During Sundae Kids’ recent exhibition in River City, Bangkok, every person is given the opportunity pick up a free postcard at the beginning of the experience. At first, it appears to be a nice freebie for the thousands of fans and influencers looking to be surrounded by the joyful and gentle artwork that has gained the artist known as Sundae Kids so many fans around the world.

Pratchaya and Kevin, the duo that make up Sundae Kids, keep a low profile on purpose. They deeply draw off their personal journeys – together and apart – in every piece, conveying stories of heartbreak, joy, mental health struggles, the pains of growing older, and much more. Many have likened viewing their works online or visiting an exhibition to receiving a warm hug, and thus, that nice little postcard viewers take is akin to a little squeeze of the hand, the reminder that everything will be okay.

But more on that later.

Every artist has a distinct reason for creating what they do, and Sundae Kids was no different, as they shared the love for artwork and this style of illustration with us. In particular, this harkened back to a time in Bangkok when social media wasn’t as widespread. Although they’re now based in New York City – a world away from their home city – when reminiscing on their childhoods, they explained, “Everyone was watching Western cartoons on TV and reading manga from the East. I think I absorbed a lot from both worlds, so my style naturally became a mix of Asian and Western.”

If they could, they would like to talk to Ai Yazawa, the manga artist. She currently focuses on illustrations and has been popular since 1985. “I want to ask about her process, her way of thinking, [and] how she conveys emotions. And I’d ask about the ending of Nana.” And what about their favourite film? Of course, it’s Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

Given their skew towards the bright and the brilliant, it is no surprise that such work was inspiring to them. “I was really into it,” they reminisced. “There was even a manga rental shop near my house where I would borrow stacks to read.” Their humble enthusiasm for art, quickly blossomed, studying exhibition design in school which was crucial grounding that married well with their comics and manga knowledge: “I learned to use space as a tool to express the feelings I wanted to show.”

By taking in such a broad range of media when young, it wasn’t surprising that the inspiration for their comic strips – shared thousands of times on social media – came from the things around them, including films, music, books, friends, and anything they encountered in daily life. Each comic has a different story and narrative that is relatable for a reason, with Sundae Kids sharing, “Once I take it in, I reshape it in a way I understand, but I try to keep the original feeling.” Yet, all the pieces are original and organic, coming from the heart rather than expectations, as the focus isn’t on style and sticking to an identity for Sundae Kids but the idea behind the story.

When it comes to evolving their techniques or narratives over time, they don’t over plan their processes: everything is once again extremely natural, with the idea that “Most of the time the stories grow on their own.” They believe that as they grew older, their approach to creating their pieces shifted from experience:

I’ve learned to understand emotions in more variety. Things aren’t just black and white. There are many shades and mixed feelings within a single story. Happiness and sadness both have thousands of different shapes.

Sundae Kids’ comics are seen and loved globally, but instead of dwelling on the difficulties in finding certain words to fit across different languages, as often they can’t just be replaced due to subtle changes in meaning, the artists’ aim is always to keep whatever messages they choose direct with simple wording. Such universality in their work can be seen in the pieces they have done in Japanese for popular Ginza Magazine. While translating the stories into Japanese wasn’t an issue, the layout and formatting in the magazine caused challenges.

“The real challenge in Ginza was that we needed both languages at once,” they explained. “So the speech bubbles got really big. That left less space to draw details, and sometimes a panel ended up almost empty.”

Despite their stories being aimed at such a diverse audience, readers have the same feelings towards the comics and how they made them feel:

Some people have told me that my comics became part of their happy moments, like proposals or love stories. Others said certain stories made them reflect on sadder things. I think some pieces are meant to leave questions behind.

Aside from their comics, exhibitions from Sundae Kids are extremely unique, with the most recent being the Sundae Kids 10 Years Tour. It is a celebration of not just their work, but also the question of “What would my life be like if I had chosen a different path?”, something that many people around the world ponder and is always a source of deep reflection, no less for the artists themselves. Akin to their stories evolving from experiences that showed them nothing is black and white, that is also where the question and exhibit stemmed from.

“The story mixes both joy and pain at the same time,” they mused. “Emotions are never simple. No choice is completely right or wrong. Every decision sits somewhere in the grey. That question always stays with me.”

When it comes to considering the future impact of one’s choices, the question of whether the future could have looked different for Sundae Kids can be found in the exhibition itself… all they shared with us was the teasing answer of: “That question is answered in 10 Years of Lost and Found. Which is why I can’t spoil it.”

Sundae Kids are an undeniable part of the modern tapestry Thai art, but they have their own style that transcends the artistic history of their home nation. “I don’t think our style fit into the history of Thai art,” they pondered. “Most of it is tied to religion and beliefs.” Much of Thai artistic tradition, including paintings and sculptures, show Buddhists beliefs and customs, using the colour gold in many of the artworks.

Sundae Kids’ work perhaps encapsulates very Buddhist elements around contemplating the meaning of life, love, and caring for one’s self and one’s loved ones, but here any similarities end.  “In Thailand, comic-style work hasn’t really been welcome as part of the tradition,” Sundae Kids’ reflects. Their vision is clear: they make their comics in the style they want so that they can share openly with the rest of the world.

