About me
While I have been drawing maps for fun all my life, I’ve been doing this professionally for almost half a decade. I have worked on over 200 maps for clients at all levels of the publishing world – from new self-published authors making their debuts to USA Today best-selling writers and big, household-name publishers. I have also occasionally worked with clients in the video game industry.
I usually make maps for authors to go in the front matter of books, but I’m completely open to doing maps for display, roleplaying campaigns or other purposes, too. Just drop me an email at dewihargreavesmaps (at) outlook (dot) com, or message me on Twitter at @dewiwrites.
Fantasy maps are my most common order, but I’m perfectly happy to work on historical, contemporary and sci-fi maps as well.
You can view a portfolio of my work here!
The Process
When drawing a map, I need some sort of reference so I know what you’re looking for. I ask for a simple sketch from you that shows the key features you want included and where you want them to go. If you don’t have a sketch, I can work from written instructions, but make sure these are accurate.
After seeing the sketch, I will estimate how long the project will take and give you a quoted price – the price won’t vary much from the rates listed below, but some projects take longer than others, and I will be upfront about that before any work starts.
Once I have your sketch or notes, I draw a rough concept sketch of my own to send back to you, with proposed landmass sizes and the locations of cities, forests, mountain ranges, etc. This is your chance to make any large, overarching changes – moving a continent around, changing the shapes of landmasses or adding entire new sections of forest are much harder to do at the end of the process when the map has already been drawn up, so it saves both of us time if we’re able to get this rough sketch as accurate as possible.
Once you agree on the concept sketch, I will begin drawing the map in earnest. Depending on the project, this can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. I will contact you during this stage if I have any questions, but otherwise I will work off the sketch and notes we have agreed.
At the end of the process, I add the lettering and send the map to you for a final review, where you have chance to ask for changes. For the sake of efficiency, I ask for you to send all your wanted changes at once, no matter how many there are, rather than asking for multiple rounds of smaller tweaks. I do one round of edits for free, and each round after that adds £10 onto the price.
Once you’re happy with the map, I email you the final image files in .png and .jpg formats, along with a PayPal invoice. I can also provide TIFF files if needed.
In short:
- You send me a sketch,
- I give you a price,
- I send you a sketch,
- I draw the map,
- I send the map to you for requested changes,
- I add the lettering,
- I send the map to you for final review,
- I send you an invoice and the final image files.
What I Need From You
If you’re commissioning a map from me, this is the information I need from you:
- A sketch with the important information and landmasses and landmarks included,
- When you need the map completed by,
- What style you want – colour, black and white, etc.
- The size of the map, in inches or centimetres.
- The purpose of the map – display, front of a book, use in a roleplaying game, etc.
Pricing
Generally, a black and white map costs between £210 and £260, while a colour map costs between £300 and £370.
City maps can cost £10 or £20 more than this because they take more time and work to draw.
If you would prefer to pay in multiple smaller instalments, I am happy to discuss payment plans, which I offer with no interest or extra costs.
“Dewi’s work is excellent and I’ve been delighted with his illustrations. His interpretation of my original maps has really brought them to life in a way that far exceeded my expectations. Thoroughly professional throughout the process, I’d highly recommend his services.”
Tim Hardie, author of The Brotherhood of the Eagle fantasy series
I love describing my landscapes, but I have no clue how to draw them. Instead, I send a sketch of my map idea, a few of my favorite landscape photos, and Dewi turns them into gorgeous spreads that make my books look perfect. I can’t praise him enough for his attention to detail, style, or professionalism. Working with him has been easy and enjoyable!
Morgan Shank, author of the Low Country Trilogy
Important Information
COPYRIGHT AND OWNERSHIP: As the original artist of the piece, I keep the copyright, but you get reproduction rights and exclusive use rights. You have the right to use the image in books, prints, stickers, or any other kind of merchandise, including for commercial purposes, as long as you aren’t passing the image off as one you created for yourself. I won’t give these rights to anyone else, so you will be the only other person who is able to use the art in a commercial capacity.
Attribution isn’t required (ie, including ©Dewi Hargreaves somewhere around or on the image), but it is appreciated. I retain the right to use the image in a portfolio or to show to potential clients as an example of my work, but won’t post it publicly until you have, to avoid accidental leaking of embargoed images (for example, if you wanted to do a ‘map reveal’ as part of a book launch).
MY MAP PROCESS: I have a multi-stage process to make this as efficient as possible. I like to give each piece of work my all, and a map takes at least 8 hours of work over several days. Delays caused by errors or hiccups along the way ultimately impact us both. Making sure your notes and sketches are free of errors is vital, because I will draw them the way you present them to me.
STANDARD MAP SIZING: If you don’t specify a size, I draw my maps to a 6 inch by 9 inch scale, in 300ppi resolution – the right size to fit on most single pages of a print book. Let me know if you need a different size!
Dewi Hargreaves 