One good thing about making sections of a dungeon in letter size graph paper is that it produces a dungeon fog effect by only making letter size pieces that you can connect as the game progresses.
I recommend adding the XS to your faber castell collection. I got a pack that had your two sizes plus XS and a brush and it's really amazing to work with.
I made thousands of maps for my team, and i have to tell you, drawing them is fun, but they are worth 0 if you can't describe it to them in an interesting way. Gm ing is 90% about story telling 10 about design---
this is perfect for me! As a first time DM working on a session for some of my friends, only some of whom have played before, I really need a small, easy dungeon for them to get through relatively quickly! Thank you!
So pumped for this! I love your artwork but didn't know you did DND art work. I knew you played based off of Sam Tabor and Andy Schrock vlogs and such over the years so to see this from a true fan its just as exciting! very similar to how Revive is run by skateboarders! Keep up the awesome work dude!
I haven't checked out _all_ your videos yet, but if you haven't already done so, I'd love to see the final result of something like this printed up and see how you put it together. I like the idea of printing the sections of the map individually to give, as someone else here in these comments put it, a kind of "fog of war" effect. I just stumbled upon your channel and your art is exactly my cup of tea. I can tell I'm really gonna enjoy watching your videos. :D
I started drawing my maps because I could never figure how to use online tools, honestly? Up until then I had never drawn anything in my life but it came really damn easy, just had to check a few basic tutorials (like yours) on youtube and get some drawing equipment, I'm not as good as you of course but my players loved the dungeons and that's enough for me, it is also really relaxing, 100% would recomend people to start drawing their maps.
It is my first campaign, normally I don’t Dungeon Master. I have a dungeon in my campaign and this tutorial was good, especially becasie I am not good at drawing, it still really worked for me.
Hi, well to start with I think your imagination is amazing, you have influenced me in drawing my first map, I was getting into drawing during when I was on furlough, hopefully I will have ago tomorrow, then I can send it to you, also if your interest, I have some pencil drawings already, I have drawn from other drawings, but I added my own bits, I am just a beginner, but I had interest in art years ago, I like how your drawings come alive, thank you, Dave 🇬🇧
this is amazing man, and it looks so great! I'm gonna check your channel, but I hope you have a video about open space maps. like some forest clearings and etc
you can make a cool maze with interlock cross shaped rooms. in my high school physics class there was a supply of 2mm graph paper that we were always snitching from to make our maps.
Great post, buddy. I'm coming back from using complicated graphics software to make dungeons to using graph paper in the way you've described. Liked the video, looking forward to seeing more!
Dig that map (and fishman inserts [and that shading])! I'm currently planning a session with a maze that uses that laying down pieces of paper method. Drawing sections of the path on index cards.
Do you add all of the shading digitally? I'd be very interested in the rest of the journey from hand-drawing into playable end product. Thanks for making the video!
Thanks Jp for the video. It inspired me to start thinking about how to make dungeon tiles. The results are here: drive.google.com/file/d/1k-b0DItKXQPkjeIw9IzdSZCsZdfacT42/view?usp=sharing drive.google.com/file/d/19qXWXYt7QrM1oUSXDpNC-2psVESchuJs/view?usp=sharing First two tiles (first picture, left ones) I did as I was inspired by what you did in the video. I tested the three-strikes technique from video and it seemed easy and promising. Then I remembered bricklayer technique I used for some drawing long long ago as child. I tested that on few tiles (first picture bottom right). And I saw cool potential to use this is clear visual cue. If I use brick pattern, it means that it is built wall with masonry. If I use three strike pattern, it refers to natural or partially carved caves, With this idea I tested how it will look if I create curved lines to really get there cave feeling (first picture top right) and still keep general shapes of the tile. Then I saw that biggest lines are slightly seen through the paper so it gave me idea to use paper from both sides - on one to have caves and on other to have masonry. Results when some tiles are double-sided is on second picture. Thanks again for video, it gave me solid start for promising project!
