Art, Words, Life

Out With the Old, In With the New

2019-06-21T11:18:00.000-04:00

Hello, friends!

I've been super busy, and seeing as how it's been over a year since I've posted, it's time to officially archive this blog.

BUT... I hope you'll follow me over on Instagram and Twitter for the latest book news, messy sketches, random thoughts about the writing and illustrating life, and pictures of my studio cats. (Of course!)

Instagram ~ jenniferthermes

Twitter ~ @jenthermes

(And here's my next book, MANHATTAN: MAPPING THE STORY OF AN ISLAND, publishing on August 6th with Abrams Books for Young Readers. I'm thrilled to share that it's already gotten a ★STARRED★ review from Kirkus!)

Grandma Gatewood ~ Booklist Review!

2018-04-11T14:59:00.000-04:00

GRANDMA GATEWOOD HIKES THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL will be out in less than a month! Booklist calls it a “story of determination” and “an ode to the principle of walking down a road just to see what one can see.” (A perfect reason to take a walk, I think.) 💕

Grandma Gatewood ~ School Library Journal

2018-03-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

“Beautiful illustrations and an emphasis on the value of nature, determination, and grit make this a great nonfiction selection for any library.” –from School Library Journal’s review of GRANDMA GATEWOOD HIKES THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL. (Here May 8th!)

Grandma Gatewood ~ Kirkus Review

2018-02-23T08:32:00.000-05:00

... It's a nice one!

"An inspiring story for readers of all ages and genders."

Read the full review here...

New Books in the Works!

2017-11-01T11:25:00.000-04:00

I'm thrilled to share some good book news!

Grandma Gatewood ~ Sneak Peek

2017-08-08T10:12:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy-long time since I've blogged. What can I say... things have been busy around here making lots of art and writing!

Here's a sneak peek of color proofs for the next book, GRANDMA GATEWOOD HIKES THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, coming out Spring '18! Emma Gatewood was the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail back in 1955 at the age of 67, and she was one very cool lady.

(Also, lately I've been sharing way more often over on Instagram, and Twitter, if you'd like to follow along.)

Notable Social Studies List 2017

2017-01-26T11:14:00.000-05:00

So nice to learn this week that CHARLES DARWIN'S AROUND-THE-WORLD ADVENTURE is on the 2017 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People list, selected by the Children's Book Council (CBC) in conjunction with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). Because education– including science and history– matters more now than ever.

Here's a link to the full list!

Good News!

2016-12-20T08:42:00.000-05:00

CHARLES DARWIN'S AROUND-THE-WORLD ADVENTURE is on the 2017 list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12! The list is put out every year by the National Science Teachers Association in conjunction with The Children's Book Council, and it's an honor to be included with so many great books. Congratulations to all!

Here's the link to the full list: http://www.nsta.org/docs/2017OSTB.pdf

Darwin on The Undies Case Cover Awards Shortlist

2016-11-23T09:02:00.000-05:00

Fun stuff... The Undies Case Cover Awards were created to honor the art of the cover beneath a book's dust jacket. Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure is on the shortlist in the category of "Best Sneak Peek at the Setting!"

Many thanks to Carter Higgens and Travis Jonker-– the two awesome librarians who dreamed up this idea!

The ballots are open until Monday, November 28th at 5:00pm EST, and you can vote for your favorites here.

Amazon's Best Children's Books of the Year

2016-11-16T11:52:00.000-05:00

Great news... Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure is on Amazon's list of Best Children's Books of the Year for 2016 in the Nonfiction category!

(And, as always, it's available through your local independent bookseller!)

Yet More Darwin at The Little Crooked Cottage

2016-10-13T16:36:00.000-04:00

Head on over to The Little Crooked Cottage for some more art and talk about the inspiration and process behind Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure! (And check out the rest of the blog. Those ladies know how to rock the kids books!)

Darwin And More on 7-Imp

2016-10-10T15:36:00.000-04:00

Julie Danielson has done a lovely roundup of art and early sketches from DARWIN and a few other cool picture books over at her blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Check it out! ♡

And Then, This Happened!

