Mo Welch’s cartoon sketches will make you smile hard

Mo Welch brings the smiles. The LA-based comedian, writer, and Larry Bird’s biggest fan is currently in demand, with a one-hour baseball special for CBS, a long-running and much-loved show, “The Mo Show,” at NerdMelt—in addition to performing, creating and just doing on the constant. This is a woman who even nails it in her spare time.

When I say spare time, I’m talking about Mo’s cartoons. She recently spent a month in Lombard, IL at her mom’s house drawing a series of cartoons titled, “Live From Lombard.” They’re based on the musings of a depressed lesbian character named Blair and they are simplistic, cute, funny, honest and spot on. I asked Mo how she came up with the idea for “Live from Lombard, ” how she developed Blair and her cartooncess (cartoon process—a term I just made up does it work?).

Check out “Live From Lombard” and enjoy a few smiles below.

Where did the concept of Blair come from?

I like to think you do these for you, as creators, sometimes it’s just nice to create something just for yourself, as a way to make yourself smile or vent or just cope.

Is that the case for you with these cartoons, or was it more like a “this will be something fun I’ll do to waste time?” (If so, even your “wasting time” is genius!)

I was in a really depressed state when I came up with the “Live From Lombard” series and the Blair character. I went to Chicago this summer and just decided to stay there, more specifically in Lombard, IL where my mom and stepdad live. They went on a trip so I was left alone at their house and so I was just walking around town getting lost in cul-de-sacs, jumping on the trampoline and staring at the willow trees. I had a really eventful six months living at friend’s houses after a breakup and watching every cat and dog in Los Angeles, but I knew I could just decompress if I could get to Lombard. One day I was rummaging through all of my horrible art at my moms house and I found a huge sketchpad in the basement. I brought it up to the counter and just started drawing these comics. It was kind of everything I couldn’t say aloud as myself without people thinking I was nuts, so I just threw it on Blair.

For each cartoon, do you think about ideas throughout the day on what to come up, or just have a random thought and put it out there? They seem so simplistic, but also so damn funny but also honest, and sweet, and sad, and really they are all just perfect. 

Thank you, that makes me smile on the inside and outside. The first twenty I drew were specific to my feelings on getting older without feeling like I’m maturing at a slower rate than real adults. Not following dry cleaning instructions, murdering plants and eating pop tarts for meals, as a grown-ass woman is embarrassing but definitely the truth and relatable to all of the other slobs like me. From there I would sometimes draw first and come up with the joke by the time I finished the drawing or just from joke writing. I have two huge sketchbooks filled with Blair; there is no shortage of Blair’s life POV.

For more Live From Lombard, follow Mo on Instagram and Twitter or visit mowelch.com.

All images via Mo Welch