ellekaie's review
4.0
I've been a fan of Zen Pencils since college! Though I can just easily browse their site to read comics, I'm glad to show support to the artist by buying their book now that I am capable.
Favorites:
* Make Good Art - Neil Gaiman
"Make good art."
* Make Gifts For People - John Green
"Make gifts for people. And work hard on making those gifts in the hope that those people will notice. But ultimately that doesn't change anything because your responsibility is not to the people you're making the gift for but to the gift itself."
* Ask Yourself - Howard Thurman
"Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
* Advice for Beginners - Ira Glass
"And the most important possible thing you can do is do a lot of work. Because it’s only by actually going through a volume of work that you are actually going to catch up and close that gap. And the work you’re making will be as good as your ambitions. It takes a while, it’s gonna take you a while — it’s normal to take a while. And you just have to fight your way through that, okay?"
* You Aren't Like Them - Timothy Leary
"Find the others."
* An Astronaut's Advice - Chris Hadfield
"Don't let life randomly kick you into the adult you don't want to become."
Favorites:
* Make Good Art - Neil Gaiman
"Make good art."
* Make Gifts For People - John Green
"Make gifts for people. And work hard on making those gifts in the hope that those people will notice. But ultimately that doesn't change anything because your responsibility is not to the people you're making the gift for but to the gift itself."
* Ask Yourself - Howard Thurman
"Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
* Advice for Beginners - Ira Glass
"And the most important possible thing you can do is do a lot of work. Because it’s only by actually going through a volume of work that you are actually going to catch up and close that gap. And the work you’re making will be as good as your ambitions. It takes a while, it’s gonna take you a while — it’s normal to take a while. And you just have to fight your way through that, okay?"
* You Aren't Like Them - Timothy Leary
"Find the others."
* An Astronaut's Advice - Chris Hadfield
"Don't let life randomly kick you into the adult you don't want to become."
ruchidas's review
5.0
Lack of awareness is the only reason I can think of why anyone in their right mind would not read Aung Than's Zen Pencils and fall in love with it. An artist who started converting motivational quotes to artforms during his free time at a soul-sucking job, Zen Pencils reeks of inspiration from the first word to the last.
This book has been my companion after a tiring day. Every comic strip either intrigued me or brightened up my face with a smile. Aung Than has breathed life into some of the most amazing quotes of all time with his work. All his artworks are nothing short of top-notch. However, my favorites have to be Calvin Coolidge's Never Give Up featuring the Dragonslayer and Phil Plait's Welcome to Science. Chris Guillebeau's 11 Ways to Be Average, Chris Hadfield's An Astronaut's Advice, and Jack London's I Would Rather Be Ashes and Dust are a few others that stuck a chord with me.
I found the artwork in The Two Wolves mesmerizing. Poems Ithakha and Invictus were rendered into narratives so beautifully that they brought tears into my eyes. In fact, Zen Pencils has something for everyone to fall in love with.
You don't even need to buy the book to read it. All Aung Than's Zen Pencil artworks are available for free on the Zen Pencils website. Still, I'm eventually going to buy both his books for a lot of family and friends because this is exactly the kind of work that is so wholesome that you can't help but support the artist.
This book has been my companion after a tiring day. Every comic strip either intrigued me or brightened up my face with a smile. Aung Than has breathed life into some of the most amazing quotes of all time with his work. All his artworks are nothing short of top-notch. However, my favorites have to be Calvin Coolidge's Never Give Up featuring the Dragonslayer and Phil Plait's Welcome to Science. Chris Guillebeau's 11 Ways to Be Average, Chris Hadfield's An Astronaut's Advice, and Jack London's I Would Rather Be Ashes and Dust are a few others that stuck a chord with me.
I found the artwork in The Two Wolves mesmerizing. Poems Ithakha and Invictus were rendered into narratives so beautifully that they brought tears into my eyes. In fact, Zen Pencils has something for everyone to fall in love with.
You don't even need to buy the book to read it. All Aung Than's Zen Pencil artworks are available for free on the Zen Pencils website. Still, I'm eventually going to buy both his books for a lot of family and friends because this is exactly the kind of work that is so wholesome that you can't help but support the artist.
irayred's review
5.0
Have you experienced that magical moment when you find a book that has everything you ask for and then it gives you so much more? Well, this graphic novel was exactly what I needed.
