I made this for me. And for you.

in I draw to keep my hands from destroying me, YOU ARE HERE

When I was little my grandmother always used to tell me about her grandmother from Bohemia.  I don’t have any pictures of her so I decided to draw one last night.  And since you’ve been so incredibly supportive of my next book (YOU ARE HERE) I thought you might want to see it.

I miss
“I miss the people I never met but who made me who I am – and the people I have yet to meet who will make me who I will become.”

(Click on the picture to embiggen.)

As always, feel free to print or color or hang up or give to a friend as it’s for personal use.

PS. “YOU WROTE A NEW BOOK?”  I DID!  It’s half words and half drawings and I feel so lucky that people are already preordering it because I was –and am – terrified of coming out with something so different.  Pre-order info is here if you want to get one.  Or several hundred to pass out to strangers.  No judgement.

you are here cover

 

107 thoughts on “I made this for me. And for you.”

Read comments below or add one.

  2. Bohemia. Is that an actual place? hangs geographically-challenged head in shame

    (My family is from the Czech republic, but when they came here it was still called ‘The Kingdom of Bohemia’. I always loved the name. ~ Jenny)

  4. I am quite envious of your artistic ability. You draw beautiful works of art & I thank you greatly for sharing them & your story with the rest of us.

    It makes my day to read your posts! Thank you 🙂

  8. Very pretty… whenever I am feeling despondent I remind myself that I come from a long line of folks who convinced other folks to sleep with them.

  11. Thank you! Sending this off to a friend who really really needs the zen of coloring (and the message therein) right now.

    “I miss the people I never met but who made me who I am – and the people I have yet to meet who will make me who I will become.” Sad and hopeful all at once.

  13. SO wonderful! And leave it to you to have a Bohemian in the family tree. No shock there. You have an incredible talent. Thank you for sharing it with us!

  14. I thought this might be a self portrait of you in your Little House on the Prairie phase… 🙂

  15. The stories of old.. I really miss those times spent learning about the old days…

    Somethings that you will always hold near and dear to your heart, forever!!

    Kind regards and feeling thankful – K

  17. It says book will be released Mar 17th??? I don’t want to wait!!!!!

    (They say it takes that long to make it perfect. 🙂 I’m impatient about it too though. And if you preorder it now it’ll be a surprise present to you in March. ~ Jenny)

  20. I don’t believe in… well… much of anything. I do think that we somehow know the ancestors we’ve never met, although I’m not sure I could tell you how. I love that you could envision your great great grandmother.

  24. It’s interesting your family still calls it Bohemia. My ancestors were from Krakow, but claimed the Austro-Hungarian Empire as their country. When I was at Ellis searching records, I found my great grandma–who was quite the firecracker–listed herself under “Austria.” Nice try, Great Grandma Marya. Found you anyways.

    I love the drawing.

  25. Love this, pinned on my Quotes board in fact because it’s so true. I love learning about my ancestors. We’ve come a long way. Gives me perspective on what’s really “hard,” oh like losing five babies before the age of two (nine children made it).

  26. I really really really need to get a printer!!
    Love the drawings, and so looking forward to the book arriving next year 🙂

  27. Jenny – love your new tribute drawing to your Grandmother and the words you chose.
    I’ve been researching my ancestry & highly recommend doing a DNA test — it may surprise you! A few years ago I visited Ireland & fell in love with the beauty, the people & felt a connection. A few months ago my DNA results arrived and to my surprise, my ethnicity is 21% Ireland. I had no idea & found the missing link in my family tree. Now I know why the strong connection….it’s within.

  28. I know how you feel I have a friend named Marita she’s one of my favorite people on earth. She has a sister Anita that I just meet and I adore her. She also had another sister Chanita (I’m not kidding) that passed away before I meet Marita. I’m so sad that I’ll never get to meet Chanita I just know she was awesome. On a side note I told my friend that Chanita sounded like something you ordered from Taco Bell. I’d like a Chanita no onions extra sauce. She just laughed at me and said she loved me. She’s one of the few people that when I’m stuck in the darkness she can shine a light. She’s one of the brightest lights I’ve ever meet. Sorry for the rambling 😃

  30. I love the word embiggen- it’s what you do for us when you let us know we’re not alone and that things will probably get better. I’m not there yet, but at least when I can’t sleep at night I can count on you and your friends to be there and embiggen me.

  32. I sent the Amazon link to my boss to pre-order for our Adult Coloring night! She loved the title!

    Your drawings are delightful and insightful and I can hardly wait to hear the ‘OOhs’ and ‘Aahhs.’

