ROYALE MAPS NEWS

CARTOGRAPHY, TRAVEL & DESIGN

The fairies of Iceland and the Isle of Man

I’ve noticed that both Iceland and the Isle of Man have striking similarities when it comes to their belief in mystical land protectors and fairies.  I find it fascinating, and with the barrier between the spiritual and physical world thinning at this time of year, I believe now is the

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Map of Florida with Keys

Making a map of Florida State.

I hand-draw my maps. Every line, every tree, every beast—every single thing you see is hand-drawn. Even the typeface used on my maps is homemade and unique to Royale Maps.  And because everything is handmade, nothing is obvious or programmed; a creative decision is made for every item I place

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Northen lights or Aurora viewed from space

What are the Northern Lights?

Northern Lights Explained: Short and Sweet   The sun emits solar particles into space. Earth receives these particles, and they react with our atmosphere. This reaction between the solar particles and our atmosphere produces the beautiful colors in the sky that we call Aurora. For those who prefer a more

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Athens the birthplace of Atlantis

The quest for Atlantis

No one knew better than Plato how to invent a ‘noble lie’. Benjamin Jowett, M.A Tweet Atlantis: The Most Elusive Island in History Randomly place your finger on a map, and chances are I could find you an interpretation of Plato’s Dialogues asserting that Atlantis is precisely where your finger

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working on the map of Iceland

Or…The Best Map of Iceland.

Why is designing the Map of California so laborious? Marketing-wise, it’s a good one: plenty of visitors, inhabitants, dreamers… potential buyers. When in doubt, a friend I recently met advised me to simply ask myself this: “does it feel right, or does it feel off?” Relying on feeling instead of

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New illustrated map of California

The best map of California?

It’s been too long. Side projects have veered me away from cartography and it’s time I injected some love back into Royale Maps. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given to work on a piece of Manx cultural heritage that will long outlast

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Butterfly season is here!

It’s that time of year again, longer days, life rising from the ground up, daffodils bringing some much-needed warmth with their vibrant yellows and… fluttering butterflies. This year, four species of butterflies require our attention: the wall, the comma, the holly blue, and the orange-tip. Butterflies might not be as

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carta marina monster map

CARTA MARINA or the monster map.

Among the things that inspired us to create Royale Maps was the Carta Marina.  But what is the Carta Marina? The Carta Marina is a map of Scandinavia. It was made in Rome by a man named Olaus Magnus. The Swedish Olaus Magnus was a Catholic ecclesiastic and a writer

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