Reflecting on how their artistic style has changed since those early days, the pair note how it mirrors their own evolution. “Our artistic style, just like ourselves, has changed massively over time. In the beginning, our characters only had two dots for eyes and no other facial features. That gave us room for dialog-based humor, while we're also inclined to use visual humor today. Our figures now have mouths. Sometimes even pupils, and we really enjoy dramatizing the facial expressions.”
As a creative team, they’ve developed methods to handle the inevitable dry spells. When asked how they overcome creative blocks, they admit that a mix of preparation and partnership goes a long way. “We work ahead a bit and have a backlog of about a dozen ideas most of the time. That helps to overcome creative blocks. It's also quite helpful to be a duo: If one of us is down, blocked, or whatever, the other is there to pick you up and to be strong for you.”
A recent breakthrough moment for them came in 2024—ironically, not in a moment of inspiration, but in confronting the blank page. “One afternoon in June, we both stared at a blank sketchbook for four hours, convinced it was mocking us. The breakthrough came not from some profound epiphany but when we admitted that the blank page wasn’t mocking us – it was just...blank. We realized that storytelling doesn’t always have to be clever or layered; sometimes, it’s enough for it to simply be.”
Reflecting on the themes that guided their work in 2023, Elizabeth and Jonathan say they were especially drawn to the concept of time. But not in a grand, philosophical sense—in the small ways we all experience it. “We found ourselves drawn to the idea of time this year – not in the broad ‘we're all hurtling toward entropy’ sense, but in the small ways it bends and stretches. Like how a two-minute microwave countdown feels eternal while a good conversation with a friend disappears in a blink.”
And when it comes to finding balance between poignancy and punchlines, the duo sums it up in a way only they could: “This balance, to us, feels like juggling a flaming torch, a rubber chicken, and a live goldfish. Sometimes, the goldfish flops right into the torch, and we’re left wondering if humor and poignancy were ever meant to coexist in the first place.”