Thus, through their own style, Sundae Kids are able to create their own rules, rarely reflecting too much on their own place within the vast pantheon of modern art, confessing: “I’ve never really thought about history. I’m not good with it and it would take a lot of research.” In their mind, history requires a lot of context and their stories do not require that to connect with their audience, they’d rather create stories that they want to and not have to be held to historical accuracy:

If anything I’d probably choose to create stories about the future. To me the future leaves more space for imagination.

“I love when people connect to the feelings I want to share,” they continue. “When I write something sad and they cry, or when it’s funny and they laugh. Those emotions reach them. It feels like deep communication. Some even became my friends afterwards.”

Despite not liking to focus on history too much – if at all, they are still true lovers of the art history that has inspired them, such as Drowning Girl by Roy Lichtenstein. “I love Pop Art and that era of art history. It was a time when artists started questioning the frame of what art could be. Back then almost everything was hand-painted, and his work connected painting with the comic style. That really inspired me.”

With the same sincerity and love they show the art around them, perhaps then they’ll forgive us with our own dissections into how they do – or don’t – infuse so much of their lives into their own works. For example, while their second completed graphic novel CLOSE TO YOU – one of several thoughtful longer reads you can find on their website – is not based directly from personal experience, the control it warrants tells all just how dedicated to their storytelling they are. Artists penning other artists has so much potential, but if you’re not intending to self-insert, the work is at risk of being narrowed by the creator’s perspective. All fears of lack of immersion are swallowed by the power of this waterworks-inducing read; the heart of CLOSE TO YOU is as beating as its pink palette.

It seems that for Sundae Kids, the story or message is what’s most important. The duo will meticulously draft out entire strips to make sure everything flows, before locking in the panels.

“The characters are just vessels for the story’s emotions,” they mused, about using nameless characters in their most beloved bitesize comic strips. Occasionally, though, they might subtly throw themselves or their friends in the story. If the Ghibli-loving artists of absolute comfort material can’t be playful, then who can?

Regardless of name or sneaky cameo, we all see ourselves in their characters. That’s just what they intended.

Even the name Sundae Kids originates from a sweet anecdote: “One of our team dreamed of opening an ice cream shop as a child. The name became a symbol of that dream.” Of course, we did ask the sweet-tooths their favourite ice cream flavour, which they declared was Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia.

You’re likely well-acquainted with their pastel palette. There’s comfort to be found in those round-edged, relatable strips, doused in gentle pinks and blues. Sundae Kids’ art is the warm cup in your hands, housing a hot chocolate. Probably with marshmallows on top, too.

We teased them as we asked them to contemplate a hypothetical world without pink.

“This question feels too sad,” they quipped. Sorry, Sundae Kids. After begrudgingly selecting red as the replacement colour they’d use in a world starved of its softer cousin, they reaffirmed that “no colour can replace another.” Spoken like a true artist.

Curiously, their short graphic novel Round & Round uses a striking near-monochromatic orange palette, with a small intrusion of deep blue. What was with this saturated side-quest? Sundae Kids explained: “I choose colours based on the mood of the story. It’s usually not too funny or too sad, so I add white to soften them into pastel. For Round & Round it’s a different mood. I felt orange fit the motivation. It’s not as intense as red and not as bright as yellow, but it gives a sense of movement.”

Their comics have become more well known and have a global impact among English and non-English speakers, and we live in a time when art is more accessible through out screens than ever. One might never never need to see a Sundae Kids exhibition in person to feel connected to their work. However, this doesn’t come into consideration: “I don’t really think about those things. I just want to draw my comics.”

Their low profile allows them to focus on their work and not worry about what others would think. Their focus also allows them to connect with people of all cultures because the stories are universal. Everyone has felt sad, happy, or lonely at one time or another, and Sundae Kids deeply understand how it is hard to live sometimes:

Do what you want right away. Don’t worry about things that haven’t happened yet.

Let us return, for a final, brief moment, to their exhibition at River City. Imagine yourself, wandering through their exhibition with postcard in hand as you come to the culmination of Sundae Kids’ bright, heartfelt journey. Now, at the very end, you spot the last installation: three postboxes labelled ‘To Yourself in 1 Year’, ‘To Yourself In 10 Years’, ‘To Someone Else’. All that once, the purpose of the postcard becomes clear: it is not just a souvenir for now, to be photographed for ones’ socials and then merely pinned on a wall or put in a drawer somewhere.

It is a piece of the connective tissue that runs between everything; the you right now, the you a year in the future or perhaps even ten years in the future, the people you care for, and Sundae Kids themselves: the hope, empathy and love they hope their work has instilled within you.

“There are many shades and mixed feelings within a single story,” says Sundae Kids. “Happiness and sadness both have thousands of different shapes.” With the shapes and colours they’ve used to illuminate their own journey, Sundae Kids has painted a rainbow of hope for us all.

Sundae Kids can be found on Instagram and on their website.

TEAM: ‍
Creative Editor: Maddie Armstrong
Lead Editor: Aimée Kwan
Sports, Arts & Entertainment Writer: Sonal Lad
History, Culture & Entertainment Writer: Stephanie Cyphers