Manda Comisari
Fine Artist specializing in gouache
About Manda
Manda Comisari is a fine artist, illustrator, and author from California specializing in gouache artworks on paper.
She earned a BFA in Studio Art from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MFA in Illustration from the University of Edinburgh, graduating with distinction. Over the years, her creative work has spanned multiple disciplines, beginning with private commissions before progressing into projects for commercial clients across editorial, advertising, and product packaging. She is a traditionally published author and has also worked as an editor for scripts in the film and TV industry, as well as a story editor for middle-grade and early-reader children’s books.
Manda has always been drawn to the power of storytelling and the loves the slow process of creating beautiful artworks by hand. Throughout her practice, she aims to capture joy, whimsy, and the intangible.
Her work has been recognized by International Artists Magazine, the Society of Animal Artists, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Best of Artists, the Pentawards, the Creativity Awards, BuzzFeed, the AOI World Illustration Awards, and 3x3 Magazine of Contemporary Illustration.
She documents more about her work and studio ongoings on her blog Allow Me To Illustrate.
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I have always been drawn to emotional stories—ones that encourage self reflection, inspire unlikely connections, or simply invite us to sit in a moment of joy. Much of my work is focused on encouraging viewers to consider broader perspectives, like with the Unusual Animal Messages Oracle Deck. I intentionally included odd creatures like the cockroach as one of my animal messengers. To me, if we can recognize that in some small way we’re not so different than this mostly unpopular insect, I’ve succeeded in making my larger point: empathy should never exist in a vacuum. We’re all far more alike than we realize.
I have a deep love for Mother Nature, and draw my inspiration from a combination of observations of the world around me, my own personal experiences, and a quiet understanding that everything around us exists in layers. I love uncovering the seemingly endless metaphors for the human condition found laced throughout the natural world, and I truly believe that the universe is as funny as it is fascinating.
I’m compelled by gouache as a medium for the same reasons I love a great story: it surprises me and it keeps me curious. It’s a medium that doesn’t quite belong in any category—neither watercolor nor acrylic, too opaque for one world and too matte for the other. That liminality is part of what draws me in. The other part? Painting with gouache feels like a quiet act of rebellion against the idea that fine art must be large, glossy, or rendered in “serious” materials like oil or acrylic, I think those legacy medias have defined what belongs on gallery walls for far too long.
Gouache offers something else: intimacy, immediacy, and honesty. It’s taught me to embrace imperfections, to follow curveballs, and to trust the process even when I feel unsure of the outcome. I’ve found that some of my favorite pieces have come from happy accidents that revealed entirely new ways of working. (Kind of like an exciting plot twist!) Just when I think I’ve finally figured gouache out, something new pops up and I’m back to learning again.
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ALIVE | The French Institute | Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 2020
ANNUAL | John Byrne Awards | Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 2020
SUMMER EXHIBITION | Gradcurate | Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 2020
WORLD ILLUSTRATION AWARDS | Association of Illustrators | London, United Kingdom, 2017
28TH ANNUAL MADE IN CALIFORNIA | Brea Art Gallery | Brea, California/ United States, 2013
WILDLIFE ARTIST OF THE YEAR | Mall Galleries | London, United Kingdom, 2013
ART AND THE ANIMAL | Society of Animal Artists | Bennington, Vermont/ United States, 2013
