Bored Panda reached out to the artist to learn more about the beginning of HotPaper comics. Martin shared his story: “I started making comics once my depression started getting better. It's not that the comics helped, more that I felt well enough to make them. Just so happened to be at a point in my life when I had enough free time to draw comics. I saw someone posting a comic a day on Reddit, their goal was to do that for 100 days. I said that's something I could do too. Once I started, I never really stopped.”
Martin uses comics as a way to express himself. We were curious how he decides what to share with his audience and what to keep more personal.
“I make comedy-based comics cause that's what I like to read. From time to time, I'll have a thought or feeling I wanna share. If I think it might help someone feel less alone I'll make a comic out of it. It's also a nice change of pace for my readers. It's nice to not box yourself in, telling yourself what kind of art you can or can't do,” wrote Martin.
Previously, Martin mentioned that he usually drafts several versions of a comic. The artist shared how he picks the one to develop further and whether the audience's likely reaction affects his choice.
“I make a lot of drafts but ultimately decide on gut feeling alone. I also ask my artist friends, who make me laugh for input. If they say it works, I'll turn the idea into a full comic. Sometimes I'll join a trend if I enjoy it myself, but I try to keep that to a minimum so I don't turn into a fad,” explained Martin.
Since Martin's comics often resonate with a wide audience, we were wondering how social media influences what he creates and shares. Martin responded: “Social media definitely dictates a lot of how I make comics. Mostly the format. Always short and easy to understand. Sometimes I'll get caught up in numbers and try chasing a trend, but I'm lucky enough to never completely succumb to what the numbers dictate.”
And lastly, Martin added: “Hope my comics make people laugh and that they can use my art to connect with others.”
