40. CALVIN COOLIDGE: Never give up
April 24th, 2012
Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) was the 30th President of the United States. A serious and no-nonsense man, Coolidge was unassuming but had a quiet determination that saw him prosper in the White House. Thanks to Matt for submitting this great quote. After drawing humans in realistic situations all the time, it was fun to dip my toe in the realm of fantasy with this comic. Sometimes a cartoonist just needs to draw a big-ass dragon!
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Zen Pencils adapts inspirational quotes into cartoons. It's illustrated by Gavin Aung Than and there's a new toon every Tuesday. More info
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There is a fine line, however, between determination and stubbornness.
Your a toolbag
*You’re
Ah, JSR, correcting one’s spelling, grammar or punctuation — the last refuge of the pseudo-intellectual! Well done, join the herd.
Almost a good as the toolbag comment huh Adios amigo?
Almost as good as*
I agree; just because you’re doing something relentlessly doesn’t mean you should be.
The wisdom is in knowing the difference.
Fine words..
GREAT! And that little Calvin he he he.
This is one the best I´ve read.
Loved the tail panels
Hello from Spain!
I love that fat ass dragon, the quote, your take on it… I’ve been following you and I have to say THANK YOU, for giving us your art and inspiration.
Lots of love.
I second that!!
The tail panel doesn’t come out as cool in the ‘buy this print’ format, tho. Is it possible to get this as a long door poster?
To me, stubbornness is determination infused with ego. Another great production Gav! I love this from Thich Nhat Hanh “”Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature.”
Mind if I quote you, Tim?
I have to say that i love mythology, i like science fiction. But more then these two i love reality and if we don’t have the courage to continue with our dreams until the end, we will never see the answer to our questions. So keep trying and keep falling and with time we will see our achievements, our success. Doing this we will know our true self, giving up we will just live in fear.
Love this one, keep em coming
Thanks – this is probably one of my favourites too
This is one is really good. I’m going to buy a print
I love this one – definitely a favorite. The talent portion is so true.
Likey like!
Hi GAV, greetings from Mexico.
I’ve been following your cartoons since 2 or 3 months. Gotta admit this is my new favorite one!
Great work, keep it going champ!
Cheers!
Go Gavin!!!
Poor dragon. Next time make it more vicious so I won’t sorry for it.
The fact that I love dragons, aside, this is great.
persist on your path!
Lots to like in this one, it all comes together nicely on several levels! The dragon is great (1st frame especially), the guts/determination of little Calvin come through really well, and the quote is really brought to life! Thanks!
I needed this one today. It was actually the exact thing that I needed to read. Thanks for the great work!
looks like there’s somebody here who can’t get enough Skyrim action..hahaha
a little exercise for you GAV: try imagining a dragon situation in all your past work here on bigapptight.com & you’ll see it fits into almost all of them
Reminds me of another Calvin and his encounters with dragons
Great illustrations.
Very nice, it’s refreshing to have reminders like this comic from time to time.
About perseverance and obstinacy, here goes one of my favorite quotes:
“The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t. ” I think there’s a lot of truth in here.
I *really* like ZenPencils, keep up the good work Gavin!
I has moved me! Now I feel more powerful!
Yep, Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes is my favourite cartoonist and I had one of his dinosaur strips open when I was drawing this. Glad to know there are some fellow fans among my readers!
love your work, i was wondering what art program do you use to do your work?
All the colours are added in Photoshop – planning on posting a tutorial when I can find the time
The knight’s face is absolutely genius! XD
Love this one, Gav! Great quote and great artwork to match!
Very encouraging. Exactly what I needed in my current situation.
I love your comics. Great work
Coolidge makes a pretty strong statement. “Omnipotent” doesn’t necessarily mean successful, though… I was just reading yesterday about the two South Pole explorers: Scott and Amundsen. Both had determination and perseverance, but one was successful, the other a tragic loss due in part to poor planning.
http://artofmanliness.com/2012/04/22/what-the-race-to-the-south-pole-can-teach-you-about-how-to-achieve-your-goals/
Goose bumps. I love it. The panels with the warrior, wizard and scholar was a smart way to show the different people who we expect to have it together, who don’t all the time.
