Adventuring Into Hand Painted Illustrated Maps

I don't have a spectacular story about how I got into hand painted illustrated maps. Perhaps it was because I have been traveling; journeying down thousands of kilometers of Australian road and inevitably grateful for the companionship of a map. Perhaps it was part admiration of other hand painted illustrated maps, viewed in snippets across time: the 3d mural masterpiece on waterfall way in NSW, the quirky sketch in a brochure or the sponsored wedding stationary post fed to me on Instagram, swirling with summer European motifs. It's origin might be ambiguous but my interest in hand-painted maps is thriving. I love how each is truly unique, laced with the creative marks of the illustrator or artist.

At this point, you may have nodded in solemn agreeance or have one brow raised slightly in skeptical wonder. After all are maps not just route directions, sheets of paper and now screens webbed with overlapping lines of roads? Are they not just a practical way to travel between destinations, albeit with an odd turn or two? Well, yes. Maps can be gloriously, mundanely practical, but they can also be works of art. They can tell stories of time, etching out the hopes and dreams of their creator, they can be a legacy of the places we love and live. I love maps because they tell our stories.

There are actually five types of maps; general reference, topographical, thematic navigational maps and cadestral maps. Each has a different purpose and different characteristics from depicting the lay of the land, the general landmarks of a place to acting as strict navigational tools. You can find a good and brief description of each of these by Philip Barker on the blog "Here" if you are interested.

Often left off the list of maps is Iconographic maps, they may travel exceedingly far into the category of artwork but are by definition maps and they guide us just the same. Your eye will still stream across the page assessing what is ahead and what is yet to be discovered. Iconic maps however lead by the heart, tugging at your sleeve and whispering in your ear the threads of an adventure. An adventure deep into a visually unfolding story. This story could be your own, it could tell the tales of well worn paths, smoothed by the routines of childhood or the familiarity of love. The story could be shared, a weaving of ancestral lines and connection to place. Perhaps the story is fleeting; capturing a deep joy and sweet nostalgia for holidays and vacations. Whatever the story icongraphic maps rely fundamentally on images. These small images or icons dance across the map to give emotional detail to the land depicted.

The variations and possibilities are deliciously endless and entirely personal. Something i craved when i spent hours during travel deciphering maps of roads, routes and camping options was more soul and personality. Not only was it easy to get lost in the practical and identical plains of google maps but i often wanted some hint at the feeling of a location or at the very least its core characteristics. This lacking meant I was often caught off-guard. Roads on electronic maps for example look deceptively flat. Catching my breath and silently cursing down steep slopes or windy roads led me to wish a hint had been left in a small mountain icon on my mountain. Likewise I often carried my assumptions heavily with me, lugging them to a new town or city to only find something wildly different than expected. Old architecture or lush gardens can fit snugly onto a map i think and build the curiosity and wonder of the viewer.

The first map I created was a gift to my mum of her hometown Lincoln. It was comforting to map out my grandparents former house and the parks with squirrels i had excitedly visited on several trips. Carefully painting red poppies and wheat, researching what Lincoln is known for and fusing it with the places important to my mum was so special and made me aware that all maps are viewed uniquely by their viewer. We each have a history and different emotional responses to place and the idea that a map can be carefully constructed to celebrate that captivates and excites me to create so many more.

I so look forward to sharing with you more about hand-painted and illustrated maps; delving into history and inspiration and sharing client projects with you on the blog and social media (@liana_berry_art). If you are interested in working with me to create your very own hand-painted and illustrated map you can read more here. I would love to hear from you.