Friday Favorite: Alison Murray Whittington

This Friday's featured artist is Alison Murray Whittington and her fun maps of imaginary lands!
I love her colors and sense of whimsy in her work!

She writes:
"I can pinpoint my love of maps (what a perfect analogy, eh?) to my first National Geographic subscription. I grew up in the Northern Nevadan desert, which at the time seemed to be the most unmagical place there could be. I used to pin those National Geographic maps up on my ceiling and lie in bed, dreaming of places I’d go someday and dreaming of being a mapmaker. And now I am. I just did a lot of other things, first."

Surpise Island Treasure Map

She goes on to explain:
"As for the mapmaking process, I draw complicated things by pencil first, but usually I just sit down with a dip pen and a bottle of India ink and start drawing from scratch…Once the inking is done, I add watercolor. (Every part of the process is my favorite part, but this is my reeeeally favorite part, because I get to play with bright colors and I get really breathless around bright colors.)"

Sea of Laughter, Western Shore, Map

Island of the Yellow Dragon

Sea of Imagination

See more of Alison's work in her Etsy shop at paintandink.etsy.com, and view her process and works in progress on her Facebook page at facebook.com/paintandink and on her blog at paintandink.blogspot.com.

Have a great weekend!