You can use the Greig Duncan interactive map as inspiration for your own typographical (word-based) map based on traditional North East song lyrics.
We decided to use a lively, well-known tune called The Barnyards of Delgaty, as the lyrics mention places close to where we live.
To make a map like ours you will need:
Using the simple North East map for reference, draw the outline of the coast onto the rough sheet of paper – you could copy it or cut out the reference map and draw round it, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Then decide how many lyrics to include and how they will be spaced out on the map. We decided to only use the first two verses and the chorus of Barnyards of Delgaty, then drew lines to show roughly where the lyrics would go. We left bigger spaces for lines of the song that included the names of places.
Try writing in some of the lyrics to see how they will fit – as the coast line runs down the right of the map, it’s better to write each line backwards, from right to left, to make sure words don’t spill into the sea.
Once you have a rough idea of layout, redraw the coastline on the better quality paper and lightly draw in all the lyrics, using the pencil. Take your time – this is the most important stage.
Try to draw the letters so they follow the coastline as closely as possible and experiment with styles of writing. We decided to vary the style to make the image more interesting and to define the verses from the chorus.
Once you’re happy with the layout, start to draw in the lyrics in colour. We used a dark brown for most of the words and added brighter colours for the place names.
We used an old-fashioned ink nib to write with which made some splashes along the way, so we decided to make a few more and incorporate them into the design.
Lastly, we added some wee drawings in the sea to help bring the map to life. Leave the map to dry completely, then rub out any remaining pencil marks.
We’d love to see what you’ve created – send a picture to artsteam@aberdeenshire.gov.uk