Ben Hutchings is a comic-artist, also known as the founder of Squishface Studio in Brunswick, Victoria. He has been drawing comics for 20 years, although he states he only became a professional comic artist when he was published in the early 2000s.
(Image: Ben Hutchings in his Natural Habitat at Squishface Studio at 309 Victoria St)
With long frizzly hair tied back in a ponytail, and a quiet demeanor, many would not guess that Ben Hutchings is the founder of Squishface. Located near the Brunswick train station, Squishface has been home to many comic artists for 7 years. When I asked Ben how he came up with the idea for Squishface, he replied with the following: “One of the things we did was—we had a bunch of things like comic camps and meetups and we would go out to the bush and stay there at the retreat in a bush, and just work together for ages and I really loved those, but they are rare, and the other thing we did was a thing at the NGV, it was a public—an artist residency for a month open to the public, so all of these crowds were coming through watching me and Mandy Ord, Michael Fikaris—anyway and we stayed there for a month, it was the funnest thing I have ever done—I mean I really really loved that, and I loved all the other people coming in, so I had an idea that we should have a permanent place doing that, and that was the concept.”
Image: Squishface Studio, at Brunswick located opposite the Brunswick Train Station.
Inherent Vice, the NGV Exhibition that inspired Ben to create Squishface, the poster still hangs up in a corner of the studio, as a reminder.
It was soon that Ben came up with the name Squishface. As for the reason behind the name, it was a rather uncanny story. One day while he was discussing with his colleagues, he came up with a list of all of the other names for the studio, in which one of the names was Doodle Island. Sarah, a colleague of his, rejected the name, saying that they were not “doodlers”, and that they were “serious artists.” With that in mind, Ben changed the name. Thinking that he liked drawing squishy faces, he changed the studio’s name to Squishface.
Ben spends a lot of time at Squishface, and while he is there hours fly by, while he focuses on his work. When I asked Ben what he liked most about the comic-making process, he says he likes the idea of shutting away the world and being able to focus on his work. Ben mentions this may have been partly attributed due to his shyness, but more importantly, he mentions, he started creating comics out of a need to satisfy his inherent sense of boredom. Weird, funny, and sentimental comics, he likes them all—and this is the fuel that he embeds his work.
Ben drawing, with his newly-released graphic novel, Mini-Mel and Tom, on the side.
An example of this would be a graphic novel he has recently finished called Mini Mel & Timid Tom, a story about a girl and a cat based upon his experiences in Canberra.Â
He describes his process as fluid. He does not come up with a script. Rather yet, he just comes up with the characters, puts them in weird situations, and sees how the story develops along. It is Ben’s organic way of storytelling that leads him to creating dynamic, imaginative sequences, that injects his comic-work with a sense of fun.
An example of one of Ben’s dynamic sequences.
However, although Ben loves his work now, it has not always been easy for Ben. Although he has been drawing ever since he could remember, he remembers a time in his life when he was filled with a lot of doubt. At the time, he had a well-paid job in animation, but he was growing frustrated at his lack of progress in regards to making comics. He was eager, impatient, and determined to make his name known. So, being in Canberra at the time, he quit his job and moved to Melbourne, where he talked to other comic-creators, and eventually had his first solo show within a few months. He says he does not regret his decision as it was exciting compared to being in Canberra as there was always a lot of stuff happening. Although he admits moving to Melbourne was rather terrifying at first.
Finally, when I asked Ben if there was anything he would change, he did not mention much, but rather he says, that back then he was younger he was desperate, or rathertoo desperate—and that was perhaps a bit too much. He says that what he would change is that he would not get too tensed or stressed easily, and rather yet enjoy what he was doing. A bit of desperation was good he deems, but too much was unnecessary.
Ben’s work could also be found on his Instagram, and Website. This article was written and photo-edited by Sabine Kwan, an intern at Squishface Studio.
