Space and Time Walk: Process

 


Research

I had to do a little research for this one regarding what makes up a map (compass, legend/key, title) as well as what visual style I wanted it to be in. This was pretty easy to find and I’ll link the website I glanced at to give me a good idea of what kinds of things I would include on it for utility. After getting the more pragmatic stuff, I also took some pictures of the trail to get a good idea of the space I’ll be taking people through.

I also took some pictures of my path and utilized both Apple and Google Maps to help me visualize my path in the context of an actual map.

 

5 Elements of any Map –  Mometrix

“Lord of the Rings – Middle Earth Map”

 

Before the project really kicked into gear there was some smaller stuff I worked on. An example of this is a brochure I made for my destination, just to get an idea of how to “sell” a spot to somebody and make them want to experience it.

 

 

 


Exercises

Exercise 1 – Slow looking

I started this entire project with a little dive into the concept of “Slow Looking“. To practice, a group of other students and I moved around the basement (dungeon) of Hayes Hall. We wrote down what we observed and discussed what kind of, for lack of a better word, vibe we got from the area.

 

 

After I got a good idea of what slow looking was, I started getting more into actually mapping our paths and choosing a destination. This took the form of me riding around my skateboard up and down campus surrounding The Oval. Just to remember where I visited, I snapped some pictures (those are in the research section) to compare later and decide what my path should look like. Using these various images of the areas I wanted to highlight the most, I drew out my pathway and made some notes about the various pathways.

 

 

The drawing below was also a little exercise I did, playing around with information that could help the readers find the locations using symbols or contours of landmarks.

 

 

Now, we get to the real part of the exercise where I give written instructions on how to get to the destinations from Hayes Hall. One version is very strict and informative and the other use fancier words and more of a story to lay out the land. I think with this exercise, I definitely could’ve added more in expressing the feelings of the trip, something it doesn’t entirely lack but could definitely use more of.

Exercise 2 – Photos

With this exercise, I simply went around campus and took pictures with intent and composed them using various compositional methods which I will detail for each picture.

 

The repetition of the arches was really interesting to me so I took a close up to

 

This was taken from a worms-eye view to create the relationship between the paths we walk across and our busy lives.

 

This was taken really low down to emphasize the great height of the tower

 

There are a lot of really large structures in the view from the Oval and I wanted to show a relationship between the students and the buildings they inhabit.

 

This was an interesting spot for me because of how the foliage frames the archway which frames the door to enter. A frame within a frame!


Iterations

I have the destination and I have the pathway and I really want this map to be a fantasy map. The next step was to start prototyping some visuals and experimenting with how the information should be displayed for the reader. I quickly drew out some possible “setups” for the more practical stuff like the compass, legend/key, title, and reserved space for the actual path illustration.

 

 

I didn’t have much of an idea as to how big my map was even gonna be so it was a little hard to solidify how much space I would actually need. This was my next step. I got on my iPad and started mapping out my path in different styles just to see how much space it takes up in an area.

 

 

I used a random picture of an old map canvas just to get a better idea of what my map could possibly look like if I were to “age” the paper to really give it an old and fantasy feeling in the hands of the reader. Also, given the option of using color, I leaned into using a maroon red color if not just black.

Something I also did was create a collage of the pathway using different cutouts and clips from magazines to mark the trail and its destinations. If you can’t tell, my biggest problem was finding out what information outside of the pathway I should include. I wanted the map to be functional as a map and show an accurate and true-to-life depiction of campus but the surrounding and non-essential stuff was really annoying me (hence why half this map is blank).

 

I continued working toward what the map should look like. I played with two map styles: one that’s flatter in shape and from an aerial view, and one that was at an angle and would allow me to convey depth with perspective. This first one is the more flat map and the ones below are two 3D maps. Messing around with these two styles I realized that most of my stuff is in the left-most area of the North Oval (if you’re facing south) and most of the stuff I needed to communicate the path didn’t depend on anything more than a couple of buildings. This led me to add more nature and really lean into more detail in the area that’s most important to communicating my path.

 

 

So, you’ve probably noticed something already with the 2D map. The VOID in these illustrations is essentially my solution to not really needing to represent anything in the areas without much importance. The map above, without the VOID, could have plenty of detail but it won’t aid the reader and would be entirely for looks. This would take a lot more time for something that wouldn’t really do much for anyone so I literally just created a massive empty space and used line weight and some implied shading to create depth. The goal was to make it look like a completely empty area where the ground had seemingly just disappeared and what lies in place is unknown.

A lot of fantasy maps have empty space whether it be oceans or land coated in trees. However, those maps very rarely show any more detail such as buildings and entire landscapes that are pathed, so I leaned into that on a smaller scale.

There’s a lot of empty space in this map which is something I didn’t want especially because of how small scale my map is compared to this one of Middle Earth.

 


Production

I started leaning into 2D with certain 3D elements. This is demonstrated in some buildings being 3D to show their importance of them (such as Hayes being the start and Orton being a destination) whereas things like trees and other surrounding buildings are still good landmarks but don’t need more detail than some texture, implied shading, and the shape of the thing. My next step was to experiment with the paper where I would draw everything. Since it’s a fantasy map, I want it to have an old and ancient feeling.

I started with my drawing paper (not bristol) and separated some paper I would use to write my instructions onto and draw my map. Using three black tea bags, I boiled a huge pot of tea and cleaned and plugged my sink to allow my paper to soak in it. I also threw in some coffee just to darken it even more.

 

After about 23 minutes of soaking in the bath, I pulled them out and hung them with some magnetic clips. While this dried, I finished my digital illustration of the map.

 

I erased the VOID and of course, wanted to make it look like more than just a black blob on my map. I chose to follow the same steps I did for the VOID with my map iteration that was at an angled view and used it for my 2D map.

Starting with an outline, I gave it a jagged and sometimes smooth shape and included some layers to further illustrate the depth getting lower into it. I added lines and various other small marks to create a texture that was simple and implied a rougher surface. I drew some icons in the Legend to give myself an idea of what kinds of things it should show. As for the texture of the trees, I experimented with

I worked on some ideas for what the texture of the trees could be as it hasn’t been finalized yet at this point.

 

 

I tested this more on paper than digital cause I was gonna be drawing this so that’s why it’s not on the digital screenshot above. The next step was to print the digital and start tracing it onto my “aged” paper. I contacted FedEx Office Print & Ship Center. Once I retrieved my digital print, I set up my light board.

My light board setup consisted of an old monitor, a Chromecast, and my coffee table and couch. Laying the TV across my coffee table and couch. From there, I started tracing onto my “aged” paper.

 

Simply tracing over the outlines, I formed all of the smaller paths first as well as buildings and trees. My biggest concern was the black letter font that I chose for the title. It was the right size and I loved the “old newspaper” look that it had which I also felt worked really well with the fantasy theme.

 

 

The only thing I needed to do after the title was to draw out the legend and finish drawing the VOID and a simplified compass (although I don’t think it’ll add much to the navigation factor, it’s not bad to have).

 


Final Production

Scan of Analog illustration

 


Portfolio Post

View the final project at Space and Time Walk