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I've been in love with maps since I was a little girl, and while I might still have trouble navigating with them, they spark my wanderlust and make me dream of far away places and adventures yet to be had.

I was recently given a review copy of The Art of Map Illustration: A Step-By-Step Artistic Exploration of Contemporary Cartography and Mapmaking by James Gulliver Hancock, Hennie Haworth, Stuart Hill and Sarah King and I have been having SO much fun working my way through it. There are over 75 examples of beautifully illustrated maps, along with all the techniques, tricks, and tips you need to create your own! 

For my first illustrated map I'm drawing the downtown Edmonds city center. We've recently moved to the Seattle area and I've fallen in love with Edmonds. It has views of The Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, and is filled with the cutest little cafes, restaurants, bookstores, galleries and art shops you'll ever find! This is a work in progress (I plan to add a lot more of my favorite shops) but here's what I've done so far. I've got the Edmonds Ferry, Art Spot, Salt & Iron restaurant and the little water fountain in the center of town.

Have you ever drawn your own map? Leave me a comment and let me know!