Yawen Zhang

Illustrator & Storyteller

Yawen is an illustrator, storyteller and an elder sister of three cats. Originally from a little seaside city in China, she graduated from Central Academy of Fine Arts where she majored in Product Design. She is crazy about patterns and materials, using them to create illustrations or express her feelings and experiences in her sketchbook.

Yawen believes patterns and pictures can express her social concerns and show the audience what she wants to talk about. Stories can be the best carrier for transporting ideas. She likes characters with strong personalities and interesting stories that are able to display the characters’ growth.

Above all, Yawen likes to try new things such as tatting and knittinger, as well as handmaking. She’s also interested in screen printing, and she often makes simple patterns and prints them on her bags and T-shirts. She’s attracted to new things and enjoys experimenting and learning.