Drawing the Entire Planet by Hand: A Wild World Map of Nature - Anton Thomas

Drawing the Entire Planet by Hand: A Wild World Map of Nature
Anton Thomas
Since childhood, I've dreamt of a map of nature. One that depicts Earth without the complications of the human world, representing physical geography via the beauty of landscapes, and placing wildlife in the starring role. With all the intensity of modernity, it's easy to forget that we cohabit Earth with countless other lifeforms. And so, in 2020, I commenced Wild World. My take on a physical world map, it was recently completed after three painstaking years of work. It is a vast, hand-drawn compendium of nature with over 1,500 animals roaming it. Set in the present day, it celebrates a world around us that can still be cherished and protected. Join me on a tour of the planet as I discuss its themes and how it was made.
This presentation was made at the 2023 annual meeting of the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS). For more information on NACIS, check out NACIS.org.