Have you ever wanted to make your own awesome Elder Scrolls map? You know, the type of map that looks like it’s drawn on ancient parchment? Well now you can! Just follow this simple tutorial, and you’ll have your very own Elder Scrolls map in your hands within ten minutes.
Things needed to make an awesome Elder Scrolls map:
- Laser printer (an inkjet printer might work, but the colors will bleed due to the fact that the paper will be getting wet)
- Instant coffee
- Cardstock (8.5 inches X 11 inches)
- An old paint brush
- A cookie sheet pan
- An oven
All right, now that we have our materials ready, let’s get started!
Step #1
Print Your Map: Using your laser printer, print a copy of an Elder Scrolls map on a piece of cardstock.
Click here for the printable map image I used for this tutorial.
Step #2
Preheat Your Oven: Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F.
Step #3
Brew Your Coffee: Add two tablespoons of instant coffee to a mug of hot water and stir it up, making sure that all the coffee crystals disolve. The color of your map depends on the amount of coffee you add. One tablespoon will give your map a milky white color, two will give it a nice parchment look, three will give it a very dark parchment look, and so on.
Step #4
Paint The Back Of Your Map: Place your Elder Scrolls map face down on the cookie sheet pan. Using your old paint brush, start painting the back of the map with your brewed coffee. Don’t worry about making perfect brush strokes — the sloppier the paint job looks, the better. Just make sure to cover the entire surface with coffee, or you might have blank white spots that will ruin the overall effect of your map.
Step #5
Paint The Front Of Your Map: Flip your Elder Scrolls map over and repeat step #4, making sure to cover the entire front with coffee.
Step #6
Bake Your Map: Now that your Elder Scrolls map is painted with coffee on both sides, bake the map on the cookie sheet pan in your 200 degrees F. preheated oven for 5 minutes. Do not leave the oven unattended!
Step #7
Remove Your Map: Once the 5 minutes are up, take your Elder Scrolls map out of the oven. If the map still feels damp, you can bake it for another minute or so until it’s dry.
Step #8
Give The Edges An Aged Look: This step is optional, but it’s easy to give your Elder Scrolls map aged edges for an especially weather-beaten look. Hold the side of your map under the sink and run water over the edges. Once the edges are wet, carefully rip the paper in desired spots. This will add a nice water damaged look to your map, which adds to the overall effect.
This step will make your map wet again. Don’t put it back into the oven (I did this and it stuck to the pan horribly!). Just set the wet Elder Scrolls map aside and it should be dry within a few minutes.
That’s it! Once dry, you’ll have your very own awesome Elder Scrolls map. Go ahead and admire your work, and show your map off to your friends (they’ll be amazed and want one for themselves!).
