Compared to traditional media, computer illustration software offers superior editing power at the cost of reduced freedom in the picture construction process. To reduce this discrepancy, we propose an extension to the classical paradigm of 2D layered drawing, the map paradigm, that is conducive to a more natural drawing technique. We present the key concepts on which the new paradigm is based: a) graphical objects, called planar maps, that describe shapes with multiple colors and contours; b) a drawing technique, called map sketching, that allows the iterative construction of arbitrarily complex objects. We also discuss user interface design issues in map based illustration software.

The visual quality of raster images makes them attractive for applications such as business graphics and document illustration. Such applications are most fully served using interactive systems to describe curves, areas and text which can be rendered at high resolution for the final copy. However, to present such imagery in an interactive environment for moderate cost is difficult. Techniques are presented that provide solutions to the problems of scan conversion, screen update, and hit testing for a class of interactive systems called illustrators. The design rests on the use of software display file encoding techniques. These ideas have been used in the implementation of several illustration programs on a personal minicomputer.