Step inside Cass Art Islington and you’ll be met with a burst of colour, character and joyful detail. The new mural spanning the store entrance is the work of London-based illustrator Aysha Tengiz — a rising creative force known for her vibrant, character-led illustrations.

 

Created in collaboration with our friends at Winsor & Newton, the mural brings Aysha’s distinctive visual language to life at scale. We caught up with her to hear how she approached the project, how the store space shaped her thinking, and what she's working on next.

 

 

Hey Aysha, thanks so much for taking the time to speak to us today, for anyone of our audience who isn’t familiar with you, could you describe your practice for them? 

 

Hello! I’m a London based artist and I work predominantly in illustration. My work tends to be very colourful and playful – I particularly love drawing busy, character driven pieces. 

 

Your work has a really distinctive energy and colour palette. How would you describe your visual language, and how has it evolved? 

 

I’ve always been very drawn to tasty bold colours when I draw. I was obsessed with felt tips as a kid (who wasn’t) and I think my artistic style hasn’t evolved that much since then! I think my visual language is very story led. I like to find little moments in a bigger picture. Whether that’s a scenario or simply a character giving you a cheeky look, making the viewer curious to look for more. That’s what I love to do. 

 

 

Public murals can carry a different kind of responsibility — they live with people in real time. How did the physical space, flow of the shop, and the idea of artists as your audience influence your design decisions? 

 

It’s very intimidating creating a piece of work that will be viewed daily by other artists! I tried not to over think that and just created something that I thought was fun. It’s the first thing people see as they come in, so I wanted to create an energy that was energetic and inviting. 

 

Your characters often feel like they belong to their own universe. Are there any stories behind the characters in this mural — or were they created in direct response to the space/location? 

 

I love it when people give the characters their own stories, or perhaps relate to them. We see a drawing of a character and often begin to invent a story that will go with them. Where have they come from? Where are they going? What are they thinking? That’s what I love about illustration, it gives people space to fill in those gaps! 

 

"“I think my visual language is very story led. I like to find little moments in a bigger picture… a character giving you a cheeky look, making the viewer curious to look for more.” "

AYSHA TENGIZ

 

What were some of the practical or technical challenges you faced while bringing the mural to life — and how did you overcome them? 

 

There were really very few! I think the main challenge was the size of the space and how much I had given myself to do in five days. I was very lucky my friend was able to come help me. I’m so used to working on a small scale, I can jam pack as much as I want into a piece. When covering such a large area, it takes a lot longer than I anticipated! 

 

 

 

Are there any artists or illustrators – past or present – who’ve really shaped your style or way of thinking about image-making?
 

I’m hugely inspired by picture books! I think that picture books aren’t taken seriously enough and they’re such a beautiful art form. They have a unique ability to be silly and playful whilst also capturing deeper stories. These books are what initially inspired me as a child to want to become an artist and they are still what I reflect on a lot when I’m in a creative slump. 
 

A big influence on what led to my current style came from my final project at university, in which I focused on Turkish arts. I looked at Ottoman miniature paintings and researched how Turkish carpets were designed. I really loved the flattened perspective that was used to create these detailed busy paintings. The colours, perspective, and layout in both the paintings and carpets were hugely influential to creating the style that I work with now. 

 

 

Has your work always had this sense of humour and energy — or is that something that’s developed with confidence over time?
 

I think it’s always been there for me, and it comes from having fun with a piece! If I’m really enjoying myself, that humour and energy naturally spills out into the work. Even when I’m feeling rubbish and create work that reflects depression, I still approach it with humour. For example, I created a short comic a few years ago called “A Spot of Loneliness”. It was about a sad lonely elephant who lives in a busy city, he gets a spot on his forehead and makes friends with it. This was made when I was feeling overwhelmed in the city, I got huge spot, and the story came to me. 

 

 

How does drawing for a public, physical space compare to your usual illustration or zine work? Does it shift how you think about scale or detail?
 

Massively! Quite literally, the scale is something you have to really consider. When I work on smaller pieces, I can really jam pack lots of detail into it. I really had to hold myself back when designing this illustration, as all those smaller details are way more time consuming than just painting up large blocks of colour. 
 

The process is very different as well. When I’m drawing an illustration, I’m working very quickly. When painting up a mural, you have a lot more time to sit with the work. It’s very mindful to just have space to paint for hours over the course of week. Opposed to rapidly churning out a drawing in an afternoon. 

 

 

Do you have a go-to materials when working at speed – or when working large?

 

The Winsor & Newton acrylics  were brilliant, they dried super quickly and covered the area really well. If I’m painting on a smaller scale, gouache is definitely my go to. 

 

You’ve been using an array of Winsor & Newton products, what have you been using and how have you found them?

 

For this piece we used Winsor & Newton acrylics and a Promarker for the smaller line details. It was my first experience painting a mural with acrylic, so I was a bit nervous! My worries vanished quickly though, as the paint was brilliant. The colours came out delicious and the paint took to the wall really well. 

 

Finally, can you let us know any upcoming projects you’ve got in the pipeline that our audience can look out for?

 

I’ve been working on a very exciting book project with Big Picture Press. After working on it for the last year, my deadline is a couple of weeks away! This will be my first solo non-fiction book; it’s called Big Brilliant World and will be published next spring. 

 

Be sure to follow Aysha on her Instagram @ayshatengiz and check out more of her work on her website - ayshatengiz.com

 

We'd like to say huge thank you to our friends Winsor & Newton for their continued support in championing artists at every stage of their creative journey.