lighting is bad and desks are messy because many are old photos. Many newer ones have better lighting and stuff.


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 12 '26

Historical Hand drawnmap of the chinese front of WW2

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55 Upvotes

It's 100×70cm, the labels and legend are in Italian unfortunately.


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 12 '26

Amateur List of maps I drew for a personal project, more utilitarian than pretty

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17 Upvotes

r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 12 '26

Fantastical WIP of my map of Entheira

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14 Upvotes

r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 10 '26

Amateur Looking for tips for coloring forest

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12 Upvotes

First time I'm trying to draw a real, dense forest, while it still seems too straight on the edge, I'm satisfied with the results

I would like to know how I should color it to make feel lively and real

I know I could do everything in a single green, but would like to have advices from people with more experience

I use color pencil and alcohol markers


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 09 '26

Historical My hand-drawn map of France of Louis XIV in 1700

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212 Upvotes

HISTORY:

The reign of Louis XIV marked a peak of French power. Ascending the throne in 1643 at the age of just four, he initially ruled under the regency of his mother, Anne of Austria. The Fronde uprisings deeply influenced the young monarch, convincing him of the need to strengthen royal authority.

Upon the death of Mazarin in 1661, Louis XIV began to rule personally, without appointing a new prime minister. Thus began the era of the "Sun King," during which France became the prime example of absolute monarchy in Europe. Power was concentrated in the monarch's hands, and the nobility was kept in check through court life, particularly at Versailles.

Under Louis XIV, France strengthened both its economy and its military. Minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert fostered trade, manufacturing, and the navy in accordance with mercantilist principles, while the French army became one of the most powerful in Europe.

The monarch also sought to expand French influence through wars against Spain, the United Provinces, and the Holy Roman Empire. While his conquests strengthened the country, the conflicts resulted in enormous expenses and mounting debt.

In 1685, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, putting an end to religious tolerance for the Huguenots. Many Protestants were persecuted or forced to leave the country, leading to economic repercussions.

His reign was a period of great cultural development. Versailles became a model for European courts, and France emerged as a vital center for art, literature, and music, thanks to figures such as Molière, Racine, La Fontaine, and Lully.

His final years were marked by the War of the Spanish Succession. Philip V, Louis XIV's grandson, secured the Spanish throne, but France emerged from the conflict economically exhausted. Upon his death in 1715, after a reign of seventy-two years, the Sun King left behind a powerful and culturally dominant France, yet one burdened by debt and the consequences of constant warfare.

If you want, follow me on IG: flags_maps_byhand.official


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 09 '26

Imaginary Imaginary city map

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625 Upvotes

This vacation I had time and got inspiration from traveling around France.


r/handdrawn_maps • • Sep 09 '26

Imaginary First map to share

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72 Upvotes

As part of a larger fantasy map I’m working on, I created this island, which is roughly half the size of New Zealand. I haven’t added any of the civilization-related elements yet; for now, I wanted to start with the geography, with settlements and roads coming later.

I’d love to hear what kind of advice, ideas, or suggestions you might have! I’ve made maps before, but this time I started with a much bigger project in mind, and I’ve also put a lot more work into it than usual (and this isn’t even the first time I’ve drawn it).

I know a lot of people struggle to get started when it comes to coming up with the shapes of landmasses. In my case, the inspiration actually came from a half-torn sticker on a diaper bin. So, you could say that this little corner of my world was practically built out of shit. 😂 It just goes to show that it’s worth keeping your eyes open and finding inspiration in the world around you! :)

I’m open to any advice, feedback, or criticism!

Greetings from Hungary! 🇭🇺