This is really beautiful stuff. I normally draw maps with the thinnest pen available and get overwhelmed trying to add detail. The bit about "without thinking or measuring things" really resonated with me. Now I'm on the hunt for a soft pencil and isometric paper!!

One thing that might be worth saying about reflections in water is that you might be tempted to line the reflection up with your grid, but reflections are all to do with how light hits the eye or camera from the intervening surface. So since we're viewing this isometric map from a 45° angle, the reflections will always go downwards on the page, towards us. So I guess it breaks the isometric rules in a sense but otherwise itll look OFF in a strange way that might be hard to pin point if you try and line your reflections up with your grid, and your water won't look very watery. So if you're thinking of trying isometric water, maybe bear that in mind!

Every time I see these videos pop up I get excited to learn about something specific in depth for the next 10 minutes. Really enjoyed them all so far, thanks Kyle!

I have now fallen in love with isometric dungeons, thank you.

Would you like to do a video on more special types of textures? Such as ice/glaciers, or a sand floor??? Maybe a floor texture that represents underbrush in a forest while not diminishing the grids? I often end up with an unreadable mass of lines...

Bro, I don't know why your channel got recommended, but this is beautiful! I may not play tabletop games, but I am an artist and this is such a cool video! You got a subscriber :)

i love how mathamatically perfect the isometric map is

I don't even draw/play with dungeons, but came here for the drawing tips. Still amazing stuff. Never thought that just having a grid base to guide you would make such a big difference. Very nice!

Aha! I hear you listening to KOBOLD! cave of the lost talisman :P excellent advice, it really is about that volume- whenever and whatever you're drawing.

This morning I literally was like,damn I'd love to know how to draw a dungeon map.Now i open youtube and here I am

Oh man, as a DnD player hand drawing maps like this is almost insane to me! But as an artist, I love the phrase, "Let this hand drawn (art) be hand drawn". If we wanted perfect, or whatever, we would be printing in the first place.

Found this channel by chance scrolling through twitter. So glad I did it! Awesome maps!

Needed this. Not as a map maker but a drawer

I'm really impacted by the arts style but by also how you drew the room gave me though that you can make battle maps more complex by giving them a 3d dimension. Its epic.

ooh man! now I have to think about a scene that I can draw out like this! This looks really great once again :-) Good and easy to follow tips as well :D

I spell words out of order very often. I always feel a bit of shame, I don't really know why, especially since usually nobody is watching. It is weirdly comforting to see you do it in video! Thanks! (And thanks as well for all the cool tips of course!)

This is incredibly useful, thank you! Definitely binging the rest of your vids

"...and really make sure that these details reed." ... I see what you did there.

I've been backing up and listening/referencing parts of this for well over 20 minutes straight while working on my first ever isometric tilemap. I'm in love with your explainations of your methods, and I'm letting myself make imperfections. What's even crazier, those imperfections keep turning into more unique little details that i could never have thought up on my own. Basically this is a long ass way of saying THANK YOU.

Somehow this is helpful for my short comic or arts

Well done, sir. I appreciate you sharing your talent.

You are the Bob Ross of map making

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="105">1:45</a> yeah that tile group is definitely a trap

I'm getting back into art, Your videos help along, thank you

Great tips! Thank you for sharing.

holly shit. this was amazingly concise and easy to follow.

Great Video! I didn't know how to draw different textures with a pencil but this video made it really clear.

Just beautiful, I learned a lot really fast

I don't understand anything 'cause I don't know English very well, but it's damn interesting and useful.

this is beautiful!!

Nice job I learned some good tips. Thank you.

ty, wonderful guide

I learned a lot for my indie game. Thank you.

This is just helping for texturing in general

Thank you!

Thank you, great lesson!

This was awesome! Really succinct and useful, also encouraging. You did make it look much easier than it is though ^_^ thanks for the video!

this is awesome keep up the good work

Soo inspiring, I definitely want to pick up isometric drawing. I most do vector work for graphic design, but I've been really wanting to find inspiration to get back into paper and pencil artwork

Good stuff as always

this looks great they let me make life

Adding specific damage to tiles in a castle is a possible ways to show a used path even where there should be none

This is specifically a good method to draw backgrounds in general. Perspective drawing.

Over head map, that we often get in moduels these days are great to throw into a VTT and stat playing. But Isometric maps are so much more compelling and inspiring to look like. Even just as a DM tool. I have had them in some adventures that I ran, and even then they are great to just throw up on the screen to show where things are. (Heck last session we used one such map for an abstracted large scale battle, and it worked amazingly.) I wish more publications had this. The old school RPG art with just black and white is just so compelling. Something about the "roughness" but high detail is just so appealing compared to the over saturated colors of modern digitally drawn art.

woah felt pog looking how did he make the floor so quick without problem lol, i feel like i wanna do that tho bet it wont go well for me....

I do pixel art but this is still useful. Just seeing the process of creating these ground types gives me a better idea of how to achieve something similar.

Thanks for the tips! =D Where can I find this isometric paper? I found only those with tons of lines pointing everywhere. Your paper has very soft gray lines, its so nice =D

God this helped me so much thank you I truly appreciate this video. I am a first time DM and I have been trying tirelessly to make a dungeon or map and game for my daughters (14) (16). we love your videos! @MapCrow

Busted and gross, but in the good way. Incredibly simple and beautiful.

Realmente, isso é muito interessante, ganhou um inscrito Brasileiro bro.

how did a crow learn to make maps so good?

Have you ever considered doing a similar "how to" for science fiction textures/locations?

Hey, nice vid. Whats the reference of the tiled sheet you use?

When I try to extend the tunnel past the pit trap it ends up looking like the pit trap is off center from the rest of the corridor. My ruler shows me my lines are in the right spot, but it just looks off. Any suggestions? Great videos.

How about fallout style maps? Like ruined buildings, old vaults, trashy settlements? How would you start drawing those?

Such a great video! I draw dungeons for fun, and have since I was a little kid, pre-D&D. Some of my fine art work (that I actually sell in galleries) is even influenced by this. Just don't tell the rich art snobs they bought something made by a gamer and inspired by gaming, LMAO.

Keep it up, you are too good to stop.

Even though I work in pencils and black ink (and white gel pen), this still makes me wish Nintendo came out with an actual legit Zelda Maker, even though the current Mario Maker 2 tools are pretty decent (only side-scrolling though).

jokes on you because dirt as actually just rocks, but smaller

what type of pencil are you using? great tutorial btw

I also spell words out of order sometimes

What's wrong with a neatly new, and well cared dungeon floor? :(

What kind of pencil are you using in this video? 4B? Looks way "greasy" compared to the one that I use. You change pencil to mark contours?

how do you can hold the pencil like that?

So what if you draw maps in a top-down view?

What pencil is this?

Hrm, channel name change?

This looks cool and all. But won't it take like forever to make 1 map....

Not enough views and subscribers for sure

your stuffs just doesn't give insight into DnD maps also. i got a lot of insight in video game maps as well. Thanks you sir.

Looks nice as a show piece, but overcomplicates the terrain and contradicts what a map is used for. Keep it simple, stupid

One thing that might be worth saying about reflections in water is that you might be tempted to line the reflection up with your grid, but reflections are all to do with how light hits the eye or camera from the intervening surface. So since we're viewing this isometric map from a 45° angle, the reflections will always go downwards on the page, towards us. So I guess it breaks the isometric rules in a sense but otherwise itll look OFF in a strange way that might be hard to pin point if you try and line your reflections up with your grid, and your water won't look very watery. So if you're thinking of trying isometric water, maybe bear that in mind!