Two Illustrators, One Studio
Paul Tong
What happens when two distinct creative voices share not only a life together but also a studio? For husband-and-wife duo Donna Grethen and Paul Tong, the answer is a vibrant, ever-evolving artistic dialogue. Though their styles couldn’t be more different—Donna’s bold colors and expressive lines balancing Paul’s dynamic perspectives and graphic energy—their work is united by a shared passion for storytelling through illustration.
Working side by side, Donna and Paul have built parallel careers that reflect their unique artistic sensibilities. Donna’s versatile approach brings elegance and playfulness to editorial, publishing, and advertising projects, while Paul’s illustrations carry the cinematic flair of a lifelong love for monster movies, comic books, and history. Together, their studio is a place where contrasts coexist: delicate meets bold, motion meets stillness, imagination meets precision.
In this feature, we celebrate Donna and Paul not only as accomplished individual artists, but also as creative partners whose shared studio amplifies their distinct voices. Their contrasting approaches—each powerful on its own—find an unexpected harmony under one roof, showing how collaboration and coexistence can spark something even greater.
Donna Grethen
“Paul’s dynamic work shows his childhood love of classic monster movies, descriptive comic book line, strong concepts and an interesting point of perspective.” ~ Donna
Paul has done books, political Op-Ed work, portraits, and concept work for film. His favorite projects are editorial illustrations with quick turnarounds.
“Donna’s multifaceted work uses bold color, in conjunction with delicate and whimsical line creating complex compositions and solutions for all types of projects.” ~ Paul
Donna has done books and book covers, editorial projects, advertising and packaging, often using hand lettering.
