Zen Pencils: Cartoon Quotes from Inspirational Folks (Volume 1)

Having enjoyed Gavin's work for some time now, it was a no-brainer to order this book.Every now and then, something pops into your life that stands out. Something that makes your life better just by existing. Something special that you can't wait to share with others. For me, Gavin's work fits that bill.When he announced the book, I knew I'd own it. What I didn't know was that I would then purchase other copies to give to loved ones. If you are looking for a new twist on inspirational quotes, Zen Pencils is it. Gavin's artwork is clean, inspired and top notch.The quotes are great, and how they are represented put them in a new light for me.Someone mentioned the missing great comic of the Watterson quote. If I'm not mistaken, it was intended to appear, but they were not able to get permission.Do yourself a favor and buy this collection. Either for yourself, a loved one, a friend or family member, or...like me, for your child, so they, too, can share in Gavin's delightful art.

Just received my copy today. It's sooo beautiful. Each cartoon story depicts words of wisdom suitable for any age. I've followed the author on his web page for quite some time and enjoy every single story. The eye-catching pull out poster says "Imagination unlocks the universe" on nice thick paper, suitable for framing or on the walls of a classroom. The whole book encourages us all to believe in ourselves, and to do kind things. The quality of paper in the book is thick, glossy, and I can read the word balloons without my glasses. Gavin Aung Than's unique book makes a great gift for any age.

This book is a little, rare, beautiful pearl. It sparkles with vivid colors, imagination and profound significance from the quotations of great persons that inspire and motivate. Amazingly, it took me back to reading cartoons (bandes dessinees, dibuhos animados, fumetti...) after perhaps, say, 50 years,and as the kid that always remains inside me, I enjoyed it all!. But, at my "grand" age, I can also say that this is no comic strip at all, it is much, much more than that. Buy this book for yourself and your (alternative) library, or to make a significant gift to others, as it has already been said here in various comments. But as I live in Thailand, I also use it with Thai students for learning English. It provides an excellent support material for review and discussion that truly fascinate my joyfully minded Thai students.หลุยล์

For a couple of years, the excellent Australian free-lance artist Gavin Aung Than has been producing a several-times-a-week cartoon, zen pencils, each illustrating an interesting quotation. Not only are the quotations inspirational, so is Gavin’s own story: he quit a regular job to do this because he was getting no emotional fulfillment out of commercial art. He landed a syndication contract with Universal Press, and now appears on their web site. Many of his cartoons are collected in this volume, which I bought not only because the work is good and the illustrations add amazing depth to the text, but to encourage Gav to continue doing this. I recommend it to you for the same reasons.

I don’t read too many cartoon style books and I thought this would be fun. It is fun with the author sharing some great quotes with unique and wonderful illustrations. My favorites were The Two Wolves, To Love at All (C.S. Lewis) and Invictus-- a Tribute to Nelson Mandela. All three of these are favorite quotes or poems of mine so it’s not surprising I liked them. I liked how Mr. Than matched the images to the literary works.There are many other inspirational pieces with unique comic strips expressing emotions for each piece. The only thing that troubled me was some of the illustrations have very angry faces. We have enough terrible rage and mean-spiritedness in the world. I can appreciate the emotional intensity but I don’t think the terrible anger expressed is suitable for young people or a book promoting “zen”. I guess I have always associated “zen” with calm and peace although it is more accurately a focus of togetherness of mind and body in tune with natural intuition. Apparently the anger aspects did not bother other reviewers.I read this on my tablet so I could experience the color comics. The set up allows expanding individual frames which I found interesting. I think the book might work even better in print but it worked fine on tablet too. Except for the anger emotions, I would recommend this as a unique presentation of inspiring words.Source: NetGalley.

This is a wonderful book of comic adaptations of famous (and not so famous) quotes. I have been following Gavin's comics on his website for several years. He is one of the most genuine, creative, fun arts out there right now. This book displays his creative prowess through his colorful and emotional art, and his compassionate soul that we see through his choice of quotes to adapt. Whether you follow his blog or not, this is an obvious choice as an addition to your home library or as a more interesting coffee table book that makes a great conversation starter. Plus, you get to directly support a unique and talented artist. Enjoy the comics!

Really enjoyed this. Great messages for young and old and great art. Modestly priced, too! The artist/author has an inspiring backstory. He truly dove in to his passion not knowing how the story would end. He truly followed his passion, which is what many of his pieces encourage. His story is definitely not yet over, but it seems that this current chapter evidences how following your passion can lead to places you never thought you'd go and heights never seriously considered before. Buy this book, read it, and share it. Good luck in creating your own kind of success and life.

A book with deeply moving and profound insights.. a book to carry with you for a lifetime

Un gran título y una buena ayuda motivacional genialmente ilustrada

Ele é lindo! As citações, apesar de serem de autores e personalidades que eu não conhecia, valeram muito a pena para mim! Claro que não concordo com todas, mas 90% eu achei muito legal! E sim: As gravuras São maravilhosas!!!! O artista é realmente muito sensível nas histórias que conta e procura contá-las de uma maneira que eu seu que também vai te emocionar!Super recomendo!

Seguo Gavino da anni sui social e finalmente, con i primi stipendi, ho avuto modo di ripagarlo di tutte le vignette postate gratuitamente sui suoi profili. Un libro a fumetti motivazionale, come la vita dell'autore. Frasi e aforismi che possono risultare ormai banali data l'esposizione sui social diventano opere d'arte e prendendo vita. Tutto perché un giorno un ragazzo ha deciso di seguire il suo sogno. Grazie Gavin

I've been following Gavin's work from many years in my computer and now I can enjoy it in an amazing book that I can take anywhere.