Happiness in Every Direction

Another of my new Wayfinding series:

Happiness Street Sign, 8" x 10"

You can find prints in my Etsy shop and goods for home and self in the Wayfinding section of my Zazzle shop.

I am so excited about these! I am bursting with ideas for the signs, and just like with my maps, I have many, many more ideas that I have time to draw them.

Happy adventuring!

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Find Your Way to Amazing Things...

I am so pleased to announce my Wayfinding series of illustrations:

Adventures Street Sign, 8" x 10"

You'll find prints of three different street signs to amazing places in the Wayfinding section of my Etsy shop, and there will be more to come, as well as different sizes, in the near future.

The signs will also be available on all kinds of goods in the Interimaginational Zazzle shop this week.

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The City of Mapperly Love

Philadelphia, PA, ink and watercolor on paper, 16.667" x 6.25"

This is my entry for They Draw & Travel's recent map contest.

It was my first big map since Connor was born - one of the biggest I've done, actually - and it was good to work under deadline again. I originally hoped to do maps of multiple cities - Philly, Reno, Los Angeles - but in the end, decided to put all my energy and time into one great map, and I'm glad I did.

Of course, I did waste away half of that time and energy moaning over how many of my favorite shops and restaurants have closed since I moved to Virginia. And most of the rest of the time and energy trying to whittle down the list of things to include. It was impossible to include every building or landmark I wanted to - I've always thought of Philadelphia as a small city, but it really isn't, and even just the walkable portions of Center City and Old City (the actual map above) are chock-full of interesting things - so I aimed for a nice balance of cool-looking buildings, historical and personal landmarks, and geographic balance.

I'm very proud of it, and also proud to be part of such a great group of mapmakers. Take a look around They Draw & Travel's site to see amazing maps in every style imaginable!

I may be offering prints of this in my Etsy shop, but in the meantime, you can find large poster versions and other goodies in the Interimaginational Zazzle shop, and They Draw & Travel will also be offering prints on canvas soon.

Tour de Shore Bike Race Map

I am working on a map of Philadelphia for the They Draw & Travel contest I wrote about today on Cartophilia, and in the process of looking for reference photos, found this map on my hard drive. A friend of mine commissioned it two years ago to commemorate the annual Tour de Shore bike ride from the Irish Pub in Philadelphia, PA, to the Irish Pub in Atlantic City, NJ.

I was uncomfortable with this map while drawing it, and for a long time after, because it was so necessary to include people in it, and I don't draw people very often, so I'm not skilled at them. These bicyclists brought me all sorts of angst, but my client loved them, especially the ones who represent real people, and now that I look at them, I don't think they're that bad. The leprechaun could maybe stand to gain a few pounds (more potatoes! more Guinness!), but for the most part, I am kind of fond of them.

Overall, though, I have always been pleased with this map, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to create it. If you're in the Philadelphia area, I've been told the original is now framed and hanging in the Irish Pub, although I haven't had the opportunity to see it myself. We'll be heading up there later this summer, so I will make sure that's finally a stop on the agenda.

Sharing the Love of Maps on Cartophilia

I'm very excited to be a new contributor to the blog Cartophilia: Maps and Map Memorabilia; I just posted my introductory post, featuring, among other things, a map I brought back from Ireland when I was 14.