Wow your work its really nice and amazing!!! What kind of paper do you use? i know, It's squared, but I mean to the paper itself, is it like bond or different? Now I am goint to see "Drawing a Town Map" hahahahahah. Greetings from Mexico!!!
3:00 You pretty much skip any explanation of your "design" process and jump strait to your drawing process. Why were the first iterations "false starts"? How did you arrive at your outline? How do you manage pacing? Do you worry about a confined space like a cave granting too much favor to melee builds over ranged builds? I assume, as a first level quick crawl, you're not too worried about railroading, but how do you account for that in a more involved campaign?
The texture on the outside of the map is called "hashing" and it represents the "earth" behind the walls (and thickens the walls to make them more obvious). Wen enlarging things in Photoshop/Gimp or whatever, enlarge by 10% each time to maintain image quality -- I suggest making a macro (or Action on PS) to make the process easier.
“Hatching” yeah. Scaling anything up in PS will diminish the quality, especially 10% at a time. My suggestion is to scan at a really high resolution, scale up the dimensions and reduce the resolution all at once. For example, you could scan something at 1200 dpi, scale it up to be 4x as large but reduce the resolution to 300 dpi and not lose too much quality for printing at home.
Maybe someday in the future. Right now we are just enjoying playing together without having the added work of figuring out how to put it on the internet.
So, like anyone deep into UA-cam, i have several channels I subscribe to. Something like 50. A lot of these channels I know are related to each other. Fact fiend's guy writes for today i found out. Metatron collabs with antony cummins. Etc. .... I was definitely not expecting my d&d channels to suggest videos made by my skateboarding channels... but here I am. It's a small world
Jp I know that this Ian a boy a boy d&d which was really cool but what designs would they tell you to make for the shirts of target ? Because I would love to just do Spiderman shirts
Yes! If you scan the map in grayscale, the grid will show up as a very light gray. All you need to do is adjust the levels by pulling the white slider in and the light gray will disappear!
Cool map. But I would suggest for most people who aren't willing to put so much time into drawing the backdrop, tools like Photoshop or even the free Gimp will allow you to create something similar within the matter of say 3 minutes, effectively shaving off the last hour of drawing such a map. It's just an option if you don't feel like it. If anyone would wanna know how to do this in Gimp specifically, I can comment a few steps here.
If you are new, the best thing to do is try out different materials to see what you like. I have use a .05mm mechanical pencil and Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens :)
to start, learn what dice you need for what, then work on making the character. look up online guides if you have to. finally, the DM will teach you rules as you play
Hey, greetings from germany. i was looking in different shop nearby my home and on amazon.de. But i can´t find paper with this blue lines. Can you tell me where you bought yours or how it is exactly called?
@@JPCoovert I found a link on US Amazon, not sure if it will work in Germany. www.amazon.com/Bienfang-Designer-Sheets-11-Inch-Section/dp/B001KZH2CS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=20O3L4SOQZQGA&keywords=bienfang+graph+paper&qid=1577399109&sprefix=Bienfang%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-3 I searched for "Bienfang graph paper" Look for 4x4 grid
I agree, great style on the dungeons. It sure looked good, good enough to sub 👍 ..Need some how-to tabletop crafts to that map? - Beard on and Craft! 🍺
Very nice and inspiring video! I just discovered your channel: I like your stuff and your tone! Message in a bottle: does anyone know an alternative to this Bienfang gridded paper that has this non reproductible feature? I'm looking for a equivalent available in Europe/France...
I don't. There are lots of other map makers out there though! Also, the idea of this video was to show it's not that hard to do it yourself! Just some graph paper, a pen and little bit of time!
@@JPCoovert Hey JP! Thanks for the response. I'm trying to create a quick & dirty map for a "Black Hack" game. The intention is to distribute it with a copy of the Black Hack and some dice to some philosophy for children people at an upcoming conference so that they can use RPG's to teach kids philosophy. Would it be okay to use your map and re-write the descriptions for the areas so they contain philosophically-rich scenarios?
Simple construction paper placed to cover it. Or what I do is get it printed on large paper or draw it on large paper then cut it up room by room. As they enter the room I place it down. If they try to peek into the next room I only give a verbal what you see till they commit to entering the room.