  35. That’s beautiful. My husband is from the Czech Republic, moved here in 1995, and his family still lives there-his grandmother still refers to “Bohemia”. It is such an interesting culture.

  37. Your artwork is so beautiful! I don’t think any of our children and grandchildren will ever have to say they have no pictures of us, what with everything and everyone being recorded for posterity, whether they want it or not. Keep up the drawing, because every new one you show just whets my appetite for the release of the book.

  40. When I was a teenager I used to draw Holly Hobby, but re-imagined as a Narnia character. This drawing brings that to mind. It’s beautiful and nostalgia inspiring. Thank you.

  42. Well Hello neighbor! My ancestors mostly hail from Bavaria with only a couple of Englishmen, a Hungarian and somehow a Scandinavian joined the party. We are such a mixed up mess that we can claim no single ancestral home. Which is a pity because everyone should know where they come from. Like The Viking. He certainly knows where he comes from and I’m pea-green with jealousy.

  44. Lovely! Your Babičkas would love it. ☺

    My parents are Czech (I’m fist gen Canadian) and they often refer to the ‘Old Country’ as Bohemia. It’s a beautiful land.

  45. Beautiful drawing! My family also emigrated from Bohemia in 1867. I often get weird looks from people when explaining my ancestry and then find myself explaining where Bohemia is. I’ve always thought Bohemia sounded nicer than Czechoslovakia or Czech Republic.

  46. I know EXACTLY what you mean.

    In a related bit of interest (to me at least)…. my brother has been diving deeper into family geneology and last year connected with a many-generations-removed cousin in Germany. It’s been fascinating seeing family photos of the people my grandmother had to lose contact with because they were on the other side of World War I and to stay in touch would have left her in danger of espionage charges. When I showed my elderly mother photos of her 2nd or 3rd cousin in the Kaiser’s naval uniform, she sniffed and said “He was trying to sink my Uncle George.”

  48. Is it weird that I feel like we are friends even though we have never met? So much of your work seems to come to me right when I need it most that is sometimes seems you are a long lost friend. That sounds creepier than I meant it to but hopefully you get my point. I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate you, your work and The Bloggess Tribe that you have created. It is so magical because you are so magical. Thank you. ❤

  49. Lovely. I found pictures of my polish great great niece or some-such. Totally looks like an old german woman with the head wrap. LOL

  50. It’s always fun talking with family about the people who came before us. To learn about their lives. My Mother’s family is mostly from Hawaii, with a little bit of Chinese thrown in there. Fascinating to learn about.

    Thank you for sharing a little more about you. The artwork is beautiful as well.

  51. Very nice.

    I’m saving these off on my tablet, so I can load them up and re-colour them more than once. Plus, with the tablet it’s a portable colouring book with as many different tools as I need/want at the time. There’s a different feel between the tablet and using physical pencils, but I personally can lose myself for a little while regardless of the form.

  54. Blessings upon you. Yes, you reading this. And you riding the one reading this. All of you. The whole flipping gestalt, bless you.

  59. Jenny, I have visited the Czech Republic, and love the glasswork. I also love that the first president Vaclev Havel was a poet. Thank you for your books and for your beautiful drawings.
    Because of you, there are many of us who do not feel so alone.

  61. I love your drawings! Are you familiar with a magazine called ‘The Coloring Studio’ published by Stampington & Company? Maybe you could get them to do a story on you and your new book. I think your drawings would be something they’d like. Here’s a link to the web site for the newest issue: https://stampington.com/The-Coloring-Studio-Autumn-2016
    At the bottom of the page they have a link for submissions.
    BTW, I’ve been printing the drawings you are sharing here and tucking them in my copy of ‘Furiously Happy’. I’m trying very hard not to glue them to the inside of the dust jacket and on a few of the black or almost blank pages. I have a feeling I’m going to lose.

  64. Jenny, I am always drawing as well and wondering what type of pens you use for your drawings? People are always telling me I need to publish my drawings (which are mostly spiritual/Native American/gypsy/boho as a coloring book too but I have no idea how to do that. Any advice for beginners?

  65. Considering what I have heard about you I am wondering where this leads? this is the 3rd Blog I am reading

  66. Considering what I have heard about you I am wondering where this leads? Or is it just where you are now?

  69. You are my power animal. Kind of like Edward Norton’s penguin in Fight Club. Except not douchey like a penguin. I guess I’m just trying to tell you that I am really stoked that you have another book out!

