Bored Panda reached out to Merrivius to learn more about their journey as a webcomic creator and what drives their work. When asked what inspired them to start creating comics, the artist said it came from a desire to try something new. "A few years ago, I created several standalone manga short stories for international Japanese manga contests, and some even won awards (you can read them for free on my Patreon).
Over time, though, I started feeling exhausted of them. Each story took months to plan and draw, and I wanted to try something different. That's when I decided to give four-panel webcomics a shot."
When coming up with a new comic, Merrivius tries to keep things spontaneous—they don’t want to force ideas. "The best ones usually come to me rather quickly. (although, I have to wait for them.)
I don't draw thumbnails; instead, I picture the comic in my head. Sometimes, I even start drawing before knowing exactly what the characters will say. For me, character poses and movements matter more. The dialogue can be figured out later, once the drawings are done.
I find ideas everywhere around me. I usually look for interesting situations to drop my characters into. Once they're there, they almost start acting on their own. Characters with strong personalities make things easier."
Creating comics can be a lot of fun, so we were curious to know which part of the creative process Merrivius enjoys the most. "The detailed drawings (Elf's crazy expressions) interest me the most," the artist shared. "I put a lot of time and care into refining them, always aiming to make them look as funny as possible. It's not always easy, but that's part of the fun."
When discussing future plans, Merrivius shared that they plan to keep creating more Elf Comics, as fans absolutely love them. "I’m incredibly grateful for all the fans around the web!
My long-term goal is to make a living from my comics, and one of the next steps is maybe even bringing Elf merchandise to life. I'm working hard to make it possible!"