I recently read Creative Struggle: Illustrated advice from Masters of Creativity so I was familiar with this artist work, and let me tell you, I’m in love with everything he does.
Not only I admire him as a person, because he dared to left his old job in order to become what he really wanted (a full-time cartoonist), but I also want to thank him for pulling this book together, and for giving life to characters and to quotes that really resonated with me.
As the title says, this is a collection of illustrated quotes that are mostly motivational speeches from people who never gave up, and who are quite known, such as Bruce Lee, Nelson Mandela, Confucius, Marie Curie, Roosevelt, etc. In addition, it talks about self-confidence and how to give yourself a chance to love again if you had your heart broken, and how to never lose hope on the things that set your soul on fire.
This book really motivated me, and as a writer and an artist, I always find struggle in the things that I do, because we live in a world that is ruled by how much you make, the number of people who recognize your name, and the likes you get on social media. Truth is we often forget that the main reason why we do things is because we fully enjoy creating them. We can never please everybody, but we can work on ourselves so the goal is not succeeding at publishing or being recognized in the art world, but the creation process and the art piece itself.
I’ll always recommend this book and if you haven’t read it, what are you waiting for? I promise you this is one title that should be among everyone's bookshelf!
I recently read Creative Struggle: Illustrated advice from Masters of Creativity so I was familiar with this artist work, and let me tell you, I’m in love with everything he does.
Not only I admire him as a person, because he dared to left his old job in order to become what he really wanted (a full-time cartoonist), but I also want to thank him for pulling this book together, and for giving life to characters and to quotes that really resonated with me.
As the title says, this is a collection of illustrated quotes that are mostly motivational speeches from people who never gave up, and who are quite known, such as Bruce Lee, Nelson Mandela, Confucius, Marie Curie, Roosevelt, etc. In addition, it talks about self-confidence and how to give yourself a chance to love again if you had your heart broken, and how to never lose hope on the things that set your soul on fire.
This book really motivated me, and as a writer and an artist, I always find struggle in the things that I do, because we live in a world that is ruled by how much you make, the number of people who recognize your name, and the likes you get on social media. Truth is we often forget that the main reason why we do things is because we fully enjoy creating them. We can never please everybody, but we can work on ourselves so the goal is not succeeding at publishing or being recognized in the art world, but the creation process and the art piece itself.
I’ll always recommend this book and if you haven’t read it, what are you waiting for? I promise you this is one title that should be among everyone's bookshelf!
sorayah11's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Overall this was a collection that had so much positivity and inspiration. Some worked better for me than others but overall worth the read. The comics that accompany the quotes make them that much more powerful! Can't wait to read the next collection!
mastablein's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Inspirational quotes whit cartoon art work. There will be something in here you need to hear.
etienne02's review against another edition
4.0
Awesome book for kid, but adult can benefit from it too. It present quotes and inspiration/moral stories from great mind of the world (Confucius, Roosevelt, Marie Curie, and many others) in the form of small cartoons (stories are about 2-3 pages). It made it easy to understand without making them sound stupid or «childish». Great, original and very well done. I think it could be useful in class, even with very young kid. You read one story with them and then discuss about it to make them think of the implication of it all.
Reread that one and I drop my rating from 5 to 4 stars. It was okay, but it felt like I was a bit too enthusiastic about it the first time. I like the concept of bringing good, positive, philosophical thought in a easy format so it became easier for children or adult who read less for whatever reason, to have access to it and some were very good, but some felt a bit too light, more like cute advice than true knowledge or wisdom.
Reread that one and I drop my rating from 5 to 4 stars. It was okay, but it felt like I was a bit too enthusiastic about it the first time. I like the concept of bringing good, positive, philosophical thought in a easy format so it became easier for children or adult who read less for whatever reason, to have access to it and some were very good, but some felt a bit too light, more like cute advice than true knowledge or wisdom.
shrene2108's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
shorshemaach's review against another edition
5.0
Inspirational quotes full of lovely illustrations and images
Inspirational quotes full of lovely illustrations and images. I think Zen Pencils is an amazing "lift me up" book. A detailed review later.
Inspirational quotes full of lovely illustrations and images. I think Zen Pencils is an amazing "lift me up" book. A detailed review later.
shivangidas's review against another edition
5.0
Love it
I would recommend this book to everyone. What an excellent piece of work!
Gavin really made good art. Loved it.
I would recommend this book to everyone. What an excellent piece of work!
Gavin really made good art. Loved it.