Full disclosure: I’m a fiend for pugs. In my opinion, there is no greater dog on this Earth than that of the smushed-up snuffly-faced variety. It’s for this reason (among a long list of others) that I think Gemma Correll’s comics are some of the most amazing art pieces ever.

Hailing from the UK, Correll is a hilarious cartoonist, illustrator, and writer, who infuses her work with snappy one-liners, pet humour, and British snark. After graduating with Honours in Illustration from the Norwich School of Art and Design in 2006, Correll has made herself into a world-wide online sensation with her on-the-nose depictions of the often-awkwardness of daily life (and pugs, of course). After seeing her very first pug on a trip to San Francisco, Correll penned her “Pugs Not Drugs” design, and used the proceeds from the sales of the print to purchase pug pups of her very own: Mr. Pickles and Bella.

Correll quickly racked up an impressive list of publications which run her illustrations, including The New York Times, The Observer, and Hallmark, as well as contributing a monthly cartoon for the Emirates Airlines magazine Open Skies called “Skycats.” Which is pretty much exactly what you’d expect it to be.

In 2012, Correll teamed up with TeNeues to publish her first illustrated book, A Cat’s Life, which totally warms the heart of even the staunchest of non-cat-people (hey, I’m super allergic, what I can do?); and followed that up this year with “A Pug’s Guide to Etiquette,” from Dog N Bone. Both books are incredibly witty and hilarious compilations of some of her very best animal art. Don’t you just want to snuggle them!? Correll is now finishing work on her follow-up books, A Dog’s Life and A Pug’s Guide to Dating.

In addition to her commissions and books, Correll also produces her own range of greeting cards and gifts called Pickle Parade; has found time to land herself the Runner-Up for Young Cartoonist of the Year in 2012; is touring China, the US, and Canada; and shares my love of Louis Theroux documentaries.

Best of all, if you’re a Torontonian (like myself) you can check out Gemma’s work right now, because The Mr. Pickles Fan Club, Correll’s  Solo Exhibition, is on from now until May 11th, 2013, at the Magic Pony on Queen West! Stop by and you can find tons of Correll originals, including pug-art, tote bags, ukuleles, clothes, and much more. Why wouldn’t you want to go??

You can find Gemma literally all over the internet. She has personal and professional Tumblrs; is active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Flickr; and she’s got a sweet blog, where you can follow all of her updates. You can also buy her pugalicious goodies all over: in her own shop, or on BuyOlympia, Delias, Society6, and a variety of other shops which you can find on her blog. Enjoy; I think I’m off to guy buy a pug of my own!