2016-10-06T08:09:00.000-04:00

Link...

Charles Darwin ~ Book Birthday!

2016-10-04T10:30:00.000-04:00

Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure is officially out today!

I'm so thankful for friends, colleagues— and funny Darwin gifts— along this journey!

(I wonder what kind of cake Charles liked?) ♡

Darwin ~ Publishers Weekly Review

2016-09-29T10:13:00.000-04:00

"Letting her background in map illustration shine, Thermes (Little Author in the Big Woods) follows the travels of Charles Darwin while concisely explaining the influence they had on his growing understanding of the interconnectedness of nature..."

Read the full review here...

Great Kirkus Review for Darwin!

2016-08-02T09:08:00.000-04:00

I'm thrilled to share that Kirkus calls my forthcoming book, CHARLES DARWIN'S AROUND-THE-WORLD ADVENTURE, "A notable choice for both STEM curricula and family sharing." Thank you, Kirkus! (October will be here in no time!)

Read the full review here.

Read A Book!

2016-07-21T12:01:00.001-04:00

Collide

2016-06-15T11:10:00.000-04:00

Messages

2016-05-19T08:36:00.000-04:00

Morning Sketch

2016-05-11T09:59:00.001-04:00

... and a quick color study.

Just keep drawing.

Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure ~ Advance Copy!

2016-04-26T10:50:00.000-04:00

An advance copy of my next book arrived yesterday, to my total surprise! I am absolutely thrilled with the way it turned out. (Hard to see in the photo, but there's a spot varnish on the butterflies, Charles, and the title. I totally wasn't expecting such a wonderful detail. The design geek in me is very, very happy!)

I'm feeling truly fortunate and thankful to be working with such an amazing Editor, Art Director, and the whole team at Abrams!

The book will be out in October... stay tuned for some behind-the-scenes book posts in the weeks leading up to release!

My Website Got a Facelift...

2016-04-15T11:23:00.002-04:00

www.jenniferthermes.com

Illustration and Poetry (With Cats!)

2016-04-13T08:25:00.000-04:00

"Love is the mystery of water and a star." –Pablo Neruda

April is National Poetry Month. Below is a new piece of art inspired by this
snippet of a poem, step-by-step, working backwards. Enjoy!

After much fussing over details... the final art!

Building up the color.

Another view from the drawing table.

First pencil layer.

Rough color thoughts and a few tweaks on a printout of the sketch.

The original pencil sketch.

Sketchbook thumbnails. (No wonder I can't read my own handwriting!)

A Mappish Show-and-Tell Process Post

2016-03-04T09:54:00.000-05:00

I was recently commissioned to do a few maps for an upcoming book* due out later this year. A few people asked to see the final art after I posted some work-in-progress details over on Instagram, so here it is, along with some process show-and-tell.

Since I'm usually asked to illustrate places that exist in reality, this project was super interesting, because these were more fantasy-based maps.

In this case, the art director sent over detailed notes about the story, along with a rough sketch of how the author visualized the world in her head. This was all extremely helpful, and gave me a great starting point, yet still left a lot of creative freedom...

Below is the first sketch sent to the publisher. (I swear I had some tiny rough thumbnails, but they were lost in the flurry-of-paper that is my studio.)...

Close up inking details and adding a tone wash...

Coffee meditation break. (No worries! None was spilled! Don't try this at home, kids!!)...

And voilá, one of the finished pieces...

*The book is called THORNGHOST (Dial 2016), by Tone Almhjell, coming in August. Check it out!

Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin!

2016-02-12T09:13:00.000-05:00

"... There are several other sources of enjoyment in a long voyage... the map of the world ceases to be a blank; it becomes a picture full of the most varied and animated pictures." –from THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE

Charles Darwin was born 207 years ago today, on February 12, 1809. Today is also Darwin Day– a celebration of Darwin's life and amazing contributions to the world of science. Cake for everyone!

*Art detail from CHARLES DARWIN'S AROUND-THE-WORLD ADVENTURE (Abrams 2016), coming in October!