Map Art for Kid's Rooms - And maybe yours!

There are maps.  There is art. And then there is map-art which tells a story.

I've been doing a number of murals for kid's rooms lately.  (But at my age, anyone under 60 years old is a kid!)  Parents of the child want something extra instead of a regular nautical chart mural. That "something extra" might be a mural that tells a story.

Here is a good example.  The story of the early explorers seeking the fabled "Northwest Passage" is a story that is complicated, but fascinating. For a child interested in the early explorers on the North American continent, this mural would be ideal.

Often you may get lucky and find something similar to this map or you might find the map first, then using clip art, create your own story using Photoshop, or a similar program.

Or maybe the story is simply the animals and birds you might find in a certain area. it is easy to find clip art of just about any animal you can name -- but if you are doing this yourself, be sure to resize the clip art so that the size is similar to other animals you use.  A giant puffin and a small polar bear would look odd.  You get the idea.

What is a must is that the map-art you find must be a high-quality print, or it will look strange when enlarged to mural size; i.e., grainy, diffused, seemingly out-of-focus.  Also beware of copyright issues when selecting your art.  A phone call requesting permission of the artist is well-advised.  But if the art is old enough and in the public domain, you are free to use it for a mural!