K. M. Alexander<p><strong>Müller: A Free 18th Century Cartography Brush Set for Fantasy Maps</strong></p><p>In the early 18th century, Holy Roman Emperor <strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_VI,_Holy_Roman_Emperor" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Charles VI</a></strong> charged <strong><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Christoph_M%C3%BCller" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Johann Christoph Müller</a></strong> to produce an “authentic and complete” map of the kingdom of Bohemia. Being no slouch, Müller’s end result was <strong><a href="https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~328792~90097251:Composite--Sections-1--25--Mappa-ch" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a <em>massive</em> work</a></strong>, done at a 1:132,000 scale and eventually engraved on twenty-five sheets by Michael Kauffer and Jan Daniel Herz, most likely in Berlin. It is from that map that we get today’s set, and what a phenomenal set it is—and, uh… it’s much bigger than I planned.</p><p>All my Map Tools will always be free. Want to help support this work?<br><strong>Click here to learn how.</strong></p>Some of the flora, symbols, and lakes within the set.<p>The level of detail in this work is impressive. It reminds me somewhat of the <a href="https://kmalexander.com/2019/12/16/vischer-a-free-17th-century-cartography-brush-set-for-fantasy-maps/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Vischer</strong></a> set, especially in how elements of flora are incorporated into the landforms. The flora itself is rendered with restraint in either groups of tiny rendered trees, or a stippled scrub brush, which I labeled “wilds.” They play well off each other and work together to fill out the map. It’s easy to quickly create sprawling forests or empty plains. Within the Emperor’s request, there was a goal to map “relevant military information.” To that end, Müller mapped industrial points of interest, highlighting the locations of raw materials, ranging from metals to mineral water, and the workshops and mills that processed them. He also provided details for travel, marking the locations of warm baths, inns, mail stops, and river ferries.</p>A sample of the settlements you’ll find in Müller<p>If you’ve used my sets before, you’ll be familiar with many of the imagery choices depicting the various sizes of towns, though again Müller adds his own unique spin. Manor Houses reprise the role of the <em>Schlosser</em> from the Vischer set. Only Müller significantly simplifies these, and they serve as a catchall, representing anything from “castles, lordly palaces, and knights’ residences.”</p> The key to the original map in Latin (left) and German (right). <p>The extended villages were another unique approach I haven’t seen on a map from this era before. Obviously, a town or village isn’t always contained in a small bubble, especially on a map rendered at 1:132,000—one mile is 0.48 inches (or for those not beholden to the king, one kilometer here is 7.58 millimeters). To solve for this, Müller approaches communities two-fold: one is the single dot for “solitary villages,” the second adds more dots around named settlements that represent scattered or extended “rustic” settlements. Think of an extended settlement as a small town with the lone parish church and lots of farms in the area surrounding it, or similarly a village running along the length of a stream or small river. That’s what he was going for here.</p>Some of the landforms found in Müller<p>This was a really fun set to build, and there was so much to explore on each of the separate sheets. It’s no wonder this was the definitive map of Bohemia for nearly forty years. (Eventually superseded by the <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephinische_Landesaufnahme" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Josephinian Survey</strong></a>.) Funny enough, this is now my second biggest set, surpassing <a href="https://kmalexander.com/2023/09/19/moronobu-gansai-a-free-17th-century-cartography-brush-set-for-fantasy-maps/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Moronobu Gansai</strong></a> by over four hundred brushes*. Within the might of Müller, you’ll find over 1500 brushes, including:</p> <ul><li>100 Walled Cities</li><li>25 Cities without Walls</li><li>100 Market Towns</li><li>50 Villages with Churches</li><li>50 Villages w/o Churches</li><li>50 Extended Villages</li><li>50 Manor Houses</li><li>25 Churches</li><li>30 Monasteries</li><li>30 Inns/Taverns</li><li>13 Hunting Lodges</li><li>40 Mills</li><li>10 Ruins</li><li>34 Elevated Settlements</li></ul> <ul><li>31 Unique Settlements</li><li>200 Wilds</li><li>200 Forests</li><li>200 Individual Hills</li><li>100 Groups of Hills</li><li>50 Lakes</li><li>20 Miracle Markers</li><li>5 Archaeological Sites</li><li>20 Vineyards</li><li>12 Silver Symbols</li><li>2 Cinnabar Symbols</li><li>5 Lead Symbols</li><li>10 Copper Symbols</li><li>10 Acidic Water Symbols</li></ul> <ul><li>10 