Dear readers,
We are bringing you an interview with an inspirative artist and wonderful person Iulia Khestanova from Russia. Anyone who knows Flame Painter certainly must have seen Iulia’s beautiful artworks in our Gallery. We’ll talk about her inspirations, missed contests and experience with Flame Painter.
Iulia, who or what inspired you to paint?
I graduated from the Moscow Art Theatre and Technical College. I work as a makeup artist in a musical theater. I draw since my childhood and always wanted to be an artist. If I should list all of my art preferences, the one page wouldn’t be enough :). I love classic art (all those artworks that can be seen in the Louvre, the Hermitage, the Dresden Gallery etc.), medieval miniature, Japanese traditional art, Art Nouveau graphics, Herluf Bidstrup’s and Jean Effel‘s cartoons, Soviet animation since 1970 (Alexander Petrov, Eduard Nazarov, Yuri Norshtejn…), creative painter, graphic artist and sculptor Mihail Chemiakin and many more.
You wrote on our Facebook that you wanted to enter the Annual Design Awards with Flame Goldfish tableware, but you missed it. I guess there is a story behind…
It was the first and so far the only competition which I had the courage to take part in. The work itself took three days, but I couldn’t think of a name and comment for about a month. Finally, when I decided to submit the work without comments, it was too late.
Actually, when I painted a fish in Flame Painter, I was thinking about a Spanish football match I watched recently. As a result, a fish got a red flamenco costume surrounded by a goal net. I think this prospective contest work could be presented as a souvenir for La Roja fans, who neither drink nor eat without a thought of their team.
That’s a great idea! Do you work on your paintings daily or only when inspired?
I can spend hours and days drawing in Flame Painter. But of course, we have to take breaks. :) An inspiration comes from the application itself.
Thank you :). Your Flame paintings are drawn in an amazingly pure style. Some of them - especially Snail, Fox or Japanese girl seem to be painted with very few brushstrokes. How many drafts did you have to make until you were satisfied with a result?
There may be a number of them. I’d say the main thing is to know when to stop the stroke. I like to follow the movement of the hand - in fact, any line tells me the story.
Luckily, in the recent version, it‘s possible to edit your strokes afterward, so it can save much time. When or where did you get to know Flame Painter?
I learned about the program about three years ago, when I was looking for some online drawing tools. It was easy to find, as Flame Painter is a leader in many „Best of“ lists.
In what ways does Flame help or limit you?
Certainly helps! I almost stopped painting after my studies. After a long break, when I grabbed the idea to engage in computer graphics, I came across Flame Painter. So for me, it is a great help.
What websites do you check regularly and find them inspiring?
Recently, I found the website full of Ebru artworks and videos. It’s a wonderful art - you paint on water and transfer this painting onto paper. I would really like to try it someday. Worth mentioning is also the website of Calligraphy Museum here in Moscow, especially their Calligraphy courses. I am amazed at their work! I visit the Flame Painter Facebook page regularly, where I can always find interesting links.
Many publications have given me the courage to get familiar with Photoshop. Now, the more I draw, the more I feel the lack of an academic education, which I once treated lightly. I certainly plan to return to academic drawing and painting in the future.
Flame Painter is my serious creativity engine. I wish Flame Painter a lot of prosperity, it’s the love of my life!
Iulia, thank you for your time!
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Iulia’s portfolio on Flame Painter Gallery, Imgur #1 and Imgur #2.
