History Art / NorthAmericaPortraitOfAContinent

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!!!{{Tropes}} about the map and the creative process behind it:

''"I think if you're trying to supercharge your creative journey, sometimes don't worry about getting lost. Just... become the map."''

* ComesGreatResponsibility: Thomas has mentioned on his website and his presentations the importance of an accurate yet respectful depiction of RealLife locations.

* KingOfTheDinosaurs: The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Largest_Dinosaur World's Largest Dinosaur]] appears northeast of Calgary.

''North America: Portrait of a Continent'' is a hand-drawn pictorial map by UsefulNotes/NewZealand-born cartographer Anton Thomas. Coming off the heels of his prior work, the similarly-designed ''Art/SouthAsiaAndAustralasia'', this map proved to be Thomas' biggest undertaking thus far, being drawn on a 5 x 4 ft. canvas over the course of 4¾ years. As its name implies, the map depicts UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica with immense detail to the continent's vast geography, history, and culture.[[note]]The only parts omitted are most of the Lesser Antilles, the Aleutian Islands, and the northernmost part of UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and Ellesmere Island. UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}}, despite being a part of UsefulNotes/{{Oceania}}, is included via inset due to its status as one of UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates.[[/note]]

* EiffelTowerEffect: [[JustifiedTrope This is a pictorial map, after all.]] Flora, fauna, landmarks, and other such iconography associated with certain locales covers the landscape, while cities are depicted by their iconic skylines. Fittingly, the town of Paris, Texas is marked by its replica of the Eiffel Tower.

* FromEntertainmentToEducation: Thomas very quickly became aware of the map's educational potential, and donated several copies to various schools.

* MethodActing: Or more accurately, "method mapping" -- Thomas would often watch {{film}}s or listen to {{music}} from a place that he was working on to really get a sense for its identity. For example, he watched ''Film/AtanarjuatTheFastRunner'' to help inspire his depiction of Nunavut, and ''Music/BuenaVistaSocialClub'' for the Caribbean.

* RegionalRiff: As mentioned above, Thomas considers music very important to a place's identity. Oftentimes, a musical instrument we be accompanied by musical notes playing a bar from a locale's SignatureSong. For example, Music/MuddyWaters' guitar appears just below Chicago playing "Sweet Home Chicago", and a tres in eastern Cuba plays "Guantanamera".
* SceneryPorn: Mountain ranges, forests, canyons, waterfalls, volcanoes, and cityscapes, going from Big Sur in California to Mt. Thor in Nunavut to the Palouse River of Washingtion to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and so, so much more.

* TyrannosaurusRex: The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Largest_Dinosaur World's Largest Dinosaur]] appears northeast of Calgary.

[[caption-width-right:350:The Map itself (top) and a closeup of the map's cartouche (bottom). [[NotYourDaddysX Clearly, this isn't your parents']] HollywoodAtlas.]]

->''"I think if you're trying to supercharge your creative journey, sometimes don't worry about getting lost. Just... become the map."''

''North America: Portrait of a Continent'' is a hand-drawn pictorial map by UsefulNotes/NewZealand-born cartographer Anton Thomas. Coming off the heels of his prior work, the similarly-designed ''Art/SouthAsiaAndAustralasia'', this map proved to be Thomas' biggest undertaking thus far, being drawn on a 5 x 4 ft. canvas over the course of 4¾ years. As its name implies, the map depicts most of UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica [[note]]The only parts omitted are most of the Lesser Antilles, the Aleutian Islands, and the northernmost part of Greenland and Ellesmere Island[[/note]] with immense detail to the continent's vast geography, history, and culture.

* AllThereInTheManual: Several of the map's details are explained further on [[https://www.antonthomasart.com/blog.html Thomas' blog]].
* AnimalMotifs: National and state animals appear readily in their appropriate locations, totaling well over 400. Just a handful of examples include a polar bear near Churchill, Manitoba (and several other places in the Arctic tundra), a lobster off the coast of Maine, sled-dogs headed for Nome, Alaska, a clay-coloured thrush in Costa Rica, a white raven in Haida Gwaii, a bighorn sheep (among several other creatures) in Nevada...
* ArtEvolution: Halfway through production, Thomas found that his skill evolved so much on that one project, it necessitated a re-work of the earlier portions, which required an X-Acto knife to erase the penned-in portions. His colors became bolder, his outlines became softer, and several details were re-done for greater accuracy. The website has a few BeforeAndAfterPictures to show the difference.

