"I try to be positive and/or funny [but] I often draw stuff about how short and important life is [too] because when you have a kid, you start thinking about that kind of thing. A lot. So you get a bit of everything in my comics," the artist revealed in a previous interview.
Xibang's comics capture attention with their clean and simplistic style. However, what really makes one attached to them is down-to-earth and relatable content. Talking about simple things that seem to be familiar to the bone, the artist doesn't forget to include a bit of darker and existentialist topics as well. All in all, these illustrations balance silly humor and strong emotions, making them stand out from other works of a similar kind.
The artist shared that he gets inspired by internet culture and his daily life. "Random snippets of everyday life, an unintentional pun, my hopes and fears for my kid, a manga that I binge read before sleeping: all these elements inspire my cartoons. Well, or at least they inspire a pages-long list of notes that I'm 'supposed' to draw someday. I'd love to draw stuff that's more relevant and relatable but honestly, I'm too busy (as a dad) to keep up with trends and too random to be truly relatable (like Sarah scribbles)."
We asked Xibang what makes him passionate about drawing comics. He replied that he kind of stumbled into drawing comics because he needed an outlet for being an "attention seeker," and, according to the artist, he is not particularly interesting. "But looking at how shoddy my old work is, makes me passionate about improving my craft, whether it be through better writing or art."
After being asked if there's a message Xibang wants to translate with his works, the artist told us that he's "too random to have a singular message for everyone" but he has a few - be kind to animals, be kind to your friends and family and be kind to yourself."
"I'm very anxious about finding out what people think about my work because I don't want to compromise my future stuff. So most of the time I'll post a comic everywhere and disappear for a day or two. But thankfully most of the reactions have been quite nice, although there tend to be a lot of crying face emojis when I do a dog comic (sorry)."
Xibang's full-time day job is usually fatherhood but he also does a lot of part-time stuff: voice-over work, handyman, administration, acting - the list goes on. "I would love to make comics my full-time career but that's not on the cards for now."
The artist added that he's looking forward to making more comics and possibly more animated videos! "And I'd like to thank everyone who reads my comics for their support and encouragement. Thank you!"
