MELBOURNE, Feb 22 — One of my favourite comic stories is an adaptation of novelist Neil Gaiman’s 2012 keynote address at the University of the Arts. Gaiman ends his speech by advising the fresh graduates to “Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art.”

The artist behind the aforementioned comic adaptation seems to have taken this to heart. Gavin Aung Than, a former corporate graphic designer left his job of eight years to become a full-time freelance cartoonist in 2011. By the next year, he had launched Zen Pencils, a popular blog where he posts comic stories that are adapted from inspirational quotes. Everyone from Confucius to Henry David Thoreau have been given the Zen Pencils makeover, transforming their wise words into heart-warming, funny and stirring stories.

Based in Melbourne, Than has been drawing comics since his childhood years. He recalls, “I was a cartoon and comic junkie growing up, obsessed with Looney Tunes, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles, The Simpsons, and whatever other animated shows were on TV. I would always try to draw the various characters. From there, I discovered comic books and became mesmerised with the artwork and haven’t stopped drawing since.”