My Moleskine
That title should probably read “Mapping, Moleskines and I”, but I love alliteration.
You know how you see every amateur artist (and many pros) lugging around a nice sketchbook everywhere they go? And of course authors typically keep a journal where they can record anything they want to use later. Well, with all the positive attention my maps get, I figured it was time to step up my game a bit and get a dedicated notebook specifically for mapping that I can carry everywhere with me instead of the various books I carry that generally only fit in my backpack.
So, I went out and bought myself a Moleskine graph-paper reporter-style notebook. The reporter-style notebook is 3.5 inches by 5.5 inches and has the spine at the “top” of the page instead of the “side”, so if you lay it out like a regular book, it is a landscape format. It is gridded ina nice pale grid at 5 squares per inch (slightly smaller than the standard 4 quad graph paper). The paper is quite nice and I love the feel of my gel pens on it, although like most paper the gel pen use means that I can’t use both sides of the page – the ink doesn’t actually bleed through, but the material is clearly visible from the other side.
One of the most common comments to my maps is wonderment at the quality of the work involved. I’m not much of an artist – I can’t draw a person, an animal, or even a piece of fruit. But I have been practicing drawing maps for well over a year now and the result of that practice are the maps on this site. So what I recommend to everyone who likes my work is to go out, buy a dedicated mapping notebook, and map.
The other thing that caught my attention, however, is the Moleskine Cities series. Hardcover notebooks with city maps inside them and lots of room to put your notes in it as you explore. I’m thinking that moving to Montreal would be worth it because there is a Montreal Moleskine, and alas there isn’t one for Ottawa. I am a complete and utter map addict.
So, what’s the first thing I draw in my brand new Moleskine?
A map that is basically a big geomorph (17 squares by 17 squares). I’ve got geomorphs on the brain.
I’ll post the scan this Friday.
I use these ALL the time. They are available in a larger size that is still smaller than the average copybook, but, personally, I love the smaller version. And they come in standard notebook style or reporter style as you have shown.
Highly recommended!
Ciao!
GW
This may not be the right place to ask the question, but it seems as good a place as any. I really like the cross-hatch style you put into the negative space of your maps. Is that something that you do only after the map is done, or do you add some of it as you go? Where/When/How did you come up with this style? It’s pretty distinctive compared to empty space or completely filled space. I’ve always used just simple diagonal striping, but yours is definitely more comfortable to look at.
Ooh, Lee’s question made me think that a video of you drawing a map would be a wonderful thing. If that already exists, would you please link me up?
(Damn, spelled my own title wrong.)
Actually, “Mapping, Moleskins & Me” is the correct grammar. Don’t change a thing!
The Moleskine is a great idea. I’m thinking about doing something similar!
Moleskines! Glad to know others us them. I love them too, especially for small maps and notes (I like the soft cover squared notebook). I always feel a bit pretentious and guilty at the expense, but they hold up to abuse better than composition books, and they’re solid but flexible, and easy to travel with.
So easy to get me to gush.
What kind of pen do you use?
Where do you purchase your moleskines?
Moleskine Cities… I hear you.
There was one that I desperately wanted to buy: Tokyo. But that only came out mere days after my return from Tokyo, so it wouldn’t have helped me. (There was no way in getting it two weeks earlier – I tried.)