Uncategorized – Sutherland Maps

An Anniversary Trip: Mapping the Beauty of Scotland

The idea of travelling to Scotland had long been in the back of my mind. Being the land of my heritage I had a desire to go but it wasn’t until my wife loving suggested going as an anniversary trip that the idea came to fruition.

Anyone who knows me well knows that when I live in/travel to a new place I want to make a map of it. So once the trip was finalized I began work on making a map of Scotland just over a month from the trip on March 25, 2025 (which also happens to be my birthday). I didn’t get to far on the outline before leaving but I started thinking through the layout and symbols, etc.

After defining the symbols and colors I moved my attention to the layout. On more recent project’s I’ve been visualizing this in GIS software (Either ArcPro or QGIS will do). Below is a screenshot of the header layout which gives a decent idea of the process. Using the map layouts gridlines, I pinpointed where different parts of each letter will go. The same is then true for the rest of my map, using an underlying reference basemap.

This then gives us the above. Text that is centered and spaced correctly in proportion to the rest of the map. I then repeating this process hundreds of times to begin building the map seen below.

Working to add features in after making many control points with the layout grid

One question I’ve gotten is why angle the map slightly? When visualizing Scotland in the 24 by 36 in layout I found that the slight tilt helped me to maximize feature size with the British National Grid (or Ordnance Survey National Grid).

The work of adding in those many features in

When drawing in features such as the highland cow compass rose I created a grid lightly in pencil to guide me.

Drawing in the highland cow with a faintly seen reference grid

Slowly but surely the progress continued not only with the compass rose, but other prominent animals in Scotland.

Sheep, Otters, and Puffins were the three I decided to include. Faint grids sketched in pencil once again helped me created these beautiful creatures

How did I choose what features to include? What places, trails, attractions, etc.? This is one of my favorite parts of the process. I got to dive into the data and select what I believed best captured the spirit of the map. I parsed through two different Atlases of Scotland, scoured tourist websites, pulled data into GIS software, and panned Google Maps for quite a while. What I decided to focus on was creating a general reference map that had my own personal touch with fun quirks (what those are you’ll have to see for yourself :)).

One of my many reference sources for the project, my Navigator Atlas of Scotland

Why feature certain mountains, bodies of water, towns, features, etc.? More often than not I chose the largest mountain/lochs/etc. because they tended to stand out more. But other times I chose what named features had shorter names that fit the open space better. It really was a mixed bag

Viewing the Cairngorms National Park, one place of many where deciding what to include was difficult

My goal was to create a map that you could hang on your wall as art or use for general navigation if needed. Your motorways along with Class A/B roads are included. While this may not get you all the way to your destination it’ll at least keep you off your GPS somewhat.

The many roads, trails, and railroads just north of Glasgow near Loch Lomond

One of the fun additions to the map was a nod to the Loch Ness monster.

Isle of Skye was one of the many places my wife and I visited. It’s a good example of highlighting the many ferry routes that reach its shores, connecting residents and visitors to other islands.

After 140 hours of work over six months I was thrilled to finish the map you see below. The only digital edits I made were some slight color correction and ramping up the colors in Photoshop. I’ve loved every map I’ve made but I believe that as I continue to work on my artistic skills that God’s given me, that each map gets better and better.

This map will always remind me of that wonderful anniversary trip that God blessed us with.

Map Credits

And now I get to share it with others which I am incredibly grateful for.

My wife and I at Dunrobin Castle, taking some epic anniversary pcitures

On top of Ben Venue on a clear sky day in the Trossach’s

If you’re interested in acquiring a copy of the map you can find it on Etsy! Also, feel free to share feedback at michael@sutherlandmaps.com

Creating a map of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula

Why of all places Michigan for my next map? Good question! Most maps I’ve created have been places I’ve visited/lived in. To me exploring a place is the motivation I need to make a map of it. After seeing how well the Pennsylvania state map sold at a recent craft show I wanted to do another state. Growing up I visited Michigan often, mostly around Grand Rapids to see family. During those trips we’d go to Lake Michigan, ride our bikes around Mackinaw Island, canoe across lakes and much more. The more I’ve explored the state the more making a map of it just made sense.

I’ll only cover the lower peninsula in this map. An 18 by 24 in sheet of paper fits that area well. If I included the Upper Peninsula I’d miss out on many details I was hoping to capture such as small towns, state parks, and possibly longer distance hiking/biking trails. Currently I’m halfway through coloring the state as seen below (Also, please excuse the image quality. Cell phone cameras can only do so much).

My process here so far has been the similar to most maps. I did use GIS software though to visualize how the map would look in a 18 by 24in layout. I took a few measurements for where certain cities, boundaries, highway interchanges, etc should be. From there I then started sketching the map in pencil before going back, erasing it, and using color pencil to now fill in the state details.

At this point I hope to finish the map by the fall. With life’s busyness that estimate may change but as long as get in a few hours a week it should be doable.

The major cities of Western Michigan: Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing

Anything you’d like to see included in the map? I’m always open to suggestions. Until then happy mapping!

My take on “Diary of a Mad Planner” by Robert Snetsinger

Today’s post comes from my now retired blog “A Place for People.” I hope you enjoy reading my thought from 5 years ago about city planning.

