Map Quest

I found a plain white globe light fixture at the second hand store the other day. It had a diameter of about ten inches across. I had been looking for just such a fixture for a globe map project I had been wanting to do. In this case I decided not to use it as a light fixture and removed the bulb and wire, leaving just the globe.

Next I wanted to make it look like an antique map, so I went to Michaels and found some nice sepia toned paper. I had to apply it in very narrow strips since the paper was of a very heavy stock and the compound curves were a challenge. This is were my automotive pinstriping and decal experience came in handy.

After finishing the first layer, which was going to represent the oceans, I went online and found a world map with some of the same color tones. I printed it off and cut out the continents. Since printer paper is thinner than the other I was using, I was able to get it to lay down much better on the round shape by cutting slits every few inches so that the paper could bend with the curves.

The last step is to put a finish coat of glue over the top and make a stand for it to sit on. This project was challenging, but the end product was very rewarding.