Hi, thanks for visiting. Zen Pencils was my labour of love from 2012 to 2018 where I adapted inspirational quotes into fun comics. I no longer make new Zen Pencils comics, but the archives of over 200 comics, essays, blog posts and translations can all still be enjoyed here. In my humble opinion, the archives are one of the internet’s best resources for motivation and inspiration. Feel free to take a look around using the above dropdown menu. If this is your first time visiting, I recommend you start here.
The site started as my desperate attempt to live a life of meaning and become a professional cartoonist after years of working a soul-sucking job. I quit that job in late 2011 and launched this site in February 2012, not sure if I was making a huge mistake (oh, my wife and I also sold our house to help with the financial stress). It turned out to be the best decision of my life. The site developed a large audience and the comics were collected into four books. I got to travel to many countries and cities meeting fans and I’ve received literally thousands of beautiful messages of support and appreciation. Zen Pencils posters hang on walls all over the world, readers have adapted my comics into short films and school plays, some have tattoos based on my characters and Zen Pencils was even featured on national Australian TV. Here I am, almost 10 years later, and I’m still managing to make a living drawing comics. It’s been a beautiful journey.
Currently, I’m focusing on making graphic novels for kids. My middle grade series Super Sidekicks is out now from Puffin Books (Australia, NZ, UK, Asia) and Random House Children’s Books (USA & Canada). If you’ve been a fan of my Zen Pencils work, or know any 8-12 yr olds, I humbly ask you do check it out.
You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or contact me through my personal website.
Thanks for all your support over the years!
– Gav