Based in Adelaide, Georgina Chadderton is a sound librarian at the ABC by day, but at night transforms into George Rex, a cartoonist with a penchant for drawing anything except superhero comics.
When did you start creating comics?
Like most illustrating artists, I've always drawn. It's one of the first things I remember doing as a kid. I always seem to have what amounts to a small transportable studio in my backpack and I can set myself up almost anywhere with a working studio in about five minutes. Being quite shy I used to (and still sort of do use) drawing as a way to express what I what to say, instead of saying it out loud (which can be scary at times). I used to think of myself as an artist not a writer, even though my illustrations always involve words or stories of some kind or another. It took me awhile to realise that comics was the best medium for me – this weird twilight zone of drawing and writing. I love comics so much.
I didn't really start making full-length stories until high school. When I was 13 I wrote what feels like a bah-zillion (about 40 in reality) stories about my music teachers (they had alter-egos and fought crimes but I also wrote about when they had haircuts, apparently it warranted a whole comic dedicated to that too). They were terrible/ amazing and I'd found comics the perfect medium to get across all my feels. And from there you couldn't stop me, encouraged by my percussion teacher (a star of many of the teacher comics), he lent me my first comics that weren't 'Tintin' or newspaper strips. I got lost in the world of comics and started putting together stories that I wanted to read but couldn't find. Inspired by whatever comic I happened to be reading, my style evolved over time to become recognisably me. Although my art still changes around from time to time – as it's kind of like me, a living, changing creature – the process is a lot slower now, so I don't notice it so much. Not until I look back at my old sketchbooks.
What kinds of things do you draw?
I draw mostly autobio comics (comics about myself and how I'm feeling/ what I'm watching/ doing/ experiencing etc.) but am inspired by lots of fictional things such as, 'Star Trek', all the Wes Anderson movies and British radio plays, among many other things. But I also just love drawing single image pictures of whatever is taking my fancy at the time be it a certain food, or ridiculously cute animals. I also love puns, where there is a pun there is a comic.
Do you publish any of your comics?
I do! I self publish most of my stuff as currently I work on a pretty small scale. I'm a big fan of small-scale art. But I have been published in comics anthologies in America as well as literary publications (such as 'Voiceworks' and On Dit') in Australia. I'm a big Fan of DIY which is why I love zines and self-published works, but I am working a few longer stories, (more graphic novel sized). One about growing up with a brother with serve autism, and another about being diagnosed with jaw cancer when I was 16 and the aftermath of the surgeries, which I'd love to see published by a real-life comics publisher. On the more electronic side of things I'm also working on a web comic (my first one!) called 'Desperately Seeking Adventure', which is about teens solving crime (my all time favourite genre).
Explain some of the characters in your comics...
I do a lot of autobio comics so I guess mostly myself and friends and family. But I've created a few characters for the web comic ('Desperately Seeking Adventure') I'm working on, all of which have backstories, because I'm all about the backstory. The three main characters are:
China Forbes: a typical Australian nerdy girl, braces, kinda tall but not real elegant, she's super lovely and confident in who she wants to be. She wears fake glasses because she wishes she needed to wear them for real, but only when people aren't looking. Love-love-loves murder mysteries and wants desperately to be a private eye.
Dan Mackerel: a gay, somewhat handsome, sci-fi geek who wants to believe. Loves 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' and 'X-Files' with a little bit of pizza and grunge music thrown in. Is a total sweetie and believes, very fervently in Bigfoot, ghosts and cute boys.
Storm Large: an American-Japanese, now living is Australia (her dad moves around for his work), a bit angsty and thinks most people are idiots. Shy and doesn't talk much until she becomes (through classic life changing experiences) friends with China and Dan. She loves everything American but doesn't really want to acknowledge her Japanese heritage. Her older sister is attending College in America and she writes to her constantly. Loves Elvis and American muscle cars.
You aren't a fan of superhero comics, why?
I think I'm just waiting to have the right comic recommended to me. I've definitely read alternative superhero comics that I've enjoyed (like 'Watchmen', 'Planetary', and 'The Tick') but when it comes to the more mainstream superheroes I end up at loss. I don't find the stories grabbing me in the same way that other styles of comics do. I am totally keen for suggestions and would love my mind to be blown.
Manga gives off similar vibes for me: I don't want to replicate that art style, and I find that the stories, of what I have read, aren’t in line with how I want my stories to go. However, I love 'Scott Pilgrim' which is totally influenced by manga. I think I just need to read the right comic for me, one where I can really get behind the story.
