Born in China, Sixian Wang began drawing at the age of six. She studied product design at university, but had little interest in the subject matter until she was introduced to the world of illustration. Her professor gave her the sage advice not to try to imitate Western painting styles, but to explore elements of Chinese art instead. Sixian completed her senior thesis on the Chinese traditional painting style of Gongbi, and went on to graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a master’s degree in illustration. Sixian is inspired by illustrators such as: Victo Ngai, Ugo Gattoni, and Kento Lida.