About
About Wildwood Maps
Wildwood Maps is a small Australian studio run by artist Alexander Broers, dedicated to creating hand-drawn, bespoke maps that celebrate the wild corners of the world. The studio began life under the name Cartography Chronicles back in 2020, and recently changed its name to Wildwood Maps at the beginning of 2022.
A cornerstone of what I do is that everything is completely drawn by hand using pencil, pen, inks and other mediums (and an abundance of strong coffee!).In an age where most things are computerised and online, it's extremely satisfying to make a detailed, hand drawn map that is packed full of character. These cartographic works don't just tell you where some place is, but gives you a hint of adventure; dark mountain ranges, ancient forests, rolling plains, camping fires.
I started creating these maps as a fun project to combine my interests in the world's wild places, antique cartography and fantasy/ historical novels. My inspiration came from a eclectic mix of sources that I've enjoyed over the years; some of these are Patrick O' Brian's famous Aubrey and Maturin novels, many outdoor adventures, Christopher Tolkien's own maps, travelling to distant countries, reading Wilfred Thesiger's biography on crossing the Empty Quarter Desert (I didn't finish it but the map is epic!), dabbling in fine art, and more.
The first map I made was of one of my favourite places; Australia's Victorian High Country. There's something very special about those exposed ridge lines, crisp mountain air and wild weather. That first one was so enjoyable that I ended up making more. Researching and learning about places is very enjoyable; learning the layout of a particular coastline, deep diving into the history of a town name or simply discovering that Tasmania has hundreds of giant trees are just some of the things I truly enjoy about the process. Not to mention there are some seriously fun names of towns and other locations, especially in Australia.
I hope you enjoy these maps as much as I do. When I look at them I can almost hear the crackle of a camp fire, smell the earth scent of a forest and see mountain peaks breaking through the misty horizon. They were an absolute pleasure to draw.
- Alexander Broers, Wildwood Maps