A lot of your art is a nice balance of cute shapes or characters and then something slightly darker, or something slightly off. Is that a kind of balance you enjoy?
Yeah, I guess I do. Other than 'Tintin' when I was in primary school, one of the first comics I read was 'Ghost World' by Daniel Clowes. It's a mundane story, beautifully drawn and just a bit off. With a realistic setting and smooth clean design, I fell in love straight away. The same thing happened when I read Chris Ware's work for the first time: it’s something that looks beautiful but doesn't feel beautiful the more you read it. Not to mention the movies of Wes Anderson: beautiful films with super-specific direction and writing that gives off this weird feeling when you watch them. All these artists are a big influence on my work in different ways, so I guess it is a kind of balance I enjoy in others and try to use in my own work.
Despite the aforementioned darkness, your works have quite calm content. Do you think that reflects where you are in your life right now? Or is it more of an artistic style not associated with anything else?
Well, I'm definitely a big fan of where I am at right now in my life, but I think that maybe it's more my style than anything else. I'm not a very angry person and prefer to put out works that I would like to see in the world. I don't really want to put out many angry works; there are plenty out there already. I do get grumpy when I'm hungry, but that's about my limit.
As well as creating your own comics you also run a few workshops and events about cartoon drawing. Do you find the teaching side of the artistic process as rewarding as the creation?
I do! I mostly work with kids and they are the best. They are always hilarious and come up with the best ideas for stories. They are often more open to trying new things and challenging themselves. Whenever I teach, it reminds me that trying new things doesn't have to be scary, just fun. I think you should always be trying new things in art; it helps you to be that better artist that you strive to be.
How do you find Adelaide as a city to be an artist in?
I personally love it! I live in the centre of town and I love that everything is in close reach of where I live. There are some fantastic artists that make their residence here and the community, although smaller than some other cities, is super supportive. South Australia has always had a big interest in lots of art forms and has many opportunities for grants and collaboration. We also have giant metal balls in the middle of our main shopping mall; how much more badass do you want a city to get?
You do a lot of self-published works on a small-scale, a nice niche for the work and also makes it feel personal. Do you ever think you'll move into larger commercial publishing?
I do have a soft spot for DIY. My mum is a craft teacher and always had (still has) everything crafty you could possibly want. Making it myself just came naturally to me when I started creating comics, and the personal touch is something that always grabs me when I look at other peoples’ work. It’s a great thing when someone cares enough to make something that they want to share with the world. It makes the work special. But sure, if I was offered a contract with a comic book publishing house, I would probably not turn it down. Until then (and probably even after then, let's be honest), I'll keep making my zines and badges and whatever because I care about something so much that I think the world should know.
A lot of your work is autobiographical. Do you find it difficult to publish and broadcast to the public your own personal feelings and events?
No, I've never really struggled with that. Of course, I'm in control of what content I send out into the public domain – so I guess having that control means I've never really worried about it. I've always been told to write what you know and I don't know much, but I do know me. Life is just stories waiting to be told, and I see what I create as stories, so sharing them doesn't really bother me.
With the rise of digital cartoons and high-paced animation, what place do you think paper cartoons have in today's world?
On my bookshelf! I will take a physical copy of something over digital almost anytime. There is nothing quite like holding a comic in your hands, smelling the pages, and flipping through the contents. Digital advances have opened up lots of opportunities for comic artists and animators, which is great because some great work has come out of it. I think digital has just added more options for creators, not taken away from them. But for me there is nothing better than a hand-inked page and I mean who reads newspapers for news, we all know it’s all about the comics and crosswords, am I right, guys?
Generally, a lot of creative people have to be working a second job in order to support their art. How do you maintain a good balance between what you do for a job and your drawing?
I'm very lucky to work at a place that is quite flexible and supports my artistic endeavours. I don't mind working the classic 9-5 job; it allows me to focus on art projects that I want to do, instead of having to take commissions – that I may not have an interest in – just to pay the rent. Also having to get up and be somewhere every day at the same time is a great routine. It even helps my productivity when I draw because I know I can't do it later as I'll be at work. Sure, working effectively two jobs means that sometimes I run a little low on sleep/ time, but I like being kept busy. If I ever earn enough to live solely off my art, I would try to treat it like an office job (but more fun).
George Rex Comics can be found on Facebook, Etsy, Instagram and Tumblr.
