INTERVIEW- published 17 October 2025
Helping Children Tell Stories Their Own
An interview with Children of the Forest art instructor Andrew Zeal
bkk UNZINE is thrilled to have established a strong relationship with Children of the Forest Foundation, with whom we are partnering in bringing about the BKK Comics Art Festival #4 and look forward to collaborating with for future festivals to come. Children of the Forest is dedicated to giving stateless children and families access to their foundation’s and government services through their registered schools, scholarships, medical programs and mother and child protection services.
We were impressed with the initiatives taken in Children of the Forest’s art program, particularly with the instruction including comics and sequential art as a core component, and realized that we had found a perfect partner for bkk UNZINE’s own art endeavors. The team at bkk UNZINE had the pleasure of traveling to Sangkhlaburi to visit the foundation and art instructor Andrew Zeal. Andrew is an artist and teacher from the United States who has loved drawing since he was young, especially comics. After exploring other places and professions, he came back to art and drawing through woodblock printing. About ten years ago he moved to Sangkhlaburi to make a comic anthology with local youth. He has been drawing and teaching there ever since and was gracious enough to answer some interview questions.
The artwork coming out of your program is amazing, clearly demonstrating that the children are expressing their own individual creativity as opposed to just copying what they’re shown. Can you elaborate on the program in general, its aims, your teaching methods and the children involved?
So I've been teaching art at a children's home and school in Sangkhlaburi near the Thai/Myanmar border, Children of the Forest (CoF). Most of the kids come from small villages in the mountains along the border. Some were born in Thailand deep in the forest and other came from the Karen and Mon districts in Myanmar, escaping war and disfunction. The art program aims to not just give these kids a creative outlet but also to use drawing as another way to communicate and learn about design as well.
Artist and instructor Andrew Zeal
What’s your background and how did you come to settle in Thailand and work with CoF?
I'm from the United States. I was born in Illinois and lived there and Wisconsin until I went to college at the University of Minnesota. After that I did a bunch of different things working and travelling, including 2 years in Uganda with the Peace Corps. Most recently, before I came to Thailand about ten years ago, I was farming organic vegetables. I have always loved drawing and comics since I was a kid. For a while I was strongly considering pursuing it professionally but decided to go in a different direction in college. I came back to drawing seriously about 12 years ago when a friend I met farming opened up a community printmaking shop. That got me inspired to make art and comics again. After living in the US for a while I guess I got restless and took a trip to do an art project during the farming off season. That the was the first comicbook that the kids and I made in Sangkhlaburi.
What was the inspiration for using comics and sequential art as the basis for the art instruction?
Comics and graphic novels are a great way to combine art with lots of other subjects, and can be made in a wide variety of environments. The basic materials you need to get started are pretty cheap, and you don't have to be a great draftsman to make good comics and have fun telling a story.
Was there any initial difficulty in getting the children to delve into this form of storytelling? What are some of the opportunities and obstacles that you’ve experienced teaching comics to children?
It depends a lot on the age of the different students. But the younger kids often have a hard time constructing a story when you put a piece of paper and pencil in front of them. And a lot of kids especially as they get older think that they can't draw, which makes them think they can't make a comic either.
Examples of comic book pages by Children of the Forest students
The art program aims to not just give these kids a creative outlet but also to use drawing as another way to communicate and learn about design as well.
Did you grow up reading comics as well? Which comics did you read or gravitate towards now?
Yeah I read comics a lot since I was little through high school, then off and on after that. I liked all the popular superhero comics when I was a kid, now I read a little of everything.
Besides comics, what are other art forms that you’ve taught as part of this program?
Besides comics and drawing, we have done a lot of painting and nature related stuff too.
Your students come from diverse backgrounds and I’m sure you’re proud of all of them and their achievements. Can you tell us any anecdotes about how they’ve overcome challenges and excelled artistically?
I guess when the students who at first insist that they can't draw finally are able to do it and put a small drawing together is one of the regular challenges they overcome.
After living in Sangkhlaburi and working with these children for some time, what have you taken away from the experience? What do you hope the children will take away from their own experience as well?
I've learned a lot about drawing and art in general during my time teaching it. It's good for your own understanding to have to simplify and present a drawing or idea to a bunch of people with no attention spans. I hope the students take away any or all of the benefits that drawing and art provide. Things like an increased ability to think for and express themselves, self confidence from gaining a skill, the ability to start designing things, or maybe just a fun activity that is good for your brain.
More examples of comic book pages by Children of the Forest students
For more about Andrew Zeal:
Meet Andrew Zeal and other representatives from Children of the Forest at the BKK Comics Art Festival convention on the fifth floor hall of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) on the weekend of 25-26 October at BOOTH B-07!
Andrew will also be teaching a couple of workshops for beginners on Saturday, 25 Oct: FIRST STEPS INTO COMICS (30 mins / 150 THB) & INKING COMICS (45 mins / 200 THB)
Select artwork by young students under the guidance of art instructor Andrew Zeal at the Children of the Forest Foundation are also on display as part of our STORYTELLING exhibition. These beautiful pieces, and many others, will be available for auction on Sunday, 26 October beginning at 15:45 in Meeting Room 501 on the fifth floor of the BACC.
All proceeds will be donated to the Children of the Forest Foundation.
