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AtlasScribe

Maps for a richer past.

Beta · 0.22.0

Compose illustrated maps with deliberate geography, controlled procedural terrain and historically inspired artwork, designed for high-quality PNG export.

For historians, educators, researchers and history enthusiasts making maps for teaching, study, publications and storytelling.

Try AtlasScribe Beta Browser application · beta
AtlasScribe navy compass rose

From the application

Geography, brought to the page.

The Estuary: an AtlasScribe map with coastlines, rivers, routes, cartographic marks, a legend and scale bar
The Estuary · an exported map study of routes, coastlines and repeated marks. Beta 0.21.10 PNG output.
AtlasScribe Beta 0.22.0 editor showing the bundled Roman reference composition and mapping tools
Beta 0.22.0 workspace · the bundled Roman reference example, a schematic composition demonstration.

The approach

A map composed by you.

Digitally constructed, but visually inspired by hand-drawn, engraved and historical map illustration.

AtlasScribe puts deliberate composition at the centre. You decide where the coast falls, how a route runs and which details make the map legible.

Historically inspired linework, symbols and restrained colour guide the visual direction. The tools aim to bring the control of manual illustration into an approachable mapping workspace.

A reference beneath your work

Trace real geography.

Start with an existing map or geographic reference, then build your own illustrated interpretation above it.

Import a reference image, align and resize it, reduce its opacity and lock its position while you draw. Keep the geography grounded while choosing the visual language yourself.

  1. Place the referenceBring a PNG, JPEG or WebP image into the workspace.
  2. Compose above itTrace coastlines, add routes and arrange symbols and labels.
  3. Export your mapThe reference stays out of the PNG export and remains in the editable project.

Inside the current application

From geography to the finishing details.

Draw geography

Paint land and water, shape coastlines, and draw rivers, roads and routes with freehand, straight-line or connected-point tools.

Add illustrated terrain

Compose forests, mountains, fields and other repeated terrain marks. Area and path treatments give you control over density, scale and placement.

Build a symbol library

Place reusable cartographic stamps and essential symbols. Import compatible SVG or transparent PNG artwork to extend your personal library.

Colour and define

Mark regions and territories with cartographic shading, or apply a soft translucent colour wash without changing the underlying geography.

Label and present

Add styled text and labels, position titles, and finish the composition with borders, legends, scale bars and cartographic furniture.

Refine the composition

Select, resize, rotate and reorder objects. Work with layers, undo/redo, zoom and page navigation, then save an editable project to reopen later.

Controlled illustration

Procedural, with purpose.

Repeated marks should help a landscape read as a whole.

Seeded generation makes procedural arrangements reproducible. Path-aware treatments follow a line; area treatments build up illustrated terrain within a chosen region. Geometry-aware placement helps keep marks clear of surrounding features.

An expandable visual vocabulary

The current stamp system supports individual personal SVG or transparent PNG imports alongside core cartographic symbols. A structured asset registry supports curated artwork bundles as visual collections develop.

Artistic quality, placement behaviour and consistency remain active areas of beta refinement.

Designed with the page in mind

Real proportions. Considered output.

A5, A4, A3 and US Letter, in portrait or landscape, plus a square page.

Physical page proportions guide the workspace. Export fidelity and consistent editor/output geometry are core design priorities, so the composition is treated as a page from the outset.

High-quality PNG export

Export the illustrated map as a native, 2× or 300-DPI PNG for sharing and print workflows. Save an editable project separately when you want to continue working.

Current map output is PNG; PDF, SVG map export and larger professional print formats are future directions.

Who it is for

Maps that explain, explore and tell stories.

For historians, educators, researchers and history enthusiasts making maps for teaching, study, publications and storytelling.

Development status

Beta · 0.22.0

The flagship Wickham Forge application is a mature beta. Its core map-making tools are established, with the public beta foundation now extended by controlled procedural asset behaviour. Refinement, reliability, artistic quality and testing across browsers, touch devices and physical print remain active priorities.

Documentation, feedback channels and commercial details will be published here as beta develops.

The independent workshop

Explore the Scribe Series