With money worries behind him, he was free to spend his evenings on ink painting, "his own religion," according to Lin Wen-yi.
退伍後，他懷著忐忑的心情，將畫冊寄到皇冠雜誌社，沒想到發行人平鑫濤愛才，立即將他延攬旗下。自此，他保持白天畫漫畫，夜晚作水墨畫的習慣。只因為漫畫能維持生計，純藝術創作卻始終讓他掛懷。「他視水墨畫為宗教」，林文義說。