How to Make a Pirate Map As a Prop

Making a pirate map as a prop is very simple. It's also a lot of fun, adding in make-believe places and marking the spots where buried treasure lies.

Steps

Choose paper that looks antique. Pirate treasure maps should seem old, if not ancient. In older times, paper was often made in more laborious ways than today, by hand. As such, it looked uneven and was often textured. If you have the time to make your own paper, this would be an excellent paper choice. Other than that, you could choose high quality, textured paper (like linen paper) or even very light card.
Decide how big the map will be. The size is completely up to you and how you wish to use it. If it's to be in a play, it'll need to be large enough for the audience to see it from a distance. If it's for decoration, it can be smaller, as people will likely move closer to peer at it. Be guided by what you intend to do with it.
- Cutting the paper to size doesn't have to be perfect. Indeed, even having bits missing will add to the map's authentic appearance.

Consider dyeing the paper. As well as being textured, older paper will look aged. And this can be done easily by changing the color using coffee or tea as a stain. If you'd like to do this, see either Aging paper using tea or Staining paper with coffee.
Crumple and wrinkle the paper a little. Treasure maps get handed down from hand to hand over time, or they are hidden somewhere damp, dark and musty. They need to look the part!
- Crumple the paper a little. Then flatten it out. Then crumple again. Then flatten it out again. That should be enough, although results will vary depending on the type of paper. You may want to use a test piece first, to avoid ruining what could be turned into a good map!

Decide what you want to place on the map. There are lots of possibilities:
- Is this a map of the sea, of land, or of both?
- Do you want the map to show standard map legends or do you want to make up your own? Either is fine.
- Do you want to make this into a treasure hunt map or just something that depicts where your pirates have traveled?
Sketch out the map in pencil first. This will allow you to erase errors and make changes as you go. Give yourself plenty of time and artistic license for this part of making the pirate map––it's the fun part.
- Make up names for lands and seas, specific features etc. Use calligraphy styles to write them in place.
- Add compass points to show where North, West, South and East are.
- Use traditional symbols such as ships, sea monsters, and the like to keep the pirate feel of the map.
Color the map in. Stick with neutral colors for the most part, as old maps were not terribly colorful. However, you can use calligraphy and for important parts such as "X marks the spot" where the treasure is, you can use colorful pens and metallic markers to emulate the brighter colors calligraphers once used.
- Outline all land, sea trenches, etc. with a fine marker pen to make them easier to see.
Consider whether you want to add clues to the map. This could be cryptic, such as a poem line, or pictorial, etc.

Stand back and view your map. Is there anything else you'd like to add to it? Perhaps a little more wrinkling, a few holes or a splash of the marker ink? Finish it up as liked. It's now ready to use as a prop or for display.