Bored Panda contacted Maria again to ask her a couple of questions about her recent comics. We asked Scrivan what she considers the most rewarding aspects of being a comic artist, and what keeps her motivated to continue creating. We found out that: “Being a cartoonist is a childhood dream come true. I am so grateful that my job is to write and draw every day! I love looking at life through the lens of humor. There is something funny in most things, and being a cartoonist gives me the opportunity to find out what’s funny about everyday life. Comics are also a time machine—they capture what we’re doing, wearing, the technology we’re using, and how we’re feeling.”
Asked how her art style has evolved over time, and what factors influenced these changes, Maria explained: “My style has become more refined over time, both in my comic and in the Nat Enough book series. I think that is a natural evolution of drawing thousands of comics, and in the case of the Nat books, thousands of pages. It’s so interesting to me to see how different my comics look from when I began until now, and I expect my style to continue to evolve.”
We were wondering how the artist balances the creative aspects of her work with the business side of things, such as marketing and promotion. Maria Scrivan shared: “As artists, we all wear a lot of hats in both creating the work, marketing, and promotion. I make the work my first priority, but I also enjoy connecting with readers on social media, and in person at school visits, book festivals, and comics festivals.”
Lastly, we wanted to know if there are any creative projects or mediums Maria would like to explore in the future apart from comics and books. The artist told us: “Along with being a comic artist, I write and draw the Nat Enough Series, published by Scholastic, and am currently working on the sixth book in the series. I was also a contributor to Marvel Super Stories where I wrote and illustrated a comic about Squirrel Girl. I love traveling and keeping watercolor travel journals of what I see and experience.
