Teenagers and BOOKS

I took the weekend off! Of drawing the strips, I mean. It was nice. I read Smile and Skim, and really loved both of them, especially Skim...really makes me want to draw something about teenagers. ANGST. Remember being a teenager and how EVERYTHING is SUPER meaningful and important and you think you know everything? Way more than adults? Yeah. It's kind of great when I think about it now, even though it SUCKED most of the time being in it.

So here's today's strip, it's not Halloween themed. SORRY. But it feels like freaking Christmas here with all this snow! I mean COME ON.

Oh yeah, the other thing I did this weekend was start to go through the massive amounts of books in my mom's house that have been here forever. It's a really fun project, actually. Dusty though. I found my senior yearbook, and this stupid book of quotes that I used to collect, and a book I illustrated in 1994 called "Dogs of New York" that is basically all lifted from 101 Dalmatians and Lady and the Tramp. SO COOL.

BUT I also found some gems from childhood like the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books by Betty MacDonald and illustrated by the amazing Hilary Knight (who drew Eloise). OH MY GOD I love those books. I might just read them again.

(this is from "Hello, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle". And I just found one illustrated by Maurice Sendak? What?!)

I had planned to get rid of most of the books in the house, a lot of them are kind of dumb and will I really ever read them? But now I'm having second thoughts already. I mean, what if Chuck and I really do own a bookstore someday? HAHA more like a moldy RV full of old books that nobody wants. Maybe now every time I send someone a Freddy I'll also send them a random used paperback.

love

me

Dogs

I actually made a very similar costume to this for myself when I was like 11. It was probably the worst costume ever! I was obsessed with dogs. I think Freddy is supposed to be more of a wolf but whatever.

Doing a reading/talky thing tonight at Water St. Books in Williamstown! I'm not that nervous. Should I be more nervous? It'll be fun! What should I wear!!??

Also did you watch the World Series last night? Our internet went out so we listened to the end of it on the radio, I got chills when that incredible home run happened! That is sports movie material! Go Cardinals! I admit to not being a follower of baseball, I just pretty much piggyback on whoever Chuck is rooting for, but it's fun. I love baseball either way.

Halloween is coming!

I started drawing with a brush again...I think I like it. Nibs are cool but I think they make me draw in a way that I'm not sure I like. Helen is starting to be suspiciously similar to Alice from Cul de Sac. Only because I love that strip so much, probably. Can you guess all of the things that Helen is? Hulk Hogan, Kermit, a ballerina....and more....

I don't know what I'm going to be for Halloween, I think we are going to sit on my sister's porch and yell at children. Maybe I'll just wear a giant sweater and hide in it. Then pop out and scare kids. Or like my sister said, maybe I should just wear a sweater for pants and pants for a sweater and call myself stupid. My sister's a genius.

How I am

today this is me

Dos

Two today, to make up for this weekend when we had family visiting. We went to Mass Moca, saw the Sol Lewitt exhibit again. It's amazing. Makes me want to draw all over the walls. We also went to the Dreamaway Lodge in Becket. Holy Moly, that place is incredible, it's exactly what I'd want my restaurant to be like, if I had one.

Thanks to Gigi Devlin and her mom Peggy Burns for this quote and idea!

The other night I had crazy dreams, and in one part this boy with those 60's looking glasses was being really mean to me, so I took his hand and made him go swimming with me.

lalalaaaa

also I've been collaging a little.

Pickin' feet in Poughkeepsie

And here's a family portrait, in case you were wondering. Just buh-cause.

Dangerous

Freddy probably shouldn't be playing with that. But maybe it's all an illusion....

BEAVERS

and I just put this on my tumblr. I got it last night in a free box at the library. BEAVERS by Dorothy WOOD. Is this real life?

Back to Black

And white, for now. Charles has me inspired to do some cross-hatching.

Something New

Trying something a little new with watercolors...inspired by Julie Delporte (I am obsessed with this drawing). I think maybe I'm too impatient for it. Julie's stuff is amazing, though, you should definitely check it out...

