Galle Lit Fest

Chapter One: Previously, On…

Last year, I made the Galle Literary Festival map in five days. It was a whirlwind of tea, deadlines, and 1 a.m. labelling sessions, and I loved every bit of it.

This year, I was given something rare and valuable: more time. Every sequel promises to be bigger, deeper, and full of plot twists, and the 2025 map tried to keep that promise. It might be my favourite one yet.

Chapter Two: The Recce Ride

Before I drew a single line, I got on my bike and spent a day cycling through the cobblestone streets of Galle Fort, camera in one hand (figuratively) and sketchbook in the other.

Every corner, doorway, and sun-faded wall became a reference point. I looked at the lighthouse standing guard at the edge of the Fort, the small cafés and bookshops that fill with conversation during festival week, and the textures that only show up when you slow down. That ride became the basis for everything that followed.

It’s the kind of fieldwork that reminds you illustration isn’t only about drawing. It’s about looking closely enough to actually see.

Chapter Three: A New Chapter, Same Book

The festival’s bold energy stayed, because GLF wouldn’t be GLF without it. But this year I added softer, more intricate textures, a nod to the way the festival grows each year and adds new chapters to its story.

The palette came directly from the Fort. Neutral blues and parchment tones echo the weathered coral-stone walls, the lime-washed buildings, aged manuscripts, and the sea breeze that drifts down the narrow lanes. The aim was for the map to feel like a handmade artefact, something you might find inside an old book in one of the Fort’s shops.

Chapter Four: The Plot Twist

Every sequel needs a twist, and this one had a scavenger hunt.

Working with iDiscover Asia, we hid a festival scavenger hunt inside the illustrated map. It’s part guide, part game, and part “wait, where was that clue again?” Each corner of the Fort became part of the story, encouraging festival-goers to wander, discover, and engage with the space beyond the events.

Designing it was half illustration and half detective work. Clues needed to be findable without being obvious, and the map still had to get people to their sessions on time. I’ll admit to losing track of one of my own clues at least once

Chapter Five: Notes in the Margins

Then came the literary layer. Quotes from legendary authors, including guest writers from this year’s festival, are scattered across the map like notes in the margins.

Each quote was placed carefully, so the map becomes something you read as well as use. It’s a quiet nod to the idea that both literature and places leave their own kinds of footprints.

Chapter Six: Sketching With Sea Breeze

During the festival, I also hosted an Urban Illustration workshop. We sketched the Fort the way writers build worlds: one line, one shadow, and one quiet observation at a time.

It was part drawing, part storytelling, and a reminder that sometimes a pencil just needs some sea breeze to loosen up.

Chapter Seven: The Full-Circle Ending

At the GLF 2025 pop-up exhibition, the map left the page. Visitors traced routes, found their favourite quotes, and connected the illustrations to real places in the Fort.

Seeing it on a huge board, surrounded by people who had walked those same streets, laughing over clues and pausing at corners they might have missed, was the full-circle moment every designer quietly hopes for.

All in all, it’s always a pleasure to be part of the Galle Literary Festival and its amazing team. Every year brings new stories, late-night deadlines, too much coffee, and just the right amount of magic. GLF has always been about celebrating stories. This time, I got to draw one of my own. 🌿

The Galle Literary Festival 2025 map is a story you read with your feet, a sequel unfolding through the lime-washed lanes and coral-stone ramparts of Galle Fort, where every street holds a sentence and every corner turns a page. Drawn after a slow ride across the cobblestones, it carries the soft blues and parchment tones of weathered walls, old manuscripts, and salt air, while the lighthouse stands watch over cafés and bookshops alive with festival conversation. Quotes from beloved authors drift across its streets like notes in a well-read margin, and a scavenger hunt hides between the lines, inviting readers to wander, wonder, and lose themselves on purpose. Both a guide and a keepsake, it is a love letter to a city that has always known how to tell a good story.