Wendy Pini was born Wendy Fletcher in San Francisco. Growing up on an isolated ranch in Gilroy, California, Wendy's imagination was fueled by all forms of fantasy and mythology. At an early age she began spinning her own tales of elves, monkey-gods, aliens and sorcerers. While her artistic talents were influenced by of turn-of-the-century illustrators, film and TV animation, her storytelling abilities evolved from a love of Shakespeare, Japanese history and legend, modern fantasy and the epic poetry of the Ramayana.

Largely self-educated Wendy began exhibiting her artwork in fanzines and at science fiction conventions in the mid 1960s, garnering awards and recognition. In 1972 she married Richard Pini and in 1974 she began her professional career as an illustrator for science fiction magazines such as Galaxy, Galileo, and Worlds of If.

In 1977, a deeply personal project called Elfquest was born. As the first continuing fantasy/adventure graphic novel series in America to be co-created, written and illustrated by a woman, Elfquest became a phenomenon in the comics industry. Appealing to comics and sci-fi/fantasy fans alike, it attracted a unique and unprecedented audience, an equal mix of male and female readers. Over three million copies of the collected graphic novel volumes have been sold to date.

For Wendy, Elfquest has been an ongoing labor of love for over two decades. With husband/editor/facilitator Richard, she has scripted, drawn and painted many Elfquest graphic novels, co-written and illustrated prose novelizations, produced calendars, portfolios and art prints and provided cover art for the Elfquest related anthology series Blood of Ten Chiefs.