Other news??? Uhhhh....we had pancakes for breakfast. We have been watching Breaking Bad obsessively. I might start teaching at this place, it's beautiful and fall and stuff.

Exploring

I think Freddy's just hanging around right now, looking at stuff, exploring the world a little bit. I'm never sure what's going to happen next. These are all totally unplanned until I sit down to draw them...I like to think that the Fred-ster is telling me where she wants to go. Or something.

Went to see a classical pianist last night with my Mom...it was really really great. Frederick Moyer, in case you were wondering. He told stories about the pieces before he played them. I learned that Robert Shumann went through a terrible depression where he couldn't write any music, then he went to a hypnotist who told him over and over "you will write a great symphony", and then, he did. And he played this Liszt song which is SO BEAUTIFUL

I'm a nerd. There were so many old people there. It was great.

Today's Comic and an Event!

All you local people better come out! Right? Dooo itttttt

Flyin'

Made this right before I saw this.

I love Cul de Sac.

Talkin' Dogs

Fan Art day, and owls

Hi

So this morning I suddenly had this thought that I wanted to do some fan art for Dane, and I went to his tumblr and he had literally just done some Freddy fan art yesterday! Crazy! Thanks Dane. I love it!

Here's my fan art for Dane:

And here's something I did for Chuck. His character Wolf and my character Freddy are basically both our alter-egos. But it would be really weird if they dated, so maybe they're just friends.

Last night we looked around for owls, because we had heard one the night before. Then we had a youtube owl fest. We heard some last night, but they were kind of far away...

it's sad how these kids are poking this guy, but doesn't it look like totoro?

Bears and storks?

A weird one. Just came to me...been thinking about Freddy's dreams.

Creatures

Whoops! Forgot to post yesterday's. Here's both.

Helen's Back!

And she's loud.

New Store, and a Print for Sale!

Dear Readers,

I have my very own store now! Chuck is still selling some of my stuff. But in my store, you will see a couple new things.

One, some original art, of the daily strips that I have been posting,

and Two, this print (shown below) ! It's 8.5 x 11, full color (watercolor original). 12 bucks. If you order this now, it will be a little while before it comes, as I get it printed. But don't worry! It'll come!

I know this is the same time last year that Chuck posted his first amazing print, the Indiana Jones one. Basically, it's been a year, we've been to Providence and back (it didn't work out so well), and we are here in Hancock because we want to be cartoonists. Because that's what we love, it's who we are, all of that. We have a whole studio here, we're renting my mom's house, and there's lots of nature around which ruuuules. Chuck is working on his book, and I've been trying to be my own personal saleslady and the beginnings of a second Freddy book are in my brain.

So, to try and make our dreams come true, we are being our own bosses out here. But there's still rent and all of that, and I'm mostly selling this print to pay off some bills for a recent hospital stay.

So yeah! Also, if you buy a Freddy Stories in the next 2 weeks (by October 21), I will throw in a free little original watercolor drawing!

lots of love

Melissa

nibz

Readin'

Oh, dogs

Helen

(Grandma Helen, if you see this, I promise she's not supposed to be you...I just thought the name suited her!)

Also, my friend Jeff Lok just put an amazing and really inspiring post on his blog.

Thanks Jeff. You helped me remember that I really love what I do, and I love all the other people who do it, too.

Website and Stuffs

Lots of new stuff on my website! Including this wicked old comic, from 2006.

and the Guts project, which is ongoing, started it a few years ago and now you can do it, too!

I had an awesome rainy weekend in White River Junction at ICAF, with my old buddies. Miss you guys. Lots of interesting academic talks about comics, too, including a sneak peek at Joann Sfar's new book about Chagall...

alsoooo I started a tumblr project, just putting up images from books or the internet that I like. I think it'll help keep track of my inspirations, and it'll be fun to go through all of the random books we have...

lovelovelove