Cool Cartography: The Art Of Mapmaking

Mind the Map, a new collection of artwork published by Gestalten, shows the skill, humour and care involved in map design, including one depicting New York’s smells, and a meticulously hand-painted ski map.

Whistler village, Canada, by James Niehues

One of the most prolific ski-trail mapmakers at work, Niehues is known for extreme attention to detail, giving unique form, structure and shadows to trees, or adding cars to resort parking lots. He usually begins by gathering images of his subject from various angles, including archival photos and flying around the area at various elevations. A medium-size ski resort takes two to four days to sketch and seven to 10 days to paint. Larger regions have taken weeks. Continue reading »