Jill Thompson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jill Thompson |
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Thompson at the 2011 New York Comic Con.
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| Born | November 20, 1966 |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer and Illustrator |
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Notable works
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The Sandman Scary Godmother Beasts of Burden |
Jill Thompson is a talented American artist and writer. She is famous for her work on comic books. Jill has also worked on projects for stage, movies, and TV shows. She is well known for drawing characters from Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series. She also created her own popular series called Scary Godmother. Jill has contributed to other comics like Wonder Woman.
Contents
Jill Thompson's Early Life and Art School
Jill Thompson was born on November 20, 1966. She loved art from a young age. She studied at The American Academy of Art in Chicago. In 1987, she finished her degree. She focused on illustration and watercolor painting.
Jill Thompson's Career in Comics
Jill Thompson started her career in comic books in the 1980s. She worked for companies like First Comics. In 1990, she became an artist for DC Comics' Wonder Woman series. Her drawings for Wonder Woman #46 were highly praised.
Working on The Sandman Comics
Jill Thompson illustrated many parts of The Sandman comic series. She drew the "Brief Lives" story arc. She also created special child versions of the characters Death and Morpheus. These characters were inspired by classic comic characters.
Later, Jill wrote and drew more stories about the Sandman characters. She created a manga-style book called Death: At Death's Door. This book was very popular in 2003. She also made The Little Endless Storybook, a children's book. It featured the child versions of the Endless characters. In 2005, she wrote and drew The Dead Boy Detectives. This was a new graphic novel.
Creating Scary Godmother
Jill Thompson created her own comic book series called Scary Godmother. It was first published by Sirius Entertainment. Later, Dark Horse Comics took over. The Scary Godmother books became so popular that they were made into two TV specials.
The first special was Scary Godmother Halloween Spooktacular. It aired in 2003 and then on Cartoon Network in 2004. The second special was Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy in 2005. Both shows used computer-generated animation. Jill helped write the scripts. She made sure the shows stayed true to her original vision.
Other Creative Work and Recognition
Jill Thompson has also been a model for other comic artists. She often uses herself as inspiration for characters in her own work. For example, she was the original model for her character Scary Godmother. Other artists like P. Craig Russell and Alex Ross have used her likeness in their comics.
Jill has been interviewed for films about comics. She appeared in Ringers: Lord of the Fans. This film is about fans of The Lord of the Rings. She was also in She Makes Comics. This documentary tells the story of women in the comics industry. In 2015, she was ranked among the top female comic book artists.
In 2022, Jill Thompson helped with a special book called Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds. Many comic creators contributed to this project. The money raised went to help Ukrainian refugees. Jill also performed as a character named Etain in The Sandman: Act III audiobook. She had drawn this character in the comic series.
Jill Thompson's Personal Life
Jill Thompson has studied improvisation comedy. She took classes at The Players Workshop and The Second City Training Center in Chicago. She performed with a comedy group for four years.
Jill is also a very keen gardener. She has a special certificate called a Master Gardener Certificate. This shows her knowledge and skill in gardening.
Awards and Honors for Jill Thompson
Jill Thompson has won many important awards for her work. These include several Eisner Awards. The Eisner Awards are like the "Oscars" for comic books.
- In 2001, she won for Best Painter for Scary Godmother.
- In 2004, she won for Best Painter/Multimedia Artist. This was for her work in The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings.
- In 2005, she won for Best Short Story for "Unfamiliar". This story was from The Dark Horse Book of the Dead.
- In 2011, the National Cartoonist Society named her Best Comic Book Artist. This was for her work on Beasts of Burden.
She also won the Lulu of the Year award in 1999.
List of Awards
- National Cartoonists Society Award
- 2011 Best Comic Book Artist Beasts of Burden
- Eisner Awards
- 2000 Best Humor Publication Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror (group award)
- 2001 Best Painter/Multimedia Scary Godmother (interior art)
- 2001 Best Title for a Younger Audience Scary Godmother: The Boo Flu
- 2004 Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art) "Stray" The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings
- 2005 Best Short Story, "Unfamiliar" The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft (with Evan Dorkin)
- 2007 Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art) "A Dog and His Boy" The Dark Horse Book of Monsters
See also
In Spanish: Jill Thompson para niños