It does take a long time! Even after some practice. My suggestion for practice is to draw a super small room, like 4x4 and very slowly fill that out. It won't take too long because it's a small room and you can try out different angles to see how the pattern connects. Don't get discouraged! You got this!
@@JPCoovert don't have access to the grid paper but I've got some A3 sheets. I'm making the main map then on all the other sheets I'm going to make a map of every region like a forest map etc
One good thing about making sections of a dungeon in letter size graph paper is that it produces a dungeon fog effect by only making letter size pieces that you can connect as the game progresses.
Very good! I liked the fact that you've kept the numbers outside the areas.
dang jp this is awesome! you’ve reinvigorated my need to dm and make dnd resources like EVEN MORE haha
I recommend adding the XS to your faber castell collection. I got a pack that had your two sizes plus XS and a brush and it's really amazing to work with.
I tend to break them because I’m too heavy handed :(
I made thousands of maps for my team, and i have to tell you, drawing them is fun, but they are worth 0 if you can't describe it to them in an interesting way. Gm ing is 90% about story telling 10 about design---
100%! One of the games I run is completely theater of the mind. Tactical maps can be a great way to keep things moving, especially in combat!
That pretty much goes without saying. This is a video about making a dungeon map, not DMing
I 2nd this with saying I didn't make the map for you I made it for me so my brain doesn't explode
this is perfect for me! As a first time DM working on a session for some of my friends, only some of whom have played before, I really need a small, easy dungeon for them to get through relatively quickly! Thank you!
Great map. Love how the cross hatching brings the whole map to life.
So pumped for this! I love your artwork but didn't know you did DND art work. I knew you played based off of Sam Tabor and Andy Schrock vlogs and such over the years so to see this from a true fan its just as exciting! very similar to how Revive is run by skateboarders! Keep up the awesome work dude!
Love your style! And I do agree about the meditative part. Cheers!
funny enough love that i found these to use and didnt even realize you designed Aaron Kyros skateboards and other Revive boards! so awesome
I haven't checked out _all_ your videos yet, but if you haven't already done so, I'd love to see the final result of something like this printed up and see how you put it together. I like the idea of printing the sections of the map individually to give, as someone else here in these comments put it, a kind of "fog of war" effect.
I just stumbled upon your channel and your art is exactly my cup of tea. I can tell I'm really gonna enjoy watching your videos. :D
I love these, more map videos please!
I started drawing my maps because I could never figure how to use online tools, honestly? Up until then I had never drawn anything in my life but it came really damn easy, just had to check a few basic tutorials (like yours) on youtube and get some drawing equipment, I'm not as good as you of course but my players loved the dungeons and that's enough for me, it is also really relaxing, 100% would recomend people to start drawing their maps.
It is my first campaign, normally I don’t Dungeon Master. I have a dungeon in my campaign and this tutorial was good, especially becasie I am not good at drawing, it still really worked for me.
Love hearing this! Hope your campaign goes awesome!
Hi, well to start with I think your imagination is amazing, you have influenced me in drawing my first map, I was getting into drawing during when I was on furlough, hopefully I will have ago tomorrow, then I can send it to you, also if your interest, I have some pencil drawings already, I have drawn from other drawings, but I added my own bits, I am just a beginner, but I had interest in art years ago, I like how your drawings come alive, thank you, Dave 🇬🇧
nice video, you helped me and my friends make other adventures besides the ones we do, thanks bro
Wow that map is awesome I would love to see some gameplay.
I like those awesome tokens you made.
its a old video, but new for me, nice chanel bro! i suscribe
this is amazing man, and it looks so great!
I'm gonna check your channel, but I hope you have a video about open space maps. like some forest clearings and etc
Phenomenal Map! WOW!
This was amazing! It was exactly what I was looking for to help me get started!
So very inspiring! Fantastic video! Thanks for posting!
