Each month I shine the spotlight on some of my awesome, brilliant and incomparable readers. You lot are the best fans a blogger could ask for. This month meet Sreeja, Alex and Zeina.
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I’m thrilled to have some of my illustrations in the new best-selling book by writer and blogger extraordinaire Tim Ferriss! This is Ferriss’ third book after his hugely successful The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body. The 4-Hour Chef is not only a how-to guide on cooking for beginners, it’s also a manual for learning anything you want using an efficient and no-nonsense system.
Below is the main illustration I did. There are other smaller drawings of mine used also. This image is used in the molecular gastronomy chapter hence the science-related equipment and props.
There’s a pretty cool story about how I got this opportunity. Tim didn’t see a Zen Pencils comic while browsing the internet and say to himself “My God, who is the talented young man that drew this? I must have his work in my book!” No, we actually met in 2011 before I had even launched Zen Pencils. I had become a fan of Tim’s after reading his first book The 4-Hour Workweek – it helped me with the decision to change my career and start my own thing. Tim posted on his blog that he was asking for submissions for recipes and ideas for his new cooking book. So I sent in a few sketches and suggested he use some illustrations.
To my surprise Tim was keen on the idea and even took me out for dinner a few months later when he was in Melbourne. We discussed his new book and I told him about a new cartoon website I was starting. He couldn’t have been nicer, especially considering he had just arrived from the States after a long flight and was tired as hell.
That was in October 2011 and now, over a year later his book is out and is on the New York Times bestseller list … and my drawings are in it! How cool is that?!
*Note: The cover illustration is not mine. Just wanted to show you what the book looks like.
Zen Pencils will be taking a two-week hiatus over the holiday period and will return with a new comic on Tuesday January 8th.
“Wait, didn’t you just have a vacation?” I hear you ask. “Yeah, what’s your point?” At my old job, we always had to work during Christmas and the New Year – the office never shut down. So I’m taking a break just because I can! MUAH HA HA HA HA HA!!!!
Besides spending time with family and friends and eating too much ham, I’m also looking forward to planning out and setting goals for next year. 2012 and the first 10 months of Zen Pencils have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams and I’m hoping to do bigger and better things in 2013. The break will also allow me to start work on a special 100th comic I have planned …
I’d just like to wish you all a safe and fun holiday season and to also thank you for visiting the site. Thank you for sharing the comics with your friends, for buying prints and for sending me emails and quotes (the time off will allow me to catch-up on all my backlogged emails too!). I’ve been humbled and amazed by your kind words and support. You’re helping to build a bona fide website community here and nothing makes me happier.
If you’re the New Year’s resolution type, just remember that this time last year Zen Pencils was still a twinkle in my eye. Now, I’ve completed nearly 100 comics, am on my way to being totally independent and self-employed and have found my vocation in life. So if you have a project or something else you keep putting on hold, just start it already. You never know what it could turn into.
See you next year.
- Gav
This is Steve Hicks, older brother of Bill, holding up my It’s Just a Ride comic. I was so thrilled to hear that Steve first of all, saw the comic and secondly, approved of it. And then to top it all, he even contacted me to ask for a file he could print out for himself. I had to pinch myself multiple times. Here’s a clip of Steve sharing some memories of his brother.
I’m going to be away overseas for the next three weeks on holiday. Don’t worry, comics will be updating as normal, every Tuesday. Although since I will be trying to unplug myself from the online world (I doubt I will succeed) I might not be as active in the comments or on the email, but I still encourage everyone to contribute and participate in the discussion. I love reading the comments and I’m always taken back by the intelligent thoughts and discussion from you all.
Myself, the lovely Mrs Zen Pencils and some friends are travelling to Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Bangkok. I’ve been to Singapore many times and Hong Kong twice, but never to Vietnam or Bangkok, so I’m very excited. You can follow me on Twitter if you’d like to see various photos of me shoving different types of food in my face.
Ya’ll be good now.
- Gav
After many reader requests, I’ve finally put together some Zen Pencils wallpapers you can download. Thanks to reader, Cesar, who got the ball rolling and sent me some he designed himself and motivated me to get my act together. There are only a few available right now, but I was hoping to get your help with this. I’ve kind of got my hands full at the moment, so I invite any readers who fancy themselves a design guru to make their own wallpapers and submit them. I’ll upload them on the page for everyone to download and appreciate.
Good news, I’ve licensed my Buddha Pay it forward image to one of the largest poster manufacturer and distributors in the world. That means you can now get this huge glossy poster for dirt cheap (prices vary, but on average it’s $10AUD). It measures 24″x36″ (61cm x 91cm), is the same quality as a regular movie poster and is available from online poster shops all over the world. The biggest of these is AllPosters – which has sites in the US, UK and Australia. Or you can search yourself – just Google ‘Thousands of Candles poster’. Well, what are you waiting for? Time to tear down that Justin Bieber poster hanging above your bed and go buy mine!
