Andersen graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2014. While attending MICA, she started drawing the semi-autobiographic webcomic Sarah's Scribbles (previously called Doodle Time).[1][2] She won the Goodreads Choice Award in Best Graphic Novels & Comics three years in a row for Sarah's Scribbles. In 2016, she won the Goodreads Choice Award for her debut book, Adulthood is a Myth.[3][4] She won in 2017 for her book Big Mushy Happy Lump and in 2018 for her book Herding Cats.[5][6]
In late 2019, Andersen began releasing a supernatural romance webcomic called Fangs on the Tapas platform.
[9][10] In September 2020, Fangs was published as a book by Andrews McMeel Publishing.[11] It became a Publishers Weekly Bestseller that month[12] and a New York Times Bestseller in October 2020.[13]
In January 2020, Andersen painted a mural of her characters as part of a public art project in Mexico City, but it was graffitied over within days.[14]
On September 20, 2022, the book Cryptid Club[15] was published by Andrews McMeel Publishing. It was nominated for two Eisner Awards in 2023 for Best Humor Publication and Best Writer/Artist[16] but did not win.
On December 31, 2022, she authored a guest essay in the New York Times about the rise of artificial graphist systems such as Stable Diffusion, pointing out threats it presents on graphic creators such as increased confusion, appropriation, reputational impact, and income reduction.[17]
In January 2023, Andersen was listed as a plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against AI companies Stability AI, Midjourney, and online art community DeviantArt.[18] On July 19, Judge William Orrick III stated he would dismiss most of the case, requesting they elaborate on issues and "provide more facts".[19]