  70. Bohemian? As a native Nebraskan, I now feel obliged to add a Bohunk joke…

    Bohunk goes to a Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium. He hears, from somewhere behind him in the stands: “Hey, Steve!” Bohunk gets up and says, “What?” No response. Bohunk sits back down.

    Few minutes later: “Hey, Steve!” Bohunk gets up again and says, “What?” No response, again. Bohunk sits back down.

    Shortly thereafter: “Hey, Steve!” Bohunk stands up, again, furious and probably drunk, and yells: “Goddammit! My name isn’t Steve!”

    Note that I never claimed this would be a good joke.

  71. Hi Jenny,
    Just wanted to tell you what a pleasure it is to listen to your books. I already have a couple other friends listening after I finished the first. You’re a funny and honest writer. Wishing you the best with your continued success.

  73. That’s a very nice drawing. I like the message too. I’m looking forward to the person I’m yet to meet who will turn me into George Clooney.

  76. When I was a child in N Calif in the 1940’s, Bohemian ladies roamed the land wearing head scarves and big old skirts with lots of pockets and stole everybody’s grapes off their fence and shoplifted in the neighborhood market. It seemed to be their job. Mom called them gypsies and nobody ever dared confront them.

  77. I am in the midst of an Ancestry.com binge, so this is the most perfect picture for you to share right now. Your artwork is stunning, thank you.

  79. My family is from Germany, but for some reason when “we” settled into the Pennsylvania countryside, we called ourselves “Dutch.” My people are a confused lot, but we make good apple schnitz. Your drawing reminds me of a “pretty little Dutch girl.” (from a silly song we used to sing) <3

  82. So, on you’re next book tour, can we all just sit around and color with you? Please?

  85. My grandparents were first generation from Czech and they always called it Bohemia too! I loved their stories, and your drawing. It so fits <3

  86. It’s lovely! I really relate to the idea of missing the people you never met that made you who you are. I’m a genealogy nerd and I’m kind of obsessed with learning about the ancestors that came before me.

  87. I’ve always loved the associations that go with being “Bohemian”.
    My maternal grandparents came from what was then Czechoslovakia and like so many arrived first in Galveston. Then they moved to Detroit, then Kentucky, then Florida.
    We are a peripatetic people, aren’t we?

  90. I just finished your second book. I really enjoy your honesty and your warped sense of humor. I hope you are always able to find your way back to us from the dark places you visit. The world is better with you in it.

  93. Your great-great grandmother is adorable and I believe I’m going to color her.

    (That’s a sentence I never imagined I’d actually type…)

  94. I wish I had even one millionth of a billionth of your artistic ability. Sadly all I can draw are sad stick figures that look like nothing. I have preordered this new coloring book and can’t wait to get it. As always you never cease doubting just how much everyone loves you and your unique outlook on life. Carry on being wonderful.

  97. I’m sitting here at 12:15 a.m. eating a Ding Dong. I’m in no position to judge you. Thanks for the drawing!

  99. Tell me about your pen(s), please. [Yeah, I know, sorry. Awesome art, nifty themes, super creative… and what I care about is the insanely black super duper fine point reliable non-squishy consistent pen of awesomeness you’re using to create it.]

    (I use a lot of different ones but my favorite is the Marvy Le Pen because it lasts a long time and you can buy them cheap by the dozen: http://amzn.to/2avEos1 Also a big fan of the fine point micron pens. ~ Jenny)

  101. Thank you so much for sharing these, Jenny! They are amazing and I appreciate every detail and every minute you put into making them so wonderful. You are wonderful.

  102. My great grandparents were from Bohemia also. I have pictures of them but they lived in the US by then so they were acclimated. I try to envision their lives there. Someday I would like to go there, I guess it is beautiful. And my family blames all my personality quirks on my Bohemian roots! I love it!

  103. It doesn’t in the least bit surprise me that you have Bohemian genes! Or is that jeans? And I wouldn’t be surprised if there was also some badass warrior woman, elf, and a bit of Time Lord in there as well.

  104. Pingback: Freebie: Bohemian Girl Coloring Page – Stamping
  105. Pingback: Freebie: Bohemian Girl Coloring Page | It's Handmade

  106. Thank you so much for this sweet coloring page! I also have Aunt Esthers (ancestors) that I’ve never seen a photo of but who have certainly contributed to the person I am.

  107. These are wonderful. Not sure why, but I see them all as stained glass hanging in a window with light coming through. 🙂

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