I'M AN ADULT NOW AND I CAN DO WHAT I WANT

OH HELLO.  I didn't see you there.  Welcome to this blog.

GUESS WHAT:  I have finished Lou #4, and it is available at the Oily Boutique.  Guess what else.  The brand new issues of Chuck's TEOTFW and Max's Moose are also there!!!   GET 'EM WHILE THEY'RE HOT.

A bit about Lou:  Lou Number 4 takes place on Halloween.  As I'm writing these issues,  I've noticed how bits from movies I loved as a kid come through, like E.T., the Sandlot, Flight of the Navigator, Homeward Bound...  And I am falling in love more and more with Lou's family.  I was originally just going to be focusing on Lou and her relationship with the dog, Sammy (who is based on my own dog I had as a child, of the same name, the greatest dog in the world).  But Eddie, Lou's big brother, has taken on all of these stories I've heard from Chuck about his teenage life, and her little brother John has his own funny personality now too.  Lou's parents are based on adult couples that I've admired throughout my life, and my relationship with Chuck as well.   I feel like I'm trying to learn how to write convincing, heartfelt adult characters without taking away from the attention that I pay to the younger ones.  MAYBE I AM GROWING UP??

Some samples of from Lou #4:

AND AN ADDED BONUS!!!!

My good friend and classmate from CCS, Matt Aucoin, did a whole comic featuring Freddy and Uncle Sully!  It's so awesome.  He knows Freddy so well!  Check out Matt's work here!

Again

Doing the daily strips after a looong break.



sketchbook page



And here's a little peek at that new comic...



BABIES!

Dogs Forever

Making some pancakes out of old Halloween candy. YUM

It's a full moon! I think. Is that what's making me feel crazy and emotional? Maybe. Or it could be that I've been obsessing over my first dog, Sammy, who died when I was about 10. I'm working on something that is based a lot on Sammy, and how he was pretty much my first love. He kind of looked like a wolf and freaked strangers out with his ferocious bark, but we spent hours together wandering around the woods and watching tv and playing. He was the best. How could you not love this face:

Oh yeah! And Hillary Brown at Paste Magazine gave Freddy Stories a 7.9! Pretty sweet.

My favorite part of her review:

"There’s nothing magical here except for the ordinary rhythms and explorations of childhood, and that is in itself rather wonderful. Mendes can spend four pages sending Freddy to borrow some flour and poke around in her great uncle Sully’s house, including taking a sip of beer, but the panels don’t feel wasted or boring".

Thanks Hillary!

Dog Blog

I made a new blog just for the dog portraits...

Here!

http://melissadrawsdogs.blogspot.com/

dogsdogsdogsdogs

we still don't have one of our own, we just stare at other people's dogs all day. Someday, in our cottage by the ocean, we'll have a dog who likes riding in boats, and chewing on seaweed. And we will call him Captain, and he will be the best dog in the world.

I didn't do a page today...some days it doesn't feel right. Things are getting better, then they suck again, then they get better. I know everything won't come together all at once. But sometimes I want it to.

Some comics tomorrow!

Page Fourteen!

Dogs!

As many of you know, I freaking love dogs. I just think they are amazing. Which is why I'd like to draw a portrait of your dog for you. It could be your dog, or your friend's dog, or a dog movie star that you really love, like Beethoven.

Please contact me for pricing info. Thanks!

This is Sammy, the dog I had growing up. He always had a guilty look on his face from those eyebrows, which made you love him all the more.

This is Ziggy, dog of a friend, one of the smartest dogs I ever met.

Nelly

Nuala Frijolita

She smiles.

Roscoe

Vegas and Uzi

Montreal!

For the month of July I am living in the most beautiful city ever, interning at Drawn and Quarterly, a totally incredible publisher.

I have been hanging out at cafes a lot, drawing. Seriously, I love this place. What do you guys think? Should we move here?

Ziggy is the dog I have been staying with. He is the greatest.