In our continuing series with Cambridge Creatives, Dani Ismailov talks to Varsity about doodling, design and online art communities. Check out Dani's pieces on Cambridge Creatives for more amazing work!

Art for Robinson May BallDani Ismailov

When, and why, did you first start drawing and playing around with digital art?

I grew up surrounded by people who were somehow involved within the artistic sphere: my father is an author, my mother a musician, and my sister an avid artist. Our 14 year age difference meant that she was often tasked with looking after me; we used to kill time by watching quite arty/indie cartoons (as she was going out with an animator at the time), painting, and even played games where she showed me the light-hearted side of doodling. I grew up surrounded by her paintings, and she taught me everything from how to deconstruct a face, to how to draw curves freehand, and most of her teachings are still pretty clear in my head.

I have only started incorporating digital art with my traditional art over the past few years. I was initially interested in graphics software (and later Photoshop) from around the age of 12, and persistent curiosity meant that I took small commissions for little pieces of design work (such as book or CD covers) by the age of 16. Spending countless hours making forum ‘signatures’ for gaming forums when I was 14 also meant that I was quite proficient with the software by Art GCSE, and therefore started using it more for art than design. 

I also joined online communities where people developed their graphics through communal criticism, tutorials, and various initiatives and competitions – PlanetRenders, a community which I joined aged 14, had around 300,000 members. Artists from within those communities, (such as Howard Winterson, known by his alias Dyst/StrangeProgram; Finnian MacManus; Josue Iniguez, known as Daze; Alistair Temple and others, went on to found and run international collectives. Collectives such as Luminarium, Cosmosys and SlashThree, now internationally renowned, originally arose from online communities. Many of these artists learnt to use new software, including Adobe Illustrator as well as Cinema4D, my personal favourite, in order to add three dimensional aspects to their work.  

I now have a collection (a little over 2GB) of renders which I often use. I might play around and create a 3D render that I’ll set aside until I have an idea which fits. The same now goes for my traditional work, as buying a scanner has luckily allowed me to keep a large proportion of my doodles – I’m slightly prone to losing things otherwise! 

Much of my work can be seen here on Flickr.

Does what you create reflect your mood and feelings in terms of colour, shape, etc?

I go through phases of liking different colour combinations; as is evident in my work. Mood may not always reflect itself in a piece’s character, but a sudden change in mood tends to inspire the clearest impression of an idea. Creating a piece is usually largely experimental, and I’ll change ideas and methods many times. I am a horrible perfectionist, however, and often will spend hours labouring over final touches rather than in creating the main piece.

What do you hope people take from your art?

I would most likely be lying if I said something deep and profound, so ultimately I just appreciate it when I can create something that my friends like the look of, or something that makes people wonder how I made it. There is always the underlying hope that they might be either interested in art for their own sake, or that they might wish to collaborate. Many friends who I have seen go through the process of interest and application have become amazing artists, with work that leaves me in awe. I am always concerned that strangers might form an impression of me through my art. It’s completely different to judge the art than to judge the artist, and I think that my work is quite unrepresentative of me. 

Collaborative pieceDana Rembiszewski and Dani Ismailov

Has your art changed since being at Cambridge? How?

I have had slightly less time for digital art, but I haven't found this too much of an issue. I’m also on the Robinson May Ball committee for design, so I paint with a group of people on a weekly basis, which is quite a therapeutic process. I hadn’t painted since Art GCSE, so it also reminded me how relaxing painting can be. 

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I honestly have absolutely no clue. I’m currently developing a few projects – including applying for an Arts Council UK grant to host a music/arts festival in London, interests in the design aspect of the fashion world, contributing to different arts projects and exhibitions, collaborative design with friends, etc. I’m really just going with whatever opportunities arise. I’ve always kept my art as a hobby, so I’m most going to try to keep it that way.

Favourite place to draw in Cambridge?

My own room is my comfort zone, and I can’t really imagine anywhere else. Doodling isn’t restricted to any place whatsoever; I used to doodle for hours wherever I was, and lectures now provide an ideal setting. I do hope to start going to the Fitzwilliam Museum Cafe though; it’s genuinely a lovely place, with nice food, a lot of light, and quite a calm atmosphere. 

Collaborative pieceDani Ismailov and Dana Rembiszewski