Paula Cheshire

Paula García Vázquez (born 6 April 1993), pen name Paula Cheshire, is a Spanish cartoonist and illustrator.

Early life and education
Paula was born in Pontevedra, and she is left handed. She originally enrolled in fine arts at the Antonio Faílde School of Art and Design, Ourense, but she was unable to complete the first year since she realised right away that it was not for her. She then made the transition to graphic design, and in 2021 she started working for herself as a freelancer. Her favourite things have always been children's illustrations and comics.

Career
Paula had a modest following on social media as she had been sketching for a while, and they assisted her with her promotion. She succeeded in doing so, but it was somewhat competitive because there were many illustrators, many of them extremely talented illustrators. Her writings, particularly those that deal with worry and mental illness, must have a certain something that makes them appealing to readers. Because she believes that many people, especially in the wake of the epidemic, can relate to her work, it became viral quickly.

She has written fanzines such as Me das ansiedad and has been in "¡Zuzumba!" and "dance with me." She uses social media extensively. In 2019, she took part in the Tales to understand the planet project and drew the narrative A treasure for Martín de Ana and Lucía Riveiro Mouzo.

Paula's experience of her mother's cancer-related death in 2019 served as the inspiration for her novel El duelo. She worked on the book for around a year after her mother passed away, and even longer than that. "I titled it like this, relating it to those phases that they say everyone goes through in those situations: anger, negotiation, depression and acceptance," she explains. Me das ansiedad and El duelo establish a connection between her cartooning and that of several other modern cartoonists whose lives serve as the subject matter.

In 2024, she will be present in the Madrid Comic Pop Up and the Salón del Comic deGuecho (Vizcaya), having previously taken part in the Zaragoza Comic Show, Japan Weekends in Bilbao and Valencia, and Viñetas desde el Atlántico of La Coruña.

Styles and themes
One of Paula's signature styles is humour. She had previously made extensive use of it in his autobiographical comic strips that he posted on the networks, discussing topics like his anxiety issues. She believes that everything influences her since she reads it all. She read some comics as well as children's literature like Tintin, Asterix, and Mafalda.

Paula was inspired by Sarah Andersen, and in fact, Paula was waiting in line for Andersen to sign her books when she visited Pontevedra. Paula was an admirer of numerous illustrators, including Agustina Guerrero, Lola Vendetta, and Ana Oncina. It's not like creating a tale and releasing it; instead, this method of working is very direct and resonates well with the audience since it may elicit a response from readers right away, she stated in an interview.

Awards and recognitions
She won the best author prize at the most recent Salón del Cómic de Valencia for her book El duelo. Additionally, it has a nomination at the Salón del Cómic de Barcelona in the same category.