How Do You Find a Fantasy Book Mapmaker?
Ever since I started making maps for fantasy books, I’ve been on the hunt for other artists who do the same. Both because I want to see where the field is at and because I just love looking at beautiful maps!
Unfortunately, I haven’t had much luck with internet search results. So I thought I’d put together this general guide to where to find cartographers and who some of my favorite cartography artists are!
The Cartographer’s Guild
The Cartographer’s Guild is a website and forum for mapmakers. It’s the number one spot on the internet where cartographers come together! You have to make an account to join the forums, but you can see so much amazing art there and find artists open for commissions.
There’s groups on Facebook specifically for mapmaking! Admittedly, my knowledge is mostly of the book cover design side of Facebook, but that intersects with the mapmakers. There’s a small and not very active group for fantasy maps (Fantasy Maps), but you might have better luck trying in some of the larger and more active book design groups. The Book Cover Design Marketplace is currently the largest and most active. If you’re in any author groups you can try asking for recommendations there.
Check the Copyright Page!
Is there a book with a fantasy map you particularly love? Check the copyright page and see if you can find out who the artist is. This is one of the most straightforward ways to find either a cover artist or a cartographer.
Take a Look at Some of My Favorite Cartographers
I’ve found a number of fantasy mapmakers whose work I really love. Some of these work with fantasy authors, others focus on the RPG audience.
- Daniël Hasenbos (Daniel’s Maps)
- Francesca Baerald
- Maxime Plasse (Max’s Maps)
Hopefully this helps you along your cartography journey! I’ve also seen some cartographers on Instagram, so it’s probably worth looking there as well.