Don’t forget! DMA #31 Live Friday @ 9:30am EST with Special Guest Cartoonist & Author Gavin Aung Than!
Join me tomorrow for a FREE livestream at 9:30am Eastern for a conversation with Gavin Aung Than—cartoonist, author, comic strip artist, and fellow Perth boy!
That’s right, this week’s guest is none other than Gavin Aung Than, the Perth-born illustrator and author who turned inspiring quotes into viral comics before most of us had figured out how to post a drawing without crashing the internet. His latest book, Creature Clinic, is a laugh-out-loud, wildly imaginative guide to monster medicine, featuring a cast of mythological misfits and Gavin’s signature wit.
Gav and I go way back — over 20 years, to the days when we were two wide-eyed Perth kids dreaming of becoming cartoonists, doodling in newspapers. He stayed in Perth, then moved to Melbourne and built Zen Pencils into a global phenomenon, inspiring millions, followed by a slew of incredible books for kids that have sold all around the world.
I packed up and moved to New York to draw for The New Yorker and do stand-up in rooms where laughter sometimes feels optional. Somehow, we both survived as cartoonists in 2025.
We’ll talk about:
His long cartooning journey and the evolution from Zen Pencils to Creature Clinic
How to stay inspired when the internet keeps moving the goalposts. Also- probably Substack.
Balancing humour, heart, and hustle in the creative life
What twenty years in cartooning has actually taught us (besides how to ruin our spines and wrists)
It’s going to be a fun, loose chat full of drawing, storytelling, and probably a few stories we’ll regret sharing. Come hang out, sketch along, and maybe even request a doodle- Gav might be too polite to say no.
Set an alarm, pour a coffee, and join us live right here on Substack.
What is a DMA?
You’ve probably heard of an AMA (Ask Me Anything). A DMA is the same idea, but with live drawing. I’ll be sketching while we chat. You can drop questions in the comments or request a drawing, and we’ll talk about the creative process, surviving freelancing, and why Australia keeps producing so many cartoonists who move to colder climates.
See you Friday!
Your pal,
P.S. If you’ve got questions for Gavin, drop them in the comments below or in the live chat during the stream. He’s charming, funny, and much too humble to admit he’s one of the most successful cartoonists ever to come out of Perth — so I’ll do it for him.