Love the panel with the dragon flying and him grabbing on. Great tension in panels.
Another great work Gavin. The dragon is very cool. I’d love to have it in poster form, but I have to ask: For some of your comics, including this one, they really look best in their original form on you website. Any chance we might one day see bigger posters that maintain the original layout?
Thanks again Gavin!
I would love to produce huge vertical posters one day, but haven’t looked into it yet
Genious!! Loved it! like every post of yours!
I think it would be cool if you did one based on this quote by Miyamoto Musashi, “The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy’s cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. It is essential to attain this. If you think only of hitting, springing, striking or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him.”
thanks for your cartoons Gavin, I even ordered the Einstein poster… glad the site is free… 1 complain though, pls. make a cartoon for us loosers, like how beatiful nature is, how big the planets are, something that put us down a little, I am an average human being and I am getting overwhelmed by your cartoons and all I could be but never will… cheers
I just found your site yesterday, through 9gag of all places. I absolutely love your work. I’m a graphic designer, but for some reason I haven’t actually drawn anything for ages. Too busy with typography and grids I guess. Your site actually inspired me to get back to it, so thanks, and keep up the fantastic work!
High 9!
Gav,
Your posters are extremely motivating and thought provoking. As a universal Buddhist, I find your art globally encompassing and touches the heart of what being human is all about. Every one of your posters touches my soul profoundly. I always smile when I receive an e-mail from you. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Peace
Your piece of art are wonderful Gav, i hope to see more of your posters in the future. I cant believe that someone is cartooning famous quotes, periodically, this is genius Gav.
I’ll pray for your sucess haha
I’ve just read through all of your works Gav, they’re phenomenal and invigorating beyond measure. I’ll be purchasing at least one of each of these prints posthaste over the course of the good old fashioned part-time job over the Summer, between semesters and whatnot.
Hi Gav, would love to read the Photoshop tutorial. Waiting for the post.
But isn’t this the legent of Sant Jordi? I thought it was only for Catalunya and Aragón. Where are you from?! :O
Open your mind a bit, man… As if there where no legends around the world about defeating dragons, except for your little corner of the world…
And you call it Sant Jordi, but for “some” he’s Saint George, you know…
Gav another quiet follower. Have also been following for months and love this one for the dragon’s tail – great use of panels.
Your work is fantastic-keep it up!
Hey i came across this site accidentally..when i was feeling so lonely..and lost..and right then i found calvin..
one of my favourite strips ever
Hey this is one of the best sites on internet..and im currently reading all your comics on this site at a stretch..i got one request..PLease keep up the good work and dont stop like Bill Watterson..
GOD knows how many people you will be able to inspire..thanks
Thanks a lot Anand – Watterson did it for 10 years, i’ve been doing it for 3 months … long way to go!
Excellent work cuz
Definitely my favorite.
The first comic that makes me fall in love with your work!
Thanks for doing this one, Gavin. I appreciate it.
Excellent. I needed to see this.
This is great, I really like it. The panels with the tail are my favorite part. I went to buy a print but saw that portion is slightly altered? Anyway to get a print of what’s show on this page? Thanks, and keep up the great work!
I’ve had a few requests to add the whole tail sequence in – i’ll see what I can do
I’ve updated the print for sale to include the full tail sequence:
http://society6.com/zenpencils/40-CALVIN-COOLIDGE_Print
Maravilhoso! Great!
I love this quote. I had to memorize this quote to become a brother of Phi Gamma Delta, just as thousands have done before me. Coolidge’s words have echoed throughout Fiji chapters for years, and you have captured them most fittingly. To finish the quote; “The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Coolidge would be proud to see his words immortalized this way. Press on.
I completely agree.
P!
I really love this comic and I keep looking at buying a print, but I don’t like the format of the print of it. I know you added the tail sequence, but is there any way you could do it as a vertical print in the format on the website? Event if it’s just a small strip on a larger poster, I’d be willing to have it trimmed.
Hey, sorry – not at the moment.
