11-year-old art prodigy showcases impressive work at Comic-Con, donates partial funds to CHLA

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KABC) -- Every year at the giant space that is San Diego Comic-Con, we do our best to walk every square foot of this convention floor because we always find something unexpected.

In a small area called "Artists' Alley," where talented artists display and sell their work, we came upon someone who didn't quite fit the mold - an 11-year-old prodigy named Maddax Mendonca.

"I think it would be cool if I could be like a comic artist for, like, maybe Marvel or DC or something," said Maddax. "Sometimes, I'll see, like, a poster for a movie, for example, and I'll be, like, 'Oh, that looks really cool,' so I want to draw it."

And why not? His mom and dad say he's already been practicing his craft for years.

"He was just obsessively coloring, drawing since he could hold a crayon. And we knew from a very young age that this was going to be his future," said Marissa Mendonca.

"Yeah, he just kept doing it and started really blowing us away with some of his stuff. Like, I come home, and I can't believe what I see sometimes," said Alex Mendonca.

Maddax and his family live on California's central coast. He's been selling his art online through his website, www.maddaxdraws.com. He sells it at Comic-Con for $25 or $60, depending on the size.

Maddax's parents are putting his earnings away for him, potentially some day for art school. But every time he sells something, it serves another purpose - part of the proceeds goes to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

"So his brother's had a couple of eye surgeries on his eyes, so it's kind of a soft spot for us, so he wants to donate to help kids like his brother," said Marissa.

"I like to see that it helps my brother so I want to help other kids like him in the same way that we can help my brother," said Maddax.

The donations go to buy glasses for kids whose parents need a little help. If you'd like to check out his talents, go to www.maddaxdraws.com.