PROFILE
Name: Gawinsat Age: 42 Country: Thailand Favorite manga: City Hunter Favorite movie: Mad Max: Fury Road Entry title: The Answer Round: SMA16 “Moments of FEAR, JOY, or LOVE” Award: Excellence Award“Time management is critical. Make sure you can make a high quality piece of work before the deadline.”About SMA
- How does it feel to win a SILENT MANGA AUDITION® award? It’s great! This is the first award that I got since SMA changed the page limit rules to not be over 17 pages. That rule was introduced with SMA15. I thought it was quite difficult to tell the story within 17 pages and I did not get any award from that round. Therefore, winning this round is very meaningful for me. It is proof that I could overcome this limitation.
- What was the inspiration behind your awarded work? My inspiration is the intense situation in the exam room. I thought about how exciting it is when students do something in the exam room. Then, I combined it with the selected theme “Moments of Love.” Finally, I came up with the idea about a student who expresses their feelings in the exam room.
- What challenges did you face while making your manga? How did you overcome them? The theme and the limited number of pages are the challenges. The theme is about feelings which the reader has to feel after reading the story. It is not easy at all! And I have to tell the story within 17 pages. I overcame these challenges by choosing “Moments of Love” which is the theme that is more obvious than others. To overcome the limitation of pages, I tried to shorten the story to fit inside the 17 pages.
READ GAWINSAT’S SMA16 ENTRY HERE!
About your Manga
- How and when did you start making manga? Any advice for beginners? I started making manga in 2013 when I had a chance to read Bakuman. It inspired me to produce my own manga.
- Do you draw your manga digitally or by hand? What are your go-to digital or analogue tools? I draw my manga by hand, black pencil and ink on paper. I use digital tools such as Photoshop for finishing up the artwork.
- What was the first manga you picked up? I cannot remember. Maybe Doraemon.
- Which manga changed your life? It’s Bakuman. As I mentioned earlier, I started drawing manga after I read Bakuman. Thanks to my manga, I could get other related jobs such as storyboard artist and illustrator. Now, I can have a second job as a manga creator.
- What kind of manga do you want to make next? I have no idea yet. I am preparing for SMA18. I hope that I can get an award that is higher than the Excellence Award.
- What do you do when you’re not making manga? How do you relax? I do my office job during the weekdays. On the weekend, I prefer to watch movies and series if I am not making manga.
- What industry do you work in (if manga making isn’t your primary job?) I work in the financial industry as a digital marketing officer.
- Where do you see your manga career in 5 years’ time? It may be my secondary job and hobby apart from my primary job.
- What manga making advice would you give to your younger self if you could? Time management is critical. Make sure you can make a high quality piece of work before the deadline.
- What advice would you give to people entering the SILENT MANGA AUDITION®? Read the theme of each round carefully. You have to know very clearly what the judges are looking for. It is not about the tools. You can win this award by drawing your manga by hand if your work can represent the theme well.
Thank you, Gawinsat! We can’t wait to see your SMA18 entry and hope that it will bring you the answer to HAPPINESS!
You have time until August 1st to WOO the judges and have a chance to develop your potential as a manga creator with us in Japan!