Before discovering gouache, - Mina spent most of her creative time working with graphite and coloured pencils, quietly drawn to painting but unsure where to begin.
What first captivated her about gouache was not only its soft matte appearance, but the calm and satisfaction it seemed to bring to the creative process itself.
In this interview, she reflects on her first experiences with the medium, what made it feel different from other forms of painting, and how gouache gradually became an important part of her artistic journey.
Where Color Begins
What first drew you to working with gouache?
I had always found gouache to be a beautiful medium. Before discovering it, I had very little experience with painting and mostly spent my time sketching with graphite and colouring pencils. Even so, I had always wanted to get into painting properly but never really had the chance to start.
What first drew me to gouache was how calming and satisfying it looked in tutorials and short videos online. I didn’t know much about the medium at the time, but its soft matte finish made it especially appealing and visually striking on camera.
I had tried acrylic painting before, but what usually put me off was how messy the whole process felt, dealing with palettes, paint tubes, and dried paint going to waste if I did not use enough of it. Gouache palettes, on the other hand, seemed much more flexible and convenient. I liked how all the colours were laid out together in one compact palette, and how easy it was to control the amount of paint you used.
One of the most fascinating things about gouache, though, and also one of the reasons it can be difficult to master, is its ability to reactivate with water even after it has dried on the page. I found that really interesting and incredibly useful, which only made me appreciate the medium even more.
Do you remember an early piece that shaped your relationship with this medium?
I would say that from my very first piece, I was already completely drawn in. I loved the way the paints glided so smoothly across the page and how effortlessly they seemed to bring my ideas to life. I quickly fell in love with the idea of creating stories through my artwork, which is why I began the very first page of my journal with a gouache painting and have continued filling it ever since.
How would you describe the role of color in your work?
Colour is an integral part of my work. Although I still adore the beauty of monochrome and greyscale, I cannot help but appreciate the wonder of colour. For me, I like to create themes and visions centred around colour, allowing each piece to carry its own atmosphere and feeling. I hope for my artwork to tell stories that stay with the viewer long after they have seen it. Colour helps create depth and a sense of magic, with different tones and palettes shaping different emotions, moods, and scenes.
What influences--visual or emotional--tend to appear in your work?
Visually, I am drawn to light, and I hope that this comes through in my work. I am particularly interested in how warm light can create a nostalgic, comforting mood, while cooler tones can shift a scene into something more distant, mysterious, and subdued. I enjoy incorporating a range of emotions through colour, light, and subject matter, using them together to shape the overall feeling of a piece.
My content is often fantasy inspired and dreamlike, aiming to evoke a sense of wonder, nostalgia, lost memories, and escapism.
Could you share your favorite piece of work at this stage and then introduce it or them a little bit?
I honestly cannot say I have one single favourite piece; however, I would consider my gouache sketchbook to be an entity of its own. For that reason, I would describe it as my overall favourite work. Each painting feels like part of a continuous story, with every double page spread telling its own narrative. I really enjoy this sense of continuity and the feeling of moving through the sketchbook as if it were a storybook made up of paintings. Not all of my sketchbook follows the same theme, but there is a clear sense of development as my style evolves throughout the pages. The pieces I have included, such as Ruins, Waterfalls, The Siren and the Shipwreck, and The Ocean Princess and the Lost Boy, have all played a role in shaping both my style and my passion for creating. Together, they explore stories filled with romance, magic, and whimsy.
How would you describe your work to someone encoutering it for the first time?
I hope that my work leaves a lasting impression of magic and wonder, inspiring others to pick up a paintbrush or step outside and explore the beauty of the world itself. I want it to encourage people to shift their perspective, to notice the whimsy that already exists around us if we choose to look for it.
In the Making
What do you enjoy most about working with gouache?
I like how gouache has a matte finish and dries opaque, which means you can layer lighter colours over darker ones. I also enjoy how the paint can be reactivated with water, making it easier to soften edges and create more diffused, atmospheric lighting effects.
What role does paper choice play in your process?
Paper is an integral part of painting, especially when working with gouache, as it is a water-based medium and, when diluted, the paper needs to be able to withstand the amount of water used. However, if the paper is too textured or too thick, the paint does not sit as smoothly, so finding the right balance is important.
For standalone artworks, I like to use hot press watercolour paper because of its smoother surface, which allows the paint to glide more easily and creates a cleaner finish. However, my gouache journals at the moment are only 180gsm, which still works well for sketchbook pieces and experimentation, even if it is less robust for heavier washes.
How do you choose materials for your paintings?
For my gouache paintings, I actually use a wider range of materials than people might expect. Alongside gouache, I like to incorporate acrylic gel pens and paint markers to enhance highlights and add finer details. I also sometimes use watercolour to subtly build up or soften certain areas within a piece.
When it comes to brushes, I prefer to work with a varied selection, including smaller detail brushes that allow me to refine specific areas and add precision where it is needed.
How did Artify make you feel as a artist?
Artify supported me very early on in my art journey by providing me with the opportunity to try their paintbrush sets. As an aspiring artist and content creator, this played an important role in helping me develop and explore my practice. I also value the importance of materials in creating successful artwork, and these paintbrushes were extremely helpful in allowing me to experiment and refine my technique.
Are there moments in the process that feel unexpected or challenging?
As I mainly paint in my sketchbook and enjoy the sense of continuity it creates, it can sometimes be challenging when I come across a page I am not fully happy with, as I still have to continue the sketchbook regardless. I also tend to strive for perfection, even though I know that perfection does not truly exist!
Beyond the Page
Are there new subjects or themes you want to explore next?
I have a background of realism in my colouring pencil and graphite works, but I would love to explore it more in my gouache paintings.
How do you hope you work will grow in depth or complexity?
I hope that my work will continue beyond my small-scale projects to larger scale, complex pieces with various elements. I especially want to create more pieces on canvas and explore multi-media.
What does progress mean to you as an artist at this stage?
I really want to move away from relying on references. At this stage, I use them more as inspiration rather than something to directly copy. I like combining a range of references to build something unique, and while I am painting I often develop the scene intuitively as it goes, which means there are already a lot of original elements within my work.
However, my biggest goal is to eventually create entire scenes purely from imagination, bringing ideas to life completely from the mind.
Where do you see this body of work leading you?
I see this body of work continuing to develop as both a creative practice and a form of personal escape. As a medical student, my life can often feel quite structured and intense, so art gives me a space to slow down, reflect, and create something more imaginative and intuitive. Moving forward, I want to keep building on that sense of freedom within my work, developing more confidence in creating scenes from imagination rather than relying on references.
I also hope to continue refining my use of colour, light, and atmosphere so that my pieces feel increasingly immersive and storytelling driven. Ultimately, I want art to remain a constant part of my life, both as a creative outlet and as a way of balancing the demands of my studies.
For Mina, gouache became more than just a painting medium—it became a way of approaching creativity with greater ease, flexibility, and curiosity.
From its tactile qualities to its ability to reactivate with water, the medium continues to offer both challenge and comfort within her practice.
And through that process of exploration, her connection to painting continues to deepen.
Want to see more from Mina? Find her here:
Mina's Linktree
-Want to discover more artists and works? Explore Artify Gallery now!
0 comments