Glassworks Symbols</li><li>20 Iron Symbols</li><li>15 Tin Symbols</li><li>3 Sulfur Symbols</li><li>7 Gold Symbols</li><li>2 Salt Symbols</li><li>2 Sulfuric Acid Symbols</li><li>2 Aluminum Symbols</li><li>12 Bathhouse Symbols</li><li>20 Ferry Symbols</li><li>30 Mail Horns</li><li>20 Crowns</li><li>3 Bishopric Symbols</li></ul> <p>*Look, they aren’t <em>all</em> going to be this big. Making sets this big is an <em>enormous</em> time investment in production and distribution. The tale just grew in the telling, I guess. Enjoy it. :)</p> <p>The button below links to a ZIP file that contains an 27 MB <a href="https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Photoshop</strong></a> ABR brush set (it’ll also work with <a href="https://www.gimp.org/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>GIMP</strong></a>, <a href="https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Affinity Photo</strong></a>, and I’m told <strong><a href="https://procreate.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Procreate</a></strong> now). I also release the set as a pack of individual PNGs organized by folder, similar to how I organize the ABR file. This should make using these with tools like <strong><a href="https://www.wonderdraft.net/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wonderdraft</a></strong> much easier. No more extracting symbols from an enormous PNG.</p><p>Like this set? <strong>Click here to learn how you can support this project.</strong></p> <a class="" href="https://kmalexander.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/muller-cartography-brushes.zip" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD Müller</a> <p><strong><a href="https://kmalexander.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/muller-cartography-brushes-png-pack.zip" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Download the Müller PNG Pack</a></strong><br>(42.2 MB)</p> <p>As with all of my <strong><a href="https://kmalexander.com/free-stuff/fantasy-map-brushes/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">previous brush sets</a></strong>, Müller is free for <em>any</em> use. I distribute my sets with a<a href="https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong> Creative Commons, No Rights Reserved License (CC0)</strong></a>, which means you can freely use this and any of my brushes in personal or commercial work and distribute adaptations. No attribution is required. Easy peasy!</p><p>Enjoy Müller? Feel free to show me what you created by <a href="https://kmalexander.com/about/contact-k-m/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>emailing me</strong></a>. I love seeing how these brushes get used, and I’d be happy to share your work with my readers. Let me see what you make!</p> <p><strong>But wait, there’s more…</strong></p> <p><strong>Kauffer Hand: A Free 18th Ct. Type Family</strong></p><p>Alongside the launch of Müller, I’m excited to announce the launch of my second totally free typeface: Kauffer Hand. This font is extracted from the same map as the Müller brush set and is named after one of the engravers who published the map in 1726.</p><p>This typeface is a bit cleaner than Myer Scratch, but it could still use some softening to help it feel as realistic as possible. When pulling from these historical documents, not every glyph is accounted for—J, Q, and q in the base Hand style, X and Y in Italics style, and the Q in the Title style, were reconstructed from other documents labeled with a similar style to fill out the alphabet and maintain a consistent tone with the typeface. (If you want an even <em>more</em> polished version in a similar style, check out Three Isle Press’s <strong><a href="https://fonts.adobe.com/fonts/geographica" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Geographica</a></strong> family.)</p>The Kauffer Hand’s Character Set.<p>The three variant styles can be used in multiple ways to label your projects. Müller used Italics for smaller settlements and Hand for larger ones. You can see how I even do an all-caps Hand for the titles of the largest settlements in my example map below. Title was used for bigger labels or for the map’s title. Lots of options with this one, experiment and find a way to make it your own.</p>Kauffer Hand has three variants: Hand, Italic, and Title.<p>The button below links to a ZIP file that contains the Kauffer Hand family’s OFT files. Just install the font the way you would any other. Like my brush sets, Kauffer Hand is free and distributed with a <strong><a href="https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creative Commons, No Rights Reserved License (CC0)</a></strong>, which means you can freely use it in personal or commercial work and distribute adaptations. No attribution is required.</p> <a class="" href="https://kmalexander.