We asked Maria how long does it take to finish one of her comics: “Although I have a daily deadline, I typically batch the comics and write, draw and color all seven of them all in one day, but that is a very long day. Sometimes it will spill into two. I am constantly collecting ideas on my phone and sketchbook. When I'm not on book deadline, I often do 14 comics a week and I've had a few random weeks of doing 21 but that's not typical.”
As for personal favorites, she told us: “I think any of the dog cartoons are my favorites because they're usually directly inspired by my dog, Toby. I spent a lot of time, probably too much time, imagining what Toby would say to me if he could talk, and translate that into comics. Many of my comics are unintentionally autobiographical (sometimes I realize this years later) and others come from things that we are collectively experiencing as a society (social media, masks, Wordle.) Having a daily deadline forces you to pay attention to what’s going on around you, and think about what’s funny in even the direst situations. Humor seems to come from the most intense emotions. Paradoxically, anger, frustration, and misery can often be the funniest.”
“I love writing in cafés and diners, and I love writing while traveling,” the artist says. “I get most of my ideas going for runs in the woods, riding my bike, and taking walks. I don’t like sitting for very long so I try and do as much writing as I can while on my feet. Connecting with nature and exercise are essential to my creative process. Long car rides are also great for writing. I speak into the notes section of my phone and record the ideas there. I also love working on trains and planes. I won’t go anywhere without a sketchbook. I’ll write and draw sitting in a waiting room, at the DMV, or waiting for a friend for lunch. With a sketchbook, you are never alone.
I take the notes I’ve collected throughout the week and sit down with my giant Moleskine notebook and write all fragmented ideas into fully formed jokes. I write a list of 20-25 comic ideas, pick out my favorite 7 and align them with the dates I’m working on. Some of the rejects never see the light of day, and others need more time to marinate or be reworked. The most fascinating part of the process is when I see two seemingly ‘random’ ideas next to each other that end up becoming a fully formed idea. That is the subconscious at work and those are usually the best ones. Every so often, I will just start doodling and add the joke after. It’s rare but those have been some of my favorites.
I had been drawing on paper for years, then switched to the iPad, and am now back to paper. I really love the tactile quality of paper and the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil. Because my comic is both strip and panel format, I have a template where I draw the strip and panel simultaneously and then cut them apart in Photoshop. I like to sketch in blue pencil, as loose as possible, because I like to give the ink line as much freedom as I can. I ink using fountain pens. I used to use dip pens, and I still love them, but I'm a little too messy for a bottle of open ink and fountain pens travel really well. I then take the comics, scan them, and color them in Photoshop.”
When asked about any creative struggles, Maria says: “I don't really have creative blocks. I’m never at a loss for ideas, but sometimes have a hard time finding good ones. When I'm writing books, I will absolutely get into a place where something in the story isn't working, and that's a terrible feeling. It feels like a massive jigsaw puzzle where you’re missing half the pieces. But it's part of the creative process and I’ve learned to love and embrace all of the steps.
There are also so many times when comics or parts of the book never seen the light of day. I think of the creative process as making sandcastles. You put all this work into something that is going to get knocked over by a five-year-old, or taken out by an ocean wave, but none of that effort is wasted. Each piece leads you to the next one.
Meditation is also a huge part of my creative process. Nine years ago, I read Catching the Big Fish, by Director David Lynch, who talks about the benefits of Transcendental Meditation. As soon as I read it, I took a course in TM and have meditated ever since. It is the energetic equivalent of charging your inner cell phone. When my schedule gets the most hectic, I must meditate because it expands time in the most amazing way, and creative solutions magically appear.”
Since Maria is also a New York Times bestselling author, we wondered how did the idea of writing books come about in the first place: “Graphic novels are a perfect fit for me because I’ve always been a visual communicator. Even when I was in school, if a teacher gave us the option to do a creative project there was a 100% chance I was writing and drawing a comic.
My graphic novel series, Nat Enough, Forget Me Nat, Absolutely Nat, and Definitely Nat are based on my own childhood experiences in middle school. Although the protagonist, Natalie is based on my childhood self, she evolved as a character and took on a life of her own.
I had written vignettes of the story in 2013, thinking it would be prose until I realized it had to be a graphic novel. I love the nuances and depth of characters you can get from expressions, and how you can change a mood with color and composition. And most of all, I love hiding details in the background so you can have a new experience each time you read the books.”
As for her future endeavors, the artist says: “I feel like I'm just getting started. I have so many more stories to tell both in the middle-grade space and to adults. I love to travel and paint watercolors of what I see and would love to integrate that into my work as well. And of course, continue the daily comic. It’s so much fun to wander through life looking for something funny.”
