As a child, Gavin Aung Than loved drawing and would often spend a lot of time at the back of his class, doodling. In college, he decided to take up a course in graphic design and went on to join a corporate firm. Five years ago, he decided to take a leap of faith, quit his job and plunged headlong into Zen Pencils, a website featuring sketches with inspirational quotes. Over the years, Zen Pencils has grown to become a global phenomenon.
At Comic-con in Bengaluru, the Australia-based cartoonist says, “I was always interested in drawing. However, there were not many avenues available for a cartoonist in Australia. I had a fairly successful career as a graphic designer. In 2012, I decided to leave my steady job and try to follow my childhood dream. It was scary, but I had some savings and started to work full time on the website.”
He adds, “When I started out, I had a good collection of inspirational quotes that I used. In due course, as it became more popular, I began to use suggestions by readers as well. I am aware that focussing on just inspirational quotes runs the risk of being corny. I mix it up a lot, with quotes about creativity and social issues that make the comics fresh and topical. Most of the content is based on the issues that interest me or catch my attention.”
Talking about how he goes about creating his sketches, Gavin says, “I start with rough pencil sketches. The sketches are scanned, coloured and processed with Photoshop. I use social media route to promote the sketches.”
Thrilled that comics are popular world over, Gavin points out, “When I started out, I never imagined having a fan base in India. I am always happy when people tell me about the manner in which Zen Pencils has changed their lives for the better. I think the beauty of the Internet lies in the fact that it provides you with a great platform to showcase your skills to the world.”
What is next for Zen Pencils and Gavin? “I am dabbling in different projects. I am also planning on writing a book. It is a tough task to write your own stories, but is very fulfilling.”
