Gislain Mugisha is a student of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences at the Institute of Applied Sciences (INES) in Ruhengeri but is also passionate about painting. Recently, he posted one of his portraits on his twitter account which he drew with a pen. The portrait went viral with many people encouraging him to pursue a career in art.
Sunday Magazine’s Joan Mbabazi tracked him and asked him where he gets his love for art and whether he intends to pursue a career in that field.
When did you notice that you had gifted hands?
I started drawing at a young age. My first portrait was of American hip hop singer Lil Wayne. I didn’t put in much time, meaning and emphasis on art by then. I started observing that I could actually draw when I joined my high school’s art club at Petit Seminaire Nyundo.
My mother was supportive as she took me to Epa Binamungu’s art studio where I was coached a little bit about sketching. One of the artists there called Fabrice Girihirwe taught me ‘introduction to art world.’
By February 2017, I had started self practices. Most of the time I get tutorials on YouTube.
Why did you choose pen art?
Pens are cheap, I use normal Bic pens. At the beginning I was dealing with painting but I realised that pen art is the medium that is capturing my soul. I finally joined this field of "pen art”
How much do you sell each portrait?
Prices are not fixed, it depends on what kind of portrait a client needs, but regarding those portraits that are not commissioned, I am composing a series entitled "ANGEL WITHIN” artworks that are now available worldwide.
I am selling them on fine art america.com and soon they will be in Kigali art centers’ gallery where my other artworks are found.
What have you achieved from your art talent for the last one year?
Through art, I am able to pay for my basic needs and my projection is that it will soon be a great source of income. People have also started recognising me, which means I will get more clients.
Who do you look up to?
I do have many role models. Fabrice Girihirwe is my first role model as he proved to me that hard work always pays off. Enam Boskah is a Ghanaian artist who inspires me with his talent of Art pen.
Fola David is a Nigerian Artist whose art is on another level. I cannot forget my grandfather that inspired me a lot when I was little because of his art talent that he learnt without any formal education.
How long does it take you to complete a portrait?
One portrait takes me about 30 hours to finish.
What challenges do you face in this line of work?
I am a science student, I have to balance school and art as they are both important, however sometimes I have limited time for drawing. I usually focus on sketching and drawing after classes.
Sometimes I spend much time and energy on someone’s portrait and they don’t pay me for my services yet we agreed with the client about how much money they are supposed to pay. This kills morale.
The art market is still low in Rwanda as people have not yet seen the value in art.
Some people do not give the artists the value they deserve thinking they can just be drawn for free because it only needs a pen and a paper. People judge artists that they cannot perform well in other fields like sciences and technology, which is wrong. A person can be talented in many fields.
When do you draw?
While at school, I rest like for one hour after classes, then start drawing from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. During weekends I have extra time to draw. In holidays I have many orders because I have all the time I need.
How many customers do you get in a month?
I can get like six orders in a month. I earn about Rwf 150,000 per month.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
At the moment, I am compiling many art works hoping to do an art exhibition some time to come. I will start in Rwanda; if it succeeds I will cross borders.
Do you hope to focus on art as a profession after school?
My focus will be on both lab and art. I will start up a company with time.
How do your customers reach you since you don’t have an office?
They send emails, call and send messages through my social media platforms. I didn’t know the power social media has until recently when my portrait circulated everywhere.
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