"Perspective" is the artistic concept that refers to the use of shading/shadowing to create the perception of distance. In the late 1500s, perspective was the accepted standard for creating drawings and paintings. However, mapmakers could not apply this concept to their work and maps were drawn "flat". In earlier times, before "perspective" became widely understood, drawings and paintings were also done "flat". During Drake's lifetime, the science of mapmaking was a branch of geometry and Jocodus Hondius was considered to be the premier mapmaker. Maps were created by drawing landforms onto a piece of paper which was then rolled-up to form a three-dimensional picture. This method had been used for many centuries and was known as Map Projection. In order to create the map of Nova Albion, Hondius not only developed a new map projection technique, he also combined this new technique with two other ancient map projection methods and created the maps images according to the long-forgotten concepts associated with creating "flat" landscapes. To create a "flat" landscape, the artist only drew the outline of what he saw as opposed to the details of what he saw. Immediately below is an example of how this concept was applied to the Hondius map of Nova Albion.