All items by Joshua Tabti Art

Hand-drawn Cartography inspired by maps of Middle Earth

I’m a cartographer based in London, UK and I draw maps in the style of J.R.R.Tolkien’s maps of Middle Earth.

It all started in the fateful summer of 2019 when I was knocked off my bike and broke my collarbone. Sitting at home with my drawing arm in a sling, I set myself the challenge of drawing Iceland, which had been my home for a year. I had in fact been reminded of Tolkien's beautifully hand drawn mountain ranges by the glaciers of Iceland (and a Joy Division t-shirt ha!) So armed with a wonky dip pen, I set off drawing the map on my lap on folded up paper barely able to move my wrist!

To this day I love to draw with wonky dip pen & ink to create beautiful bird's eye landscapes of far away lands.

Every map is meticulously researched, I used various satellite data sources so that I accurately plot in forest sizes, not least the right species of tree. Drawing terrain is a challenge, I try to precisely depict the skyline of hills and mountains, while keeping to the quasi-medieval style of mountain drawing found in middle-age maps.

I have to say thank you to my friends for supporting me, I wouldn't have started this without their persistent encouragement.