Francesca Baerald
| Francesca Baerald | |
|---|---|
 Francesca Baerald in 2023. | |
| Occupation: | Fantasy cartographer |
| Nationality: | Italian |
| Home: | Italy |
| First Greyhawk work: | Baerald map, DMG (2024) |
Francesca Baerald is a professional fantasy cartographer, most known in Greyhawk for the "Baerald map" of the City of Greyhawk in the DMG (2024).
Early life and education
[edit | edit source]Baerald says that her mother always credited her with a great deal of creativity, and so Baerald decided to go to school and learn to be an artist. She graduated with honors with a degree in illustration from the International School of Comics[1] in Reggio Emilia, in northern Italy near Bologna.[2] Talking about her choice to leave her job andgo to art school, she calls it "the best decision [she] ever made."[2] Baerald credits playing roleplaying games and video games like Diablo with her love of maps when she was young, saying, "How I loved exploring! I ventured through every corner of almost all the many games I’ve played… and I know level designers have fun hiding easter-eggs in secret places!"[2]
Notable works
[edit | edit source]Though she had already been working as a professional artist and cartographer for years, Baerald first burst onto the Greyhawk scene with the release of the DMG (2024). She did not have any other work in the setting previously, but her beautiful City of Greyhawk map received accolades and awards for its quality.
The map itself is reminiscent of the Valusek map of the city, being an isometric aerial view of the city. Similarly to the Valusek map, it is similar in style and appearance to a "tourism map" or "amusement park map" where the features and buildings are exaggerated in size, and does not appear to be a precise map of every building in the city. It contains a rendering of the city's heraldry, but does not include a scale or compass rose. The print version of the map which comes in the DMG (2024) is 22in. x 32in.
Reception
[edit | edit source]Zatu Games noted the Baerald map's beauty, quality, and clarity further saying that it was one of the most useful parts of the book.[3]
Career
[edit | edit source]She has created artwork for many major RPG and video game companies, including: Wizards of the Coast, Blizzard, Square Enix, Games Workshop, Fantasy Flight Games, Penguin Random House, and Dark Horse.[4] She first began getting work as a fantasy illustrator before she got her first job as a cartographer. She already had a following, and when she decided to share an image online of a map she'd done, it was noticed by someone in the industry who introduced her to an Italian publisher who was looking for a cartographer.[2]
She works primarily in watercolor and ink, but also in acrylic and oil paint.[1]
Awards
[edit | edit source]- 2024 Gold ENnie for "Best Cartography", Dragonborn Core Set[5]
- 2025 Silver ENnie for "Best Cartography", Pendragon: Map of King Arthur's Brittain[6]
- 2019 Atlas Cartography Award—Best Structure, Dungeon or Gaming Map[1]
- 2018 Atlas Cartography Award—Best Traditional Map[1]
- 2017 Atlas Cartography Award—Best Traditional Map & Best Space Map[1]
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Baerald enjoys playing video games and playing RPGs, and is a musician, playing guitars, piano, and violin, and has been in "a few heavy metal bands."[7]
She finds inspiration in many fantasy artists including: Olivier Ledroit (of the Black Moon Chronicles), Simon Bisley, Aleksi Briclot, Brom, Jeffrey Jones, Howe, Bonner, Frazetta, and others.[7]
References
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]Citations
[edit | edit source]- ↑ a b c d e About Me. francescabaerald.com. Francesca BAerald. Retrieved on 19 November 2025.
- ↑ a b c d Let’s Talk To A Fantasy Cartographer! Meet Francesca Baerald.. grailrunner.com (January 14, 2023). Retrieved on 19 November 2025.
- ↑ 2024 Dungeon’s & Dragon’s Dungeon Master’s Guide Review. Zatu, ltd. (3 April 2025). Retrieved on 19 November 2025.
- ↑ Francesca Baerald. boardgamegeek.com. Retrieved on 19 November 2025.
- ↑ 2024 ENnie Nominees and Winners. ennie-awards.com. EN World. Retrieved on 19 November 2025.
- ↑ 2024 ENnie Winners and Nominees. ennie-awards.com. EN World. Retrieved on 19 November 2025.
- ↑ a b Interview with fantasy map artist Francesca Baerald. scottfoleybooks.com. Archived from the original on 01 November 2019. Retrieved on 19 November 2025.