Archive for February 2009

‘Amazon’ by Bruce Parry




Penguin, in 2008, commissioned Hand Made Maps Ltd to produce 6 double-page-spread map illustrations to be published in the book ‘Amazon’ to accompany Bruce Parry’s television series. The agreed solution was to create the floor of the Amazon rainforest and use Google Earth maps as print-out to give the effect of the ultimate in technological mapping, in contrast to the primitive surroundings of the rainforest. The photographs show the finished result for Chapter 2, and the developing studio set for the photography of the forest-floor environment. A detailed search was carried out across London for suitable rotting vegetation to simulate the rainforest floor – the boiling pot contains bark, cooking to produce magic medicine.

Unfortunately, the map concept was cancelled as the project developed,  the programme/book became less of a travel narrative and concentrated more on political and social issues, making the need for the six maps redundant.

Motor Yacht Steel


February 24th saw the launch of M.Y. Steel, the latest project from the Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth, UK.  The  four-year building programme, included a commission for a 3 x 1.4 metre map of the world mural from Hand Made Maps Ltd. The work was briefed in December 2008 and hand-drawn on Fabriano 4 Liscio, flat mounted on to Forex exhibition board. As the request was to have the original artwork displayed on the boat, the mounting of the paper was done in advance of the drawing, so there was no risk of creasing on a final mounting of the work. The drawing was mainly executed in shellac based drawing inks for permanence and the use of various staining materials to give the map an ‘aged’ look .  Above are two photographs of work in progress, the piece has yet to be photographed in situ on the boat.

Darwin-Wedgwood Family Tree


Included in the recent re-design of the Museum at Down House, was a new drawing of the Darwin and Wedgwood Family Tree – illustrated by Hand Made Maps Ltd.  The use of the tree plays on the Mulberry tree that grow outside the window on the right of the photograph. The artwork for the Family Tree was done in watercolour with pen and coloured inks. The illustration measure 1500mm x 750mm, was scanned on an A3 Epson 10000 XL scanner, the text and photography was then applied digitally on several layers in Photoshop.  The illustration was enlarged commercially by BAF Ltd., printed on to a plastic-coated paper and pasted to the wall.

The photograph above shows the back of Down House, with the Mulberry tree to the right hand side.

February 2009 – Down House, Kent


The Charles Darwin Museum, Down House, Kent, UK


Hand Made Maps has recently completed several projects for the new permanent exhibition at Down House, Kent. The exhibition, commissioned by English Heritage and designed by Design Map, commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.
Voyage of the Beagle illustrated world map.

Hand Made Maps studio created the illustrated map showing the voyage of the Beagle. The image above shows the map in situ,  boxes mounted on the map containing four of Darwin’s notebooks that went with him on HMS Beagle.
The idea behind the illustration was that although being made in a traditional manner, the artwork was to be of a current stylistic idiom. To achieve this, the map is partly unfinished (in areas of no relevance to the voyage), and the graticule lines of longitude and latitude form a pattern, coloured and textured according to the earth’s climate and giving a vertical/horizontal framework to support the text on the map – all quotes from Darwin’s journal.