Recently I finished reading a new book title “Diary of a Mad Planner” by Robert Snetsinger. This book talks about his personal experiences of being involved with city planning in his town with the many issues that come up. And even though it was released in 1976 I still find it to be extremely relevant to the planning issues of today.

The front cover of “Diary of a Mad Planner”

What Snetsinger points out is that,

“Most of the public responses to planning are emotional rather than rational. If a piece of land has not been developed, no one concerns themselves. However, when the trees are removed and the construction of a gas station commences on this piece of land, all the neighbors object, even if the style of the service station was designed to match the neighborhood.”

Then Snetsinger shares this statement where he says that,

“What planners fail to do is visualize different future alternatives for the public. A colored map denoting C-1 doesn’t mean much to most people. However, if you selected the worst possible enterprises – like a stockyard or a buffalo chip embalmer – and indicated that such enterprises could be placed next to their $60,000 home, then maybe someone would understand.”

The frustrations over understanding zoning regulations portrayed by a planner. If it is frustrating for him to understand, how much more so for the uneducated general public?

What the public needs is clear, straightforward descriptions of what could possibly happen in their area to help and avoid these sudden emotional responses. This is not to say that their can not be emotional responses to what land is used for, but unless we educate the public on planning issues we will continue to face the same issues that Snetsinger saw back in the 1970’s.

Lastly, after talking about a longing for people to care for others with the planning decisions that are made the book with a speech similar to Martin Luther King Juniors I have a dream speech.

Snetsinger says,

“…I will dream of a time when land is no longer merchandise, but has a bill of rights to protect it from exploitation, when cities are again centers of the higher arts and the good life, when builders understand the physical, biological, and artistic properties of their construction materials, when truck drivers own library cards, public meetings are well attended, and politicians are not all lawyers. Buildings will be designed by architectural firms that have consulting janitors, policemen, window washers, pest-control operators, and firemen on their staffs, Sidewalks will be poured with a slope, so that water from melting snow will run off, and biologists will help to design and plan cities.

Then some bright May morning my daughter’s family will pack a picnic lunch and travel by bicycle to visit a field of yellow lady’s slippers. Her family will not have to approach the field secretively for fear of exposing these flower gems to ignoble plant collectors or other ignotamuses. The field of orchids will be protected from land developers, because all the citizenry of the community will recognize that a field of orchids is more valuable than thirty home sites. No hose lover would dare canter his mare here nor would a park director dream of constructing a baseball field near this site. Even the highway engineer dare not intrude, because all of America is a community of lady’s slipper lovers.”

Do we value beautiful land the way Snetsinger does? Do we truly value protecting it for all people?

A place for people is one where the community comes together and sees a higher value in great places for it’s citizens and Snetsinger’s vision in this book is one that continues to motivate me to work towards creating great places for people.

How I create a typical hand-drawn map: Acadia National Park

Every project typically starts with a dream. Sometimes they’ve been since childhood, other times from trips, and other times from wanting to make a better map of a place.

When it comes to the Acadia map the idea first came in 2019 when I was able to visit the park with friends. I had heard stories from my parents about the steep rock faces meeting the sea in a jarringly beautiful landscape. I had scoured their old Appalachian Mountain Club trail booklet describing the parks different trails and wanted to explore the steepest trails of all.

Once I was in Bar Harbor I found a fantastic map of the park and it’s trails. One would say then why should I draw my own. It’s not that I could do it any better than other cartographers but a map to me is a love letter to a place. I wanted to do that for the park.

As with most maps the ideas have been birthed on family vacations when I have time to draw. In this case I believe I began creating Acadia while in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, in August of 2020. Part of me at first doubts that these projects will turning into anything but then a year or so later a map is produced.

From the outset of a project I’ll take out my sketching pad and make a diagram of the size and layout of what I think the map should look like. This will include the map extent, where the logo, scale bar, legend, north arrow should be. I’ll also break down what elements I’d like in the map such as roads, trails, land uses, etc and take my colored pencils, coloring until I find the right colors to use.

My sketchpad with ideas for the Acadia map.

I’ve always used individual sheets of paper (typically a 9″ by 12′ size) to make my maps. I’ve always found it difficult to draw everythign on one sheet of paper. Plus its easier to store everything in a stack and put it together at the end. I then beginning drawing in pencil, slowly but surely sketching everything out in pencil using many different control points.

By this I mean typically measuring out distances on google and creating a conversion scale (ex. Distance on google is 0.5 mi so I could equate it to 3 inches in legnth on the map I’m drawing) and use that to build the map. Progress is usually slow and steady. A few hours can fly by and what seems like only minutes. Doing a little work every day can add up and typically in under six months a project can be sketched out.

A little more than halfway through drawing the map.

Then comes the fun of erasing it all, leaving a faint outline behind to use to color everything in with colored pencils. Typically this process of coloring will take anywhere from three to six months, as I’ll also draw in the legend, logo, scale bar, north arrow, etc at this point. At this point to finish the map I’ll tape the sheets together, lining up the sheets as best as possible.

The final map taped together before scanning.

Something that I’ve done on more recent projects is scanning the maps at DRS Imaging and print in Doylestown. Their high quality cruse scanner has produced digital images of my maps for printing. before that step though I’ll digitally remove the paper lines in Adobe Photoshop, another rather time-consuming step that’s well worth it.

And before you know it we have a beautiful map of a national park many people treasure. If you’re interested in copies of the Acadia map you can find it here on Etsy or on Worpress right here.