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/kauffer-hand-1.0.zip" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD Kauffer Hand</a> <p><strong>Müller in Use</strong></p><p>Want to see how I’ve used this set? There are three versions: a colored example, a black-and-white rendition, and a decorated sample. Click on any of the images below to view them larger. Perhaps this will inspire you as you get started on your projects!</p> <a href="https://kmalexander.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/kauffersamplemap.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a>4000×5000 (11.4 MB) <a href="https://kmalexander.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/kauffersamplemap_bw.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a>4000×5000 (8 MB) <a href="https://kmalexander.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/kauddersamplemap_decorated.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a>1080×1350 (2 MB) <p><strong>Sample Details:</strong> I hand-drew the rivers and some of the lakes in Photoshop. Roads and trails were done in Illustrator. The font is Kauffer Hand, which can be downloaded above. All the names come from locations and surnames from the <strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">enclave of Lesotho</a></strong>. (A fascinating place that has been in the news recently. It’s worth checking them out.) The paper texture is from <strong><a href="https://www.truegrittexturesupply.com/products/infinite-pulp" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">True Grit Texture Supply’s Infinite Pulp</a></strong>, and they’re also where I got <strong><a href="https://www.truegrittexturesupply.com/collections/photoshop-actions/products/atomica-mid-century-print-effects-kit" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Atomica</a></strong>, which gives me ink-like effects for the text, colors, the roads, and trails. The title frame comes from my Fancy Frames set, which can be downloaded from the <strong><a href="https://kmalexander.com/free-stuff/fantasy-map-brushes/decorative-assets/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Decorative Assets page</a></strong>.</p> <p><strong>Support this Work</strong></p><p>Brushes and tools released through the <a href="https://kmalexander.com/2019/02/27/nobadmaps/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>#NoBadMaps</strong></a> project will always be free and released under a public domain <strong><a href="https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CC0 license</a></strong>. If you’d like to support the project and help me cover the cost of hosting, research, and tool-set development, I’ve put together three ways you can help, and all are detailed below.</p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074CHQC4T?binding=kindle_edition&qid=1545023317" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a><p><strong><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074CHQC4T?binding=kindle_edition&qid=1545023317" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buy My Books→</a></strong></strong></p><p>I’m not just a map enthusiast. I’m also a novelist! The easiest way to support me (and get something in return) is by purchasing one of my cosmic horror urban fantasy novels.</p><p>❦</p> <a href="https://ko-fi.com/kmalexander" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a><p><strong><a href="https://ko-fi.com/kmalexander" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Buy Me a Coffee→</strong></a></strong></p><p>A simple and quick way to support the <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://kmalexander.com/tag/nobadmaps/" target="_blank">#NoBadMaps</a> project is through a one-time donation of any amount via ko-fi. Your support helps keep this project going and is appreciated.</p><p>❦</p> <a href="http://patreon.com/nobadmaps" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a><p><strong><strong><a href="http://patreon.com/nobadmaps" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Join my Patreon→</a></strong></strong></p><p>If you want to continually support the <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://kmalexander.com/tag/nobadmaps/" target="_blank">#NoBadMaps</a> project through a reoccurring monthly contribution, consider joining my Patreon and get sneak peeks into what’s coming.</p><p>❦</p> <p><strong><strong>More Map Brushes</strong></strong></p><p>This is just one of many brush sets and map tools I’ve released. You can find it and other free brushes covering a wide variety of historical styles on my Fantasy Map Brushes page. Every set is free, distributed under a CC0 license, and open for personal or commercial use. I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that works for your project. Click the button below to check them out!</p> <a class="" href="https://kmalexander.com/free-stuff/fantasy-map-brushes/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">view more Fantasy Map Brushes</a> <p>Want to stay in touch with me? Sign up for Dead Drop, my rare and elusive newsletter. Subscribers get news, previews, and notices on my books before anyone else delivered directly to their inbox. 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