Your Love Story Mapmaking Class

We can all agree that not needing to rescue one’s beloved from a wicked monster, evil spell, or general fairy-tale peril is a good thing—especially because every love story is the stuff of legend all on its own. Join us for a remarkable 90-minute online experience that will teach you to map the captivating realm of real-life romance. Our guide on this quest is Brendan Lorber, a poet, writer, and artist whose fantastical biographical maps are on display at libraries and museums from Bed-Stuy to Edinburgh. Taking inspiration from classic fantasy fiction and role-playing games, Brendan’s imaginative style is uniquely suited to creating an extraordinary present for a romantic partner or favorite couple—and the class itself makes an unforgettable gift, particularly for someone celebrating an engagement, wedding, or landmark anniversary (like the first—a.k.a., the paper one).

Prior art experience is not required, but everyone will have some fun homework before class: listing the milestones, shared experiences, and memorable moments that make up the couple’s history (these will become the map’s geographic features). Each map can cover the relationship itself or focus on a specific time frame, such as first date to engagement or a momentous year in a marriage. Once the lesson begins, Brendan will get right into it with engaging, practical instruction and plenty of time to work and ask questions. No worries about specialized supplies, since this class comes with our custom Romantic Mapmaking Kit, which includes a template on artist-quality paper, a French curve drawing tool, Brendan’s own cartography guide, a perfectly sized wooden frame, and more.

In an hour and a half, participants will go from apprentice mapmaker to master cartographer as they create a mythic masterpiece worth cherishing for years—drawing new versions may even become a Valentine’s Day or anniversary tradition. While you likely won't finish your map in class, Brendan will equip you with the skills to complete your map with confidence. As Brendan says, Anyone can have a treasure map. In this class, you’ll be making maps that themselves are treasures.

Before class, you must complete the Concepting Your Map project, outlined here.

Giving this experience as a gift? Print out this card to let them know what's coming.

Want more Brendan Lorber? Check out our Fantasy Mapmaking Class.

Experiences make great gifts! To gift this class, simply purchase the class for the date/time you think will work for your recipient. If that doesn’t work for the recipient, no worries! Send an email that includes your order confirmation number to help@uncommongoods.com at least 48-hours prior and we’ll help get them moved into a scheduled class that works better for them. Please note: By default, order confirmations and event details are sent to the purchaser’s email. If you'd like this information to go to your gift recipient instead, select "this is a gift" under your chosen date. Once in your cart, you can enter the recipient's email address and choose a delivery date for the class confirmation email.

Looking to host a private or corporate event? Fill out the form on our Corporate Gifting Page.

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