Mel Tregonning was a graphic design graduate (2004) and talented artist who, before she died by suicide in 2014, published her debut graphic novel Small Things. It received widespread critical acclaim, including praise from award-winning illustrator Shaun Tan, who helped to complete the final pages of the book after Mel’s passing.

“The best art gives a voice to the voiceless parts of our lives, and Small Things does so with heartfelt precision,” said Shaun.

Small Things tells the story of a young boy who feels alone with his worries. It has no words, instead using only black, grey and white shades to communicate a deeply emotional and poignant message – that everyone has their own demons, but help is always close by.

Mel’s passing was a heartbreaking shock for the entire family, says her younger sister Violet. Holding the precious artworks and books that Mel spent so many hours lovingly crafting, Violet told us of Mel’s life, art and the impact she continues to have on us all.

Image: Mel Tregonning’s father and sister Violet reading her novel ‘Small Things’ in 2021.

Hi Violet. How would you describe Mel?

Mel was the greatest person I’ve ever known. She was kind, smart, inquisitive and unique. She had a truly creative mind which was not limited to drawing, but many different media forms, including sculpture and creative writing. She could make you think deeply and philosophically during a conversation in one moment and then be completely silly and hilarious in another.

What was your relationship like growing up as sisters?

We were incredibly close. We shared a room for most of our childhood and even though there was five years between us, we only parted once when Mel was 17 and moved into the studio in the backyard our parents built for her. She taught me a lot about life and the importance of being a good, honest person. 

What are your earliest memories of Mel as an artist?

Mel was constantly drawing. Her first work was a cartoon strip she created called Licorice the Cat, which was influenced by similar stories such as Footrot Flats and Garfield. She even had a few illustrations published in a pet magazine when she was only in primary school. I have a few of my favourites of hers framed in my house now.

How would you describe Mel’s artistic style?

Mel was able to apply a few different drawing styles, depending on what the job entailed. She worked professionally as an illustrator, so she had to create work depending on the commission. However, those that truly showed off her skills were the realism pieces, such as ‘Machine’. She had a masterful talent for shading using graphite pencil. It was amazing to see just how many layers of depth could be created using only one tool.   

If you could get to the heart of it, was there a theme that ran through Mel’s works?

I found that some of the artworks reflected how Mel saw herself, often carrying themes of being a misfit. Mel told this story in various ways, including sci-fi works like ‘Statue’, which transports you to a different place, or ‘school’, which makes you think of how students are labelled as either good or bad based on cookie-cutter education practices.

In her younger days she would don a bag which she had decorated with the word ‘freak’. She wore that proudly, almost like it was a badge of honour. She was happy being different. When we were younger, she would tell me that you shouldn’t want to be normal and “fit in” as that is boring and it’s important not to care what others think about you.  

What did Mel get up to while she was studying at Curtin?

Her uni days were some of her happiest. She enjoyed completing her graphic design degree and was always working on interesting assignments. She made friends through various social groups on campus. We really saw her blossom into the person she was born to be during this time in her life.

Image: Mel Tregonning’s Curtin University graduation photo.

Do you know if Mel had a favourite piece of artwork of hers?

She was very proud of her realism work, so one of her favourites was ‘Machine’, which she called her masterpiece. This was inspired by H.R. Giger, the artist behind the visual concept of the aliens in the Aliens films. However, I am sure that some of her Small Things illustrations, such as page 18-19, would have made her incredibly proud of herself.

Image: Page 18-19 from ‘Small Things’.

What inspired Mel to create Small Things and what did she hope to achieve with it? Or was the book more of a tool to put her feelings down on paper?

Mel never said that the book reflected the way she was feeling when people asked her this question. Whenever she talked about Small Things, it was always with excitement and passion. She was sure she was on the right path to creating a book that would connect with a lot of people.

She wanted to capture the essence of the hard place the boy in the book was in, and the overwhelming emotions he was feeling. She wanted to create a book with depth that would be pondered over, raise questions and be educational for future students – and she has certainly achieved that.

She wanted the story to be left open to the individual reader’s interpretation. I have seen first-hand how different scenes in the book can affect the reader in different ways. We often used to ask Mel, “don’t you think some words might be helpful?” and she would say, “no, that goes against the intention to make people think about it for themselves.”

Mel’s situation was unique as she did not present like a typical mentally unwell patient. She had a future-oriented mindset, was clean and well-presented, and spoke clearly and calmly. Nothing about her appearance or behaviour said, “I need help.”

Every artist sets out to make an impression and Mel has achieved that ten-fold.

How do you see the positive legacy of Mel’s life and art around us today?

As a family we could not be any prouder of her. This month, September, marks five years since Small Things was published, and every day we are thankful that her work is still in circulation and being reprinted. Mel’s legacy will live on through this and will forever be a reminder to check in on your friends and family, and to simply be kind to one another. I can’t think of a more important legacy and message to leave behind.

This interview was conducted in support of the Healthy Futures – Student Mental Health campaign to raise funds for mental health resources for Curtin University students. Support this cause today by donating here.

All artworks by Mel have been republished with permission from Violet Tregonning. Find out more about Mel’s art on their website.