Pencil Sketch
Like a place studied in a sketchbook. Pencil Sketch draws the map in fine, slightly imperfect marks, leaving paper visible between the strokes. Start with graphite or a warmer tone and keep the composition as light as you like.
Sketch your mapIn the studio, choose Pencil Sketch under Theme, then pick a style.
The small variations of a pencil
Pressure changes and directional hatching give the roads and buildings a drawn character. Larger areas stay airy rather than becoming solid grey. Coloured Pencil uses layered coloured pigment; Charcoal brings broader, heavier smudges. Pencil Sketch stays closer to a fine study, with more hand-drawn movement than the precise lines of Blueprint or Engraving / Etching.
Find your starting style
Graphite is the everyday sketchbook starting point. Sepia warms the pencil tone. Architectural is more controlled, giving street and building geometry a stronger role.
Graphite
Chicago
Sepia
Guanajuato
Architectural
Melbourne
Make a small study of somewhere
Zoom in on a familiar cluster of streets and decide which layers help the drawing. Add a name or date with the text tools, or mark a single building. Keep your additions simple so the fine pencil marks remain easy to appreciate.
How it worksMaps in this theme
Melbourne in Architectural
Pencil Sketch · Architectural
Chicago in Graphite
Pencil Sketch · Graphite
Guanajuato in Sepia
Pencil Sketch · Sepia
A few streets. A few pencil marks.
In the studio, choose Pencil Sketch under Theme, then pick a style.
Selected places, real geography. Search the editor for your own place and check the available map detail. © OpenStreetMap contributors