Andrew was born in Maryland, and grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC. He obtained an Associates degree in illustration from Montgomery College in Rockville, MD, and a Bachelor’s degree in Science Illustration from Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. He also studied at U.C. Santa Cruz, earning a Graduate certificate in their science communication (art) curriculum. Andrew has interned at the National Zoo in Washington DC, The Ruth Bancroft Garden in California, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Andrew has over 10 years of experience as a production artist creating illustrations for higher education texts, periodicals, and collaborating with authors and editors to create educational content and art styles.

Rachel was born in California, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and Saudi Arabia. She studied Art History, Biology, and Science Illustration at Humboldt State University in Northern California, and Science Illustration at U.C. Santa Cruz. After concluding the Science Illustration program at UCSC in 2003, she completed two internships, one at Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, CA, and one at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

She has since worked as a freelance illustrator and a production artist, developing content and creating illustrations for a wide variety of media, from children’s books to first edition college-level science textbooks.

Rachel met Andrew in 2003 while studying illustration at Santa Cruz, and they formed Pens & Beetles in 2005. In 2015, they moved from Illinois back to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, and re-opened Pens and Beetles Studios to create art with a focus on science education and natural history topics.