Mari Gabi Messina was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She spends most of her days making homemade meals, finding a new hyper fixation, and attempting to cuddle her cats.

After graduating from La Escuela de Diseño Altos de Chavon and earning an Associate’s degree in Fine Arts and Illustration, she moved to another island to earn a BFA in Illustration at Parsons School of Design in the city of New York. Later, she graduated from the School of Visual Art and completed her MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay. She is currently working on flats for several graphic novels, while mastering gouache and digital art.