How to Shade Oceans On Fantasy Maps

Let’s face it, on most fantasy maps the oceans are a bit neglected. It can be a challenge to make those large blank areas of your map interesting though so most of the time we resort to throwing in a compass, a few ships, and maybe a sea serpent.
While there’s nothing wrong with adding some ships, in this tutorial I want to show you how to give your oceans & seas a little more character. Not only will you get a nice painterly texture, but this method is also a great way to hint at the topography just below the water’s surface.