Game of Thrones Westeros Map Box

It was my friend Sian's birthday yesterday. I met her at Rock Choir almost 3 years ago and we're both massive Game of Thrones fans! She jokingly mentioned that I should burn the Westeros map a few months ago...but little did she know I was actually doing it. She may have been joking, but I accepted the challenge.

First was finding a Westeros map that I was able to trace bits from...which was tricky as some of them are really abstract! Eventually I used an image of a Westeros poster and traced the entire outline. I then re-traced on the reverse. This took about 2 hours in total and then I put the drawing away for a couple of weeks so I could get over how long it had taken! (And so I was coming to it fresh when burning it!)

When positioning it over my wooden box, I decided it would look cool to only burn the top of the box, so not burn the whole map. I moved the map around until I was happy with the positioning - and ensured that all the key places were included, such as 'The Wall' at the very top (we both love a bit of Castle Black!)

I then scribbled over the whole design to transfer it on to the box...

Then it was time to burn! I started with the outline of the islands and the small lettering...

And then next was the 'Westeros' label in the top right hand corner, which needed a very steady hand due to the straight lines!

The rivers, trees and hills were done on a lower heat setting so they were finer lines and a lighter brown...

The last thing to do was to treat the wood with Danish Oil to darken it, protect it and to bring out the grain. I did this once a night for 3 nights. (Please always read the label before using Danish Oil!). This was the finished article...

Please let me know what you think - or give me a shout if there are any other Games of Thrones projects you'd like me to try. I welcome the challenge :)