Given the chance Bored Panda also reached out to Maritsa with some new questions!
Discussing a recent comic that successfully subverted expectations, Patrinos shared, "I recently posted a comic I made about a kitten that finds a cat bed and toys that he assumes are for him, but with inference to the audience that they once belonged to another cat who is no longer with us. People seemed to connect with it, either with the personal experience of having subsequent cats, or with the sentiment of what is passed through generations, or just encountering the innocence of someone who hasn't learned about death yet. The process came from a place of wanting to expand the background of the world my kitten character lives in by alluding to something the reader will understand before the character does. And it kind of landed in a place that acknowledges that the world contains tragedy– but with the chaser that time and perspective helps manage it."
When it comes to balancing the visual and textual elements in her comics, the artist explained to us, "I try to have the text as final as possible before beginning anything I hope to turn into a finished comic. In my notes, I'll break up the script into panels, with the text that will be included and a description of what the panel will look like. I try not to overthink this part too much, because it can easily become complicated and overworked. The priority here is clarity and even pacing. If I start sketching and I find I'm struggling to work the text and images into one panel, it's usually a sign that it needs to be more than one panel, or that I'm overdoing either the showing or the telling (usually it's the telling)."
Maritsa also discussed themes she frequently returns to, noting, "There are so many, a lot of which I'm sure I'm not even aware of! There are simple ones like work, stress, a love of animals, puns, healthcare, etc. There are also more complex ones like self-sabotage and hypocrisy. A theme I continually find myself returning to is the exploration of the small, sometimes absurd, things we do that make us happy and give life meaning."
When asked about staying motivated, she stated to Bored Panda, "Staying motivated and fighting discouragement can be one of the hardest parts of the practice. Making time for totally unstructured doodling in a sketchbook has made a big difference for me. It's liberating to know I don't have to show anyone anything I draw in it, so it doesn't matter how 'good' it is, and I can release myself of any expectations. I can really get into it and lose myself in my sketchbook– or I can totally half-ass it while I watch something on TV. Both are valid, because the way I see it, as long as I'm drawing, it's benefiting me. Whatever I can do to make it fun for myself makes me more inclined to continue it, and it increases the chances of happy accidents happening."
Finally, sharing how humor helps her and her audience process difficult experiences, Patrinos revealed, "I guess I find myself using humor and comics to process the struggle of finding meaning in life, which can get pretty dark, but can also be flipped into optimism with the right lens. A cat wonders if chasing mice, eating kibble, and sleeping is all there is to life and is confirmed by another cat who points out that it's something to be thankful for. Millions of years ago, one dinosaur expresses to another the desire to be remembered fondly, with the audience understanding how their story ends. I'm not great at exercising optimism on my own, so enacting it through art has been a good method that feels more sincere to who I am."
