Map Commission

A Dream Commission  for Wild Eco Retreats

I'm beyond excited to reveal this commissioned piece I created for Wild Eco Retreats, a beautiful forest holiday retreat in the south of France.

I loved working on this project. This was my very first map commission and also the first time I was focusing on a rural location so there was a lot of challenges to sink my teeth into.

My usual work focuses on cities, it was really fun to explore this wild valley and work on a visual language for representing it on the page. The picturesque Hamlet had several interesting buildings to draw, and place on the map but one of the key intentions was to show the surrounding area and some of the amazing walks visitors could set off on.  I was delighted to hear that guests at the retreat have begun to  explore the forest routes more as a result of the map!

One of the best things about this commission was staying in the hamlet and discovering all its treasures, it was such a wonderful relaxing place and I enjoyed walking drawing and relaxing there. It was a really enjoyable piece to work on, sometimes zooming in and making detailed drawings of of the plants, the tangle of brambles and mint leaves and at other times zooming out to capture the lay of the land and the collection of buildings and how the paths wind up the hillside. 

The most challenging part of this artwork was matching the experience of moving through the physical area which is on a hillside with the overview of the geography shown on an ordinance survey style map. I worked closely with the clients to check that my geography accurate before inking and drawing everything in. I used the drawings I made whilst visiting the hamlet of particular locations such as 'The Glade' and the different guest houses in combination with my drawings of the pathways and trees to give the feel of wandering through area.
The clients were very happy with the result, here is what they said:

Drawing the Maison'Dote

The Glade

If you would like to commission an original artwork of a place that is special to you please get in touch. You can find out more about my commissions and the process here.

contact me with your commission project