Ok first you tube d&d video I’ve watched. Dude I’m inspired. I
Thanks for the help
I wish I had someone like u in my group! so creative!
you can make a cool maze with interlock cross shaped rooms. in my high school physics class there was a supply of 2mm graph paper that we were always snitching from to make our maps.
Thank you - looks very cool.
I am you big fan JP coovert
This map is really beautiful, I liked your tutorial ^^
Your channel is amazing i love your vdos
Man
Hi, great video! @10:23 you talked about scanning the maps and blowing them up. Do you have a video about that?
Dude, I am so inspired !
Awesome! Thanks!!
Doing those dashes reminds me of painting miniatures. It can be tedious, but the end result is well worth it.
YES! And sometimes tedious stuff is fun too! INITIATE ZEN MODE!
Great post, buddy. I'm coming back from using complicated graphics software to make dungeons to using graph paper in the way you've described. Liked the video, looking forward to seeing more!
Nice job. Love the waterfall. Is there a video of gameplay? I would love to see it!
Thanks :) No gameplay. Not a confident enough DM yet. Maybe someday!
@@JPCoovert Shucks. Thanks for the quick reply!
Great video. Are you sure you aren't Dyson?
Watched this several times....do more sir
Very well done, good sir.!.!.! Love your encouragement.!.!.! Keep it up dude.!.!.!
Loved this so much! Love your work always
This was great! Thanks!
I am subscribing immediately! Thanks for the advice.
Dig that map (and fishman inserts [and that shading])! I'm currently planning a session with a maze that uses that laying down pieces of paper method. Drawing sections of the path on index cards.
Jason Rainey ohhh! That’s an awesome idea!
tell me about your pen which is used in drawing a Map.
Do you add all of the shading digitally? I'd be very interested in the rest of the journey from hand-drawing into playable end product. Thanks for making the video!
Yes! In photoshop! I will definitely do a video in the future about how to get this stuff into the computer!
@@JPCoovert Awesome. Looking forward to it. Thanks for posting!
Thanks Jp for the video. It inspired me to start thinking about how to make dungeon tiles. The results are here:
drive.google.com/file/d/1k-b0DItKXQPkjeIw9IzdSZCsZdfacT42/view?usp=sharing
drive.google.com/file/d/19qXWXYt7QrM1oUSXDpNC-2psVESchuJs/view?usp=sharing
First two tiles (first picture, left ones) I did as I was inspired by what you did in the video. I tested the three-strikes technique from video and it seemed easy and promising.
Then I remembered bricklayer technique I used for some drawing long long ago as child. I tested that on few tiles (first picture bottom right). And I saw cool potential to use this is clear visual cue. If I use brick pattern, it means that it is built wall with masonry. If I use three strike pattern, it refers to natural or partially carved caves,
With this idea I tested how it will look if I create curved lines to really get there cave feeling (first picture top right) and still keep general shapes of the tile.
Then I saw that biggest lines are slightly seen through the paper so it gave me idea to use paper from both sides - on one to have caves and on other to have masonry. Results when some tiles are double-sided is on second picture.
Thanks again for video, it gave me solid start for promising project!
Thank gods I found this video
Skip intro @3:55
This video was badass thanks for the inspiration
Gorgeous map. Thanks for sharing your skills. :)
Love your content!!! 😊😊
Thanks man, this is very helpful.
What kind of pens do you use again? Please...
Wow your work its really nice and amazing!!! What kind of paper do you use? i know, It's squared, but I mean to the paper itself, is it like bond or different?
Now I am goint to see "Drawing a Town Map" hahahahahah. Greetings from Mexico!!!
very awesome
3:00 You pretty much skip any explanation of your "design" process and jump strait to your drawing process. Why were the first iterations "false starts"? How did you arrive at your outline? How do you manage pacing? Do you worry about a confined space like a cave granting too much favor to melee builds over ranged builds? I assume, as a first level quick crawl, you're not too worried about railroading, but how do you account for that in a more involved campaign?
My answer to all this is too long for a comment. Will definitely make more videos like this and go more in depth on the design side.
@@JPCoovert awesome! Sorry to be so negative! Your video is excellent, I was just looking for something different when I clicked on it.
