Thursday, 2 June 2011

Illustrated map of Mexico!


I've just finished an illustrated map of Mexico for this wonderful website:
www.theydrawandtravel.com
Anyone can submit an illustration to this site... you might be familiar with their sister site They Draw and Cook which invited illustrators and designers to submit illustrated recipes. (Mine is here! http://www.theydrawandcook.com/recipes/roasted-butternut-squash-and-sage-risotto-by-katriona-chapman) The brief with They Draw and Travel is to illustrate a map of your favourite town, city or country, and to make it quite personal... focusing on places that you particularly love and also that are less well-known. Click on the map above to see it at full-size!


I found it very hard to narrow my favourite places in Mexico down to a few that would fit on this map... but I also enjoyed illustrating the aspects of Mexico that I particularly love (the amazing natural spaces and wildlife, the archaeological sites and the indigenous communities.) Some of the places I've included aren't necessarily less well-known, but they often get missed out because they're difficult to reach, or miles from anywhere else! But as I found on my first big backpacking trip around Mexico in 2003/2004... the absolute best experiences I had came from travelling as far off the beaten track as possible. Here are close-ups of a few details from my map...

  



Also related to Mexico: click on the image below to check out the section of my blog that documents my love of Mayan art



Also, click on this image to see the 'travel sketches' section of my website (which is dominated by sketches of Mexico!)