Hi Gav,
Just wondering if i buy this poster and then cut (with a scissors) each picture box and paste them the way you have done it originally, would that work? I mean, are the sizes of the picture boxes the same in the original and re-formated print?
This is my absolute favourite among your comics, and I would love to be able to view it, at the turn of a neck.
PS: it would help to buy it when the shipping is free!!
I don’t think that would work, the size of the boxes wouldn’t match the original. Hopefully I can print the long format versions in the future, but not at the moment.
Gav! This is superb!!!!
Beautiful art….beautiful Quote..
Awesome comic. This speech has a special place in the hearts of my fraternity brothers (calvin coolidge was a FIJI) so I was a bit sad you left out the last few lines.
Following after “Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent” – The slogan “Press On!” has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race.
When you know the whole speech it gives the “PRESS ON!” panel a bit more context. But nice touch on making the dragon purple
So I picked up some of my dog-eared Calvin and Hobbes and was reading them again. Something else that struck me was the resemblance in style. I found the free-flowing layout design and stand-out panels of this Calvin comic (and some of your others) quite similar to Bill Watterson’s attempts to free himself from the confines of the rigid panel layouts of his time. Was this unconscious, Gav?
(Great work, etc, btw, but I’ve said that so many times earlier).
I think it’s just a natural progression to try and experiment with panel layout. Before Zen Pencils, I drew comic strips that were confined to a strict four-panel grid which is very limiting.
Thanks for the reply. I am new to this art form, hence the (dumb) question. Reading your making-of narrations has been as interesting as the illustrations themselves.
If I may ask, have your earlier strips been published? What were they about?
Also, one request on very short notice – any chance of a Father’s day themed comic this week?
Best wishes.
Yeah they were published. You can see a few of them at http://www.gavinaungthan.com
So if I’m a total idiot all I need to do is be persistent? Please.
Better a persistent idiot than a genius who won’t even try.
Sometimes blind luck solves problems the best and brightest couldn’t. ANd there are plenty of intelligent people who won’t try due to either failing early or just having a fear of failure. And there is a difference between someone showing persistence and trying the same thing over and over again and expecting something different.
This one is my favorite!
Man, your drawings are really great. I can’t explain you how happy and motivated I am when I am reading your comics. Also, the fact that you left your previous job and created this site and your drawings makes it even more great. I will definitely return for more.
hi gavin – your young fan william (3) would like the coolidge+chambers set of comics for his room for his birthday
but going to buy the coolidge i noticed as others have done . . the tail panel issue. you mentioned that the vertical posters are not quite there yet BUT any chance of a slight rearrangement that the tail comes as a series of three panels that look more continuous -horizontally? Having no experience with this sort of thing, I have no idea if this is a major hassle but just wondered. . .
Thank you for giving such awesome comics to enjoy.
Hey Devavani and William, thanks for the kind words. The poster layout is the best I can do right now – I think it works ok – it does flow horizontally. Hope it doesn’t deter you from purchasing
thanks for the support!
A big salute from INDIA..
I’m reading all of them, they are all fascinating. I absolutely love what you do.
Gav, you are a walking testament to the quotes you illustrate. Thank you, my friend, and please know that you are doing good.
It is not often I read a comic that give me the good chills down my back.
This one did.
Yet Florence Foster Jenkins defies all odds. She didn’t have any talent, genius or education…or maybe she did take some classes, but she was persistent, REALLY PERSISTENT. Go listen to her music and rethink that statement.
P.S. Don’t take me wrong, I love zen pencils.
Hey I would love a long poster that is similar to the webpage. The print one currently has frames together that does not give the same effect.
“Quitting isn’t always a sign of weakness, it can also represent strength. The same strength that fuels wisdom and courage so that we can realize that it is right to give up on something that isn’t worth our efforts; to accept defeat and move on; and to follow a better calling that the heart speaks greater of.”
Just something I read.
I think I love you man. Your work is just amazing, I mean… the expressivity in your drawings is… powerful. I would love to see more of this little viking.
And I would love to express how much I like your work with the proper words, but English is not my first language, so I hope you continue with this website, and that someone would realize how much talent is in you.
You’re great.