The texture on the outside of the map is called "hashing" and it represents the "earth" behind the walls (and thickens the walls to make them more obvious).
Wen enlarging things in Photoshop/Gimp or whatever, enlarge by 10% each time to maintain image quality -- I suggest making a macro (or Action on PS) to make the process easier.
“Hatching” yeah. Scaling anything up in PS will diminish the quality, especially 10% at a time. My suggestion is to scan at a really high resolution, scale up the dimensions and reduce the resolution all at once. For example, you could scan something at 1200 dpi, scale it up to be 4x as large but reduce the resolution to 300 dpi and not lose too much quality for printing at home.
That's awesome!
And Jp matbe we can see "gameplay?" Soon of d&d , I would love to see you play with andy, brian, sam , or anyone of the shred quaters
Maybe someday in the future. Right now we are just enjoying playing together without having the added work of figuring out how to put it on the internet.
So how did remove the extra grid lines when you scanned it to digital?
Adjust levels in Photoshop. Or Brightness/Contrast. Or Threshold works too!
I’m watching this because i want my friends round to play d&d
Super inspirational, thanks 🙂 May I ask where your paper minis are from?
ua-cam.com/video/pV88jlL_akc/v-deo.html&ab_channel=JPCoovert
this was very helpfull i actually want to try to design one in minecraft this tetorial will help me a lot with that
That sounds like a lot of fun!
I love your dnd vids
So, like anyone deep into UA-cam, i have several channels I subscribe to. Something like 50.
A lot of these channels I know are related to each other. Fact fiend's guy writes for today i found out. Metatron collabs with antony cummins. Etc.
....
I was definitely not expecting my d&d channels to suggest videos made by my skateboarding channels... but here I am.
It's a small world
how does it blow up to the bigger size? would it be better to draw it big first time?
Should we mark the boss monster room in any way?
Jp I know that this Ian a boy a boy d&d which was really cool but what designs would they tell you to make for the shirts of target ? Because I would love to just do Spiderman shirts
Unfortunately, I never got to do licensed shirts at Target. You can see lots of examples on my website, jpcoovert.com ;)
Just a question on the blue lines... do you need to do anything in photoshop/GIMP to get rid of them for the final piece?
Yes! If you scan the map in grayscale, the grid will show up as a very light gray. All you need to do is adjust the levels by pulling the white slider in and the light gray will disappear!
@@JPCoovert Thanks for your help!
What paper are you drawing on?! its exactly the type of paper im looking for
Hey! thanks for this video! This is not a tutoria, this is a mistical Teaching :)
Thank YOU!
:) Dub ;)
Cool map. But I would suggest for most people who aren't willing to put so much time into drawing the backdrop, tools like Photoshop or even the free Gimp will allow you to create something similar within the matter of say 3 minutes, effectively shaving off the last hour of drawing such a map. It's just an option if you don't feel like it.
If anyone would wanna know how to do this in Gimp specifically, I can comment a few steps here.
I plan on making a video about using PS to create maps in the next month or two ;)
how do you place the monsters on the map ?
The number of monsters depends on your party size and level. But I would just place them around wherever it made sense story-wise.
Can you tell a bit more about the pencils and pens that you use ? Im a 100% newbie :)
If you are new, the best thing to do is try out different materials to see what you like. I have use a .05mm mechanical pencil and Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens :)
@@JPCoovert thx man , just bought at Amazon. I’ll watch your vids and maybe my drawings won’t suck too much 😊
only realised who you where when you said shredquarters
I still don't get how to play d&d 😂
But I love the maps😂
Just find some other people who want to play and a DM. You can all learn together.
to start, learn what dice you need for what, then work on making the character. look up online guides if you have to. finally, the DM will teach you rules as you play
you can find live games here on UA-cam but the best thing would be to find a local game shop and ask if there is a game accepting new members.
Raven North hey who wanna learn to play d&d with me
Hi dude, I am interesting with this dungeon map . Looking for add into my game server .do you have discord we shall proceed next conversation?
