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Joy

Her boyfriend asked her to draw a comic about their relationship. Hilarity ensued.

The series combines humor and playful drawings with spot-on depictions of the intense familiarity that long-standing coupledom often brings.

All images by Catana Chetwynd


"It was all his idea."

An offhand suggestion from her boyfriend of two years coupled with her own lifelong love of comic strips like "Calvin and Hobbes" and "Get Fuzzy" gave 22-year-old Catana Chetwynd the push she needed to start drawing an illustrated series about long-term relationships.

Specifically, her own relationship.


The drawings are refreshingly touching, honest, and instantly recognizable to anyone who's ever had to learn to live with, for, and around a long-term partner.

Chetwynd says her goal is to explore the peculiar aspects of relationships at different stages, using her own as the master template.

The series combines humor and playful drawings with spot-on depictions of the intense familiarity that long-standing coupledom often brings.

The comics are almost too real — and really, really funny.

If the following comics capture your relationship to a T, you're most definitely not alone.

(All images by Catana Chetwynd.)

"When I started doing the comic, we hadn't lived together or anything yet, and now we've done the whole thing of moving in together and meeting the parents and everything," Chetwynd says.

The evolution of their relationship provides the creative fuel for the comic strip. Thankfully, her boyfriend John Freed is fully on board with being depicted in (digital) ink — despite having to occasionally awkwardly explain things that appear in the strip to their family and friends.

The connection she has built with Freed, Chetwynd says she wouldn't trade for anything — especially now that it inspires her art.

"The end goal for me was always to have somebody that I could be comfortable with in this way, and I think I got that."

You can follow Catana Comics on Facebook and Twitter, and can view the whole series on Chetwynd's website.


This article originally appeared on 05.12.17.



via Three Under The Rain / Instagram

Brisa is the the illustrator of Three Under the Rain, a comic series on Instagram about her relationship with her fiance Joan and Marley, her five-year-old Labrador.

She never really considered herself an artist, but all that's changed since September 2017 when she first posted a few comics on Instagram. The first batch were called Short People Problems, about the funny situations she has to deal with as a five-foot-tall woman.

"I started with the series Short People Problems since I thought it would be fun to laugh a bit about the small daily struggles that short people have to face," she told Bored Panda.


"They were super well-received, but in the comments, there were always people saying how they didn't like being short, or how that made them feel less confident or feel that being short is a problem itself," she continued.

RELATED: An artist built seesaws into the US-Mexico border and invited kids to play on them

So Brisa got to work on a series of illustrations touting the positive side of being pint-sized, called the Perks of Being Short. The comics aren't just a way to appease her fans, she's actually learned to love her stature.

"Now in my late twenties, I'm totally fine with my height of 152 cm, it's who I am, and I like it, but there was a time when that was not like that," she said. "So I thought it could be great to make a parallel series, focused on the perks that being below average height have."

Her illustrations have become pretty popular on Instagram, earning her over 280,000 followers and she's even launched an online store with Joan where they sells prints, clothing, and stickers featuring her artwork.

Here is the entire series of 15 Perks of Being Short that'll either help you love your height or appreciate the vertically challenged people in your life.

More

Dogs are the best. These 9 hilarious comics remind us why.

'Home is where the dog hair sticks to everything but the dog.'

If you have a dog, you already know about the limitless source of joy they can bring.

Dogs are so much more than four-legged animals living in our house. They're also our family. They're our best friends. We can count on them to provide us with the best kind of unconditional love.

And that's why Lingvistov.com illustrator Landysh Akhmetzyanova drew these delightful comics.


These nine adorable funny-'cause-they're-true illustrations celebrate all that our beloved pooches have to offer — the good, the bad, and the funny:

1. They're only too happy to be our guinea pigs.

All food must go to the lab for testing. Illustrations via Lingvistov, featured with permission.

2. What is that secret language? What are they trying to tell us?

Dogs bark at nothing. Keep telling yourself that.

3. As pet parents, our days revolve around potty time. But, hey — we signed up for it.

Agenda for the day: Let the dog in. Let the dog out.

4. We can learn A LOT from our dogs.

No matter what life brings you, kick some grass over that and move on.

5. This applies to any and all types of food.

I see you have pizza ... I also like pizza.

6. So much truth it's ridiculous.

Home is where the dog hair sticks to everything but the dog.

7. This unspoken rule sounds about right. Would you agree?

There's an unspoken rule that when your pet is sleeping on you, you don't move.

8.  It's like they need to make sure that we're paying attention.

Let me in. I need to go back out again.

9. We've all had days like this. And that's OK.

Leave me alone. I'm only speaking to my dog today.

Dogs keep us busy, and they rarely let us down when we need comfort.

Our furry friends don't always get the credit they deserve for being such important figures in our lives. But these simple yet heartwarming comics are a hilarious tribute to all that they are and all they mean in our lives.

"They are loyal. They are awesome friends; they will definitely keep you busy and always be there for you when you need them," the artist says. "Dogs are the best security system."

Now go and give your pet a great big hug (and peel more of that dog hair off your black jeans).

I have a confession: I get anxiety when I check social media.

People post about getting married, having babies, taking lavish vacations, and solving world hunger. Meanwhile, I'm barely keeping it together.

All illustrations by Jon Youshaei/The Every Vowel.


I have to remind myself that people don't show their full selves on social media. It's only their "greatest hits."

Lots of people pretend to be someone they're not.

Like a "social media influencer."

Or a "Bitcoin guru."

But truth is, not everyone crushes their goals all the time.

Even the seemingly most successful people struggle. And you can overcome any challenge if you keep three simple things in mind.

1. Don't let pride get in your way.

2. Ask for help.

3. Above all: Don’t be so hard on yourself!

You don't need to be perfect to be happy.

You don't need to have all the answers.

Even people who soar don’t have it all figured out.

Life is constantly under construction. Failure isn't a detour. It's a rite of passage.

You can find more of my cartoons on EveryVowel.com.