As a child, Yang Sio Maan loved drawing little comics strips, but she never dreamed of becoming an illustrator. In fact, it was while studying English Literature that her old passion awoke.
“I have lived in Macau for most of my life, and living in a touristic city has developed me a pursuit for nature,” explained the Chinese illustrator in an interview with Ballpit Magazine. “I’ve always loved to draw little comics but I didn’t know what illustration was until I took Children’s Literature in my senior year and fell in love immediately with picturebooks. Only by then I started to consider taking a step further and develop more in this area.”
She then went on to study illustration in UCA Farnham, in the UK. “I took the advantage by traveling and visiting museums and art fairs in Europe, which really widened my horizon. And the more I draw the more I’m sure confirmed that illustration is something I want to do for life.”
Now, back in Macao, she’s fully immersed in the art scene. “I find it very therapeutic and soothing when I draw, especially at midnight,” she says. “Somehow art gives me the strength to be true to myself.”
Follow her Instagram page for more inspiration.
