When asked about recurring motifs in their work, the cartoonist responded: “In terms of ‘themes’ in the writing process, I tend to gravitate towards social commentary and a lot of self-deprecating humor. With the illustrations themselves, I would say that I like to keep things as simple as possible. I still struggle to think of myself as a good illustrator, but it’s kind of funny to see all the things that I see as a lack of artistic ability described by other people as my ‘cool unique art style.’
The creator of Daylie Doodle shared some insights into their creative process and how the series comes to life: “I have always kept notes on the funny things I observe. For many years before starting Daylie Doodle, I would accrue stacks of notebooks, and hundreds of untitled pages in my notes app with stupid, silly little things that would make me chuckle. I still keep notes but now I have an outlet for them, which is great! A lot of inspiration comes from the interactions I have throughout the day… I worry that my girlfriend will notice that sometimes a hilarious conversation we had will end up in a comic, but she hasn’t said anything. And that’s true love.”
We were also curious about which elements DeWaye finds most effective in creating humor. Here’s what the artist shared with us: “I think exaggeration has been a very important element to my humor. Of course, you first have to notice the funny thing, but I think you really have to exaggerate it to get the point across. At the core of most of my comics, I think, is an understanding of how absurd life can be, as well as a sometimes debilitating self-awareness of how absurd I can be.”
Next, the cartoonist told us about their personal favorite piece they’ve created so far: “First off, I am so bad at categorizing things as I am a lifelong sufferer of recency bias… Every morning I wake up and draw my daily comic, nine times out of ten I am thinking to myself, ‘This is my best comic yet.’ So, boring answer, whatever my last comic was. But If I had to choose a piece that I always think about, it’s this doodle I drew of a bird dreaming about having walking legs. It’s so dumb. It’s probably the least effort I have ever put into a post, it has zero words, and I literally drew it on a 30-minute layover… but something about this drawing, every time I see it or think about it, it just makes me so happy.”
Lastly, DeWaye shared the most rewarding aspects of being a comic artist and their secret to staying motivated and continuing to create: “I think, to varying degrees, we are all looking for validation for the way we think, and the way we see things. Whether you think something is awesome or if you think it sucks, whether you see the good or evil in something, you share your interpretation with the world through your art, your fashion, or even the comments on Instagram. And I think we do that because we hope that someone agrees with us, or at least understands where we are coming from. When I see all the crazy, absurd, silly things going on in the world, I think I’m alone in feeling all the things I’m feeling. So I make a comic and then share it with the world. And the most rewarding aspect of it all is realizing that quite a few people also notice the crazy, absurd, silly little things I see. I’m not alone! Hooray!”
