world building: maps

did you know that your characters need a world?

yeah, shocker I know. But they need a world. Now this is not a problem too much if you are just using the world we are living in. But you are probably going to have to do something, at least think, if you add something to this world like witches. Like what they can and cannot do.
So there are at least few things in world building that come to mind, and today I'll be focusing to one of them.

So what do you need to think about is
-maps: you know where everything is, are there any kindoms or towns and stuff like that. You can draw it if you want.
-creature(s): are there purple tigers? what can they do? what are their weaknesses. where the did they come from.
-scenery: yeah there's mountains. how do they look? uhhh dunno?( no you plan it out, draw or use google)
-physics: if it's a compleately another universe, how's gravity doing? how do you die, do you come back, and stuff like that.
-culture(s): one god or many gods, what do you eat, how do you celebrate.

Okay but today I'd like to focus on maps. You know I just under a year ago learnt how to do them so I've probably mastered this subject. (I'm probably going to ask few of my friends for advics on the subject)

So while I am writing this, I am also planning a map for a school in one of my stories that is really cool. I think. You know you don't need too detailed maps. Just a map where you can see where most of the stuff is. You don't probably have to draw every big stone, if they have absolutely nothing to do with the story.

How do you start drawing maps? I am not sure how I do it but I have gotten most of my knowledge from my sister and my boyfriend. With their help I have learnt stuff.
My sister usually starts by drawing the area that you are going to map. Is it the school grounds, a certain building there, one town, or one kindom, or the whole world. If it's an island draw what shape the island is. It's that simple. Now I don't remeber exactly from word to word what my boyfriend has taught me about this, but with his help I know how to draw them, he told me about how he does it and I watched and learned. I quess. I'd still say our styles differ. He has different style of marking towns. Any ways, he did point out to me that my maps are... similar. And indeed, I have mountains at the same spot in several maps, sea in the same spot. So he told me to draw a different kind of map. Ye know. One with no sea at all. I should draw one with two continents. It's a good advice. I haven't done this yet, I should though.

Anyway, I'll show you few maps of my own. and you'll see, it doesn't have to be too fancy. 

it's upside down and it's a world

not too fancy. It's a house

here is a town