Hey, greetings from germany.
i was looking in different shop nearby my home and on amazon.de. But i can´t find paper with this blue lines.
Can you tell me where you bought yours or how it is exactly called?
Look up “Non Photo Blue Graph Paper.” Good luck!
@@JPCoovert I found a link on US Amazon, not sure if it will work in Germany.
www.amazon.com/Bienfang-Designer-Sheets-11-Inch-Section/dp/B001KZH2CS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=20O3L4SOQZQGA&keywords=bienfang+graph+paper&qid=1577399109&sprefix=Bienfang%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-3
I searched for "Bienfang graph paper" Look for 4x4 grid
I agree, great style on the dungeons. It sure looked good, good enough to sub 👍
..Need some how-to tabletop crafts to that map?
- Beard on and Craft! 🍺
Huh... Nice way to spam, I think i'm going to suscribe, seriously. :)
nice map :)
Very nice and inspiring video! I just discovered your channel: I like your stuff and your tone!
Message in a bottle: does anyone know an alternative to this Bienfang gridded paper that has this non reproductible feature? I'm looking for a equivalent available in Europe/France...
Hey jp I love your art and your vids but I’m just saying you said the fabercastel pens were micron pens no offence or anything1:11
Oh yeah, bad habit. Have always called those kind of technical pens microns. Kinda like xerox and photocopier.
In level 46
Should or can we make a map key?
Yeah! I guess it depends on if you are using the map to show the players. Check out the pdf in the description, it has more info!
Muy bueno, me cuesta un poco el idioma, pero se entiende!
What's the smallest paper measurement we can use?
Whatever works for you dude! If you like drawing small, find some tiny graph paper.
I've been known to work on small post-its sometimes.
@@DysonLogos lol that’s fun
Cha'alt!
Do you commission these?
I don't. There are lots of other map makers out there though! Also, the idea of this video was to show it's not that hard to do it yourself! Just some graph paper, a pen and little bit of time!
@@JPCoovert Hey JP! Thanks for the response. I'm trying to create a quick & dirty map for a "Black Hack" game. The intention is to distribute it with a copy of the Black Hack and some dice to some philosophy for children people at an upcoming conference so that they can use RPG's to teach kids philosophy. Would it be okay to use your map and re-write the descriptions for the areas so they contain philosophically-rich scenarios?
@@Dan-sg1ox Yes! That sounds awesome. Thanks very much for asking!
How do you divide each section of the map into it's own sheet of paper though?
I scan it in and divide/enlarge them in Photoshop.
How do you hide the trap if you want to show the map to the players?
I would erase the trap when building out the printable sections. Definitely don't want players seeing that!
I got an question what is hte best way to make it so the players cant see ahead like fog of war
Simple construction paper placed to cover it. Or what I do is get it printed on large paper or draw it on large paper then cut it up room by room. As they enter the room I place it down. If they try to peek into the next room I only give a verbal what you see till they commit to entering the room.
How do people to the edging part so easily it took me hrs and doesn’t even look that great
It doesnt have to look great the first time, it took me 2 months in order for them to look good. All you need to do is enjoy the process of drawing.
It does take a long time! Even after some practice. My suggestion for practice is to draw a super small room, like 4x4 and very slowly fill that out. It won't take too long because it's a small room and you can try out different angles to see how the pattern connects. Don't get discouraged! You got this!
@@JPCoovert exactly! DO NOT get discouraged!
Who doesn't want a dock area in a closed cave!
These maps reminds me of Doom maps.
I draw these on the inside of wrapping paper rolls so we can just use the map
That's a great idea!!!
How would you apply fog of war to that? I love the idea.
@@elirobs26 I generally don't use fog of war but you could use thin cardboard to cover up unrevealed areas
I want to make maps to help me with adventures when I lead my friends in their best quests yet.
DO IT!!!
@@JPCoovert don't have access to the grid paper but I've got some A3 sheets. I'm making the main map then on all the other sheets I'm going to make a map of every region like a forest map etc
I can't find a bold tip 😭
Can i knoe how to erase ballpen traces?
Эпик