* TheEiffelTowerEffect: [[JustifiedTrope This is a pictorial map, after all.]] Flora, fauna, landmarks, and other such iconography associated with certain locales covers the landscape, while cities are depicted by their iconic skylines.

* ShownTheirWork: Oh, so very much... to put it all into perspective, [[https://www.antonthomasart.com/blog-recent/fidels-revolution-guantanamo-and-the-thaw These two]] [[https://www.antonthomasart.com/blog-recent/son-cubano-columbus-and-the-painted-snail blog posts]] delve into how just much thought and research went into the map's depiction of Cuba.

** His solution for a appropriate depiction of Guantanamo is a bit more humourous -- Right below it lies the golden arches of UsefulNotes/McDonalds, symbolic of both America's capitalist influence and the sole Micky D's located in all of Cuba.
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''North America: Portrait of a Continent'' is a hand-drawn pictorial map by UsefulNotes/NewZealand-born cartographer Anton Thomas. Coming off the heels of his prior work, the similarly-designed ''Art/SouthAsiaAndAustralasia'', this map proved to be Thomas' biggest undertaking thus far, being drawn on a 5 x 4 ft. canvas over the course of 4¾ years. As its name implies, the map depicts most[[note]]The only parts omitted are most of the Lesser Antilles, the Aleutian Islands, and the northernmost part of Greenland and Ellesmere Island[[/note]] of UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica with immense detail to the continent's vast geography, history, and culture.

An early version of the map appears in NACIS's ''Atlas of Design Vol. III''. Thomas has also mentioned plans for a companion piece (such as a coffee table book or an app) to further explain some of its details.

!{{Tropes}} about the map and the creative process:
* AllThereInTheManual: Several of the map's details are explained further on Thomas' blog.
* AnimalMotifs: National and state animals appear readily in their appropriate locations, totaling well over 400. Just a handful of examples include a polar bear near Churchill, Manitoba (and several other places in the Arctic tundra), a lobster off the coast of Maine, a clay-coloured thrush in Costa Rica, a white raven in Haida Gwaii, a bighorn sheep (among several other creatures) in Nevada...

* CosmicMotifs: The map's corners where the earth curves outward bare a starry sky display select UsefulNotes/{{constellations}}: The Big and Little Dippers grace the northwest corner overlooking Alaska, Cassiopeia sits in the northeast, Orion is in the southwest, and Taurus is in the southeast.

* InternalDeconstruction: The final addition to the map is a cartouche that essentially divides it into its two major elements: the mini-map depicts North America itself in a more natural state, free of the myriad details seen on the main body, whereas the surrounding frame is comprised entirely of a selection of said details and iconography. Of note is Thomas' sign-off being carried by a macaw, symbolic of how the content is what carries him up, not the other way around.

* SceneryPorn: Mountain ranges, forests, canyons, waterfalls, and cityscapes, going from Big Sur in California to Mt. Thor in Nunavut to the Palouse River of Washingtion to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and so, so much more.

* ShownTheirWork: Oh, so very much... to put it all into perspective, [[https://www.antonthomasart.com/blog-recent/fidels-revolution-guantanamo-and-the-thaw These two]] [[https://www.antonthomasart.com/blog-recent/son-cubano-columbus-and-the-painted-snail blog posts]] delve into how just much thought and reasearch went into the map's depiction of Cuba.
* StuffBlowingUp: Yucca Flat, the site of the most nuclear tests in the world, is depicted with a billowing mushroom cloud.

* WartsAndAll: Thomas strives to take this approach in his cartography. He doesn't want to sugarcoat the uglier parts of world history, but he also acknowledges that sites of traumatic events don't deserve to be completely defined by said trauma.