By Kaia Lee and Jane Mackin
If you are looking for a new niche hobby, mythical map making might be for you! We tried this hobby out by making our very own mythical map, and we were pleasantly surprised. This activity was almost therapeutic and a lot of fun to do together. We created a step-by-step process so you can make your very own personalized mythical map!
- Grab a piece of cardstock, or watercolor paper if you have it. You want the paper to be thick so that it retains water and does not rip. Then mix instant coffee with warm water or use any sort of coffee to stain the paper. You may want to use a paintbrush to brush the water onto the paper to create an aged effect. Wait for the paper to dry completely, so it does not rip when you draw on it. Don’t throw away the coffee mixture; it will be used in future steps.
- Place uncooked rice on the paper. You can place the rice however you want. We decided to create small islands and ridges to make it look more island-like. Trace around the rice to create the land, we recommend using a ballpoint pen so it does not smudge.
- Go back to the coffee mixture and add more instant coffee to create a darker color. Paint this darker color onto the islands to create contrast between the land and sea. You could also paint this color onto the ocean instead of the islands if you want. Wait for this to dry before doing anything else.
- Now it’s time to decorate! Add anything you want to the islands. Some ideas are sea serpents, houses, a compass, trees, and castles, but really anything you want! Look at our finished product for some inspiration!
- If you want to add some extra pizzazz, you can (VERY carefully, with ADULT supervision) light the edges on fire with a lighter to create a burned effect.
- Other ideas you could do are rip the edges, use watercolor instead of coffee, or add a creative title or labels.
