6644Invader
Active Member
Hello everyone! I decided to start a thread of my most recent and best quality version of Thrór's Map I've created. For me, The Hobbit was the first book to get me into the fantasy world and is still my favorite book. My dad read it to me in First Grade and ever since, I've been hooked.
I did my first "replica" of the map in elementary school where I printed the map onto paper, soaked it with coffee, and burned the edges. While I was really proud of it then, I became dissatisfied with it as I got older. In junior high, I wanted a better quality version of the map. I printed the map on a transparency and used an overhead projector to display the map on a canvas. I then inked the lines onto the canvas giving me a better quality and large version of the map.
In high school, I again wanted a higher quality version of the map and wanted to be able to make several copies. I used knives and chisels to create a lino cut printing block of the map...this took forever and left some mistakes. But I did achieve making a printing block that allowed me to make duplicate copies of the map. I printed the maps on to heavy paper as well as animal hides like some old maps were.
Now as an adult in my mid 20's, I am seeking to make what I consider to be a "nearly perfect" replica. As before, I want to be able to make multiples and print them on different media. I decided that I could achieve the best results by using waterproof ink and screen printing the map. I looked on the internet for a high resolution version of the map, but did not find anything adequate. I have a friend who owns a high resolution scanner and after buying a well used print of the book, I took the map out and had him scan it at 3000 dpi. I then used a large format printer and had the image printed on transparencies. I split the original scan into 3 parts to each be burned on a separate screen. Using 230 mesh screens, I exposed the emulsion to UV light and burned my screens. If you want more info on the how to's of screen printing, the guys over at Anthem Screen Printing have some good videos https://www.youtube.com/user/anthemscreenprinting. They also have great customer service and I use them for anything screen printing...I really can't say enough good things about them.
As seen in the photo s below, the 1st screen is the main part of the map. It will be inked using black ink. The second screen will be for the front of the map as well but will have some runes and the dragon on it to be printed in red. The third screen has the moon runes on it. The moon runes are a mirror image of how they actually appear so I can print them on the back of the map. The moon runes are the only area on the screen that do not get inked so they will be visible with transmitted light.
As it has a wonderful texture, I am planning to print the map on 100 lb cold rolled water color paper and laminate a second layer to the back so the moon runes will only be visible with transmitted light and not to the naked eye. I am open to any and all suggestions or ideas! I will keep updating this as the project progresses.
Here are the screens:
![IMG_1078[1].JPG](https://therpf-f28a.kxcdn.com/forums/data/attachments/321/321193-76192ebb3fedbce1a12684ce27381418.jpg "IMG_1078[1].JPG")
![IMG_1079[1].JPG](https://therpf-f28a.kxcdn.com/forums/data/attachments/321/321194-1c0475e6ee1ed4e8966d256af14238ad.jpg "IMG_1079[1].JPG")
![IMG_1080[1].JPG](https://therpf-f28a.kxcdn.com/forums/data/attachments/321/321195-5e73f74d56b2f44ac997ca70cac9cddc.jpg "IMG_1080[1].JPG")
I did my first "replica" of the map in elementary school where I printed the map onto paper, soaked it with coffee, and burned the edges. While I was really proud of it then, I became dissatisfied with it as I got older. In junior high, I wanted a better quality version of the map. I printed the map on a transparency and used an overhead projector to display the map on a canvas. I then inked the lines onto the canvas giving me a better quality and large version of the map.
In high school, I again wanted a higher quality version of the map and wanted to be able to make several copies. I used knives and chisels to create a lino cut printing block of the map...this took forever and left some mistakes. But I did achieve making a printing block that allowed me to make duplicate copies of the map. I printed the maps on to heavy paper as well as animal hides like some old maps were.
Now as an adult in my mid 20's, I am seeking to make what I consider to be a "nearly perfect" replica. As before, I want to be able to make multiples and print them on different media. I decided that I could achieve the best results by using waterproof ink and screen printing the map. I looked on the internet for a high resolution version of the map, but did not find anything adequate. I have a friend who owns a high resolution scanner and after buying a well used print of the book, I took the map out and had him scan it at 3000 dpi. I then used a large format printer and had the image printed on transparencies. I split the original scan into 3 parts to each be burned on a separate screen. Using 230 mesh screens, I exposed the emulsion to UV light and burned my screens. If you want more info on the how to's of screen printing, the guys over at Anthem Screen Printing have some good videos https://www.youtube.com/user/anthemscreenprinting. They also have great customer service and I use them for anything screen printing...I really can't say enough good things about them.
As seen in the photo s below, the 1st screen is the main part of the map. It will be inked using black ink. The second screen will be for the front of the map as well but will have some runes and the dragon on it to be printed in red. The third screen has the moon runes on it. The moon runes are a mirror image of how they actually appear so I can print them on the back of the map. The moon runes are the only area on the screen that do not get inked so they will be visible with transmitted light.
As it has a wonderful texture, I am planning to print the map on 100 lb cold rolled water color paper and laminate a second layer to the back so the moon runes will only be visible with transmitted light and not to the naked eye. I am open to any and all suggestions or ideas! I will keep updating this as the project progresses.
Here are the screens:
