Artist Spotlight & An Interview With Darya Kozhemyakina:
Darya Kozhemyakina:
Art enthusiasts can discover exceptional illustrator talent on all corners of the internet. Darya Kozhemyakina is one of those unparalleled talents bringing character concepts from their creative mind to the screen. Scrolling through Darya Kozhemyakina's evocative portfolio is a variegated journey through an idiosyncratic style that leaves thousands of viewers captivated across multiple platforms.
Whether illustrating original characters or bringing a new lens to existing ones, Darya Kozhemyakina is not afraid to share her creative process. She does so through live streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. Transparency with their art process is something many artists or illustrators prefer to keep under wraps. However, this multi-lingual illustrator has taken their aesthetic practice to thousands of curious viewers.
Darya Kozhemyakina is a lady of many talents. She speaks four languages, i.e., English, Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian. Based in Istanbul, turkey, she works on computer games, movies, commissioned projects, and everything in between. Darya is a prolific freelancer creating breathtaking illustrations with staggering development over the years. We're thrilled to share a rare view of this extraordinary illustrator in the FableHatch Artist Spotlight interview below, along with her stunning art portfolio.
ARTIST INTERVIEW:
What City, State & Country do you currently live in?: Turkey, Istanbul
What is your primary art application?: Adobe Photoshop 2021
What are some of the other mediums or applications you use?: I used to draw in Paint Tool SAI when I was starting to do digital art. But a couple of years later, I switched to Adobe Photoshop, and now it's the only program that I use.
What are some of your favorite reference materials?: Artstation - I have this vast collection of art in my profile that I use as a reference base. I don't start working unless I check it.
Pinterest - I find references that I can't find on Artstation there.
Google is helpful sometimes too :)
Do you have any artistic weaknesses that you're actively working on to improve?: I have lots of flaws, but I can't say I work on them much, unfortunately. Just as for everyone else, it's tough for me to leave my comfort zone.
For example, I am terrible at perspective, and for that reason, I cannot draw interior or exterior stuff. I even had a pretty bad situation at work once when I got the task that included drawing some interior.
I am also struggling with composition. One or two-character designs became easier to handle lately, but if more characters are included, it will make me suffer.
What made you want to become an artist?: It was the only thing I was good at since childhood, and drawing always made me happy. Thankfully I have a very supportive family and hearing them praise me for my "best of the best" art as a child was super motivating. Besides that, I am also a super stubborn person, which, I think, also helped me to get to this point in my life. If I hear somebody say, "oh, you wouldn't be able to get to this level," etc. or if I see an excellent artist's insane artwork (it's as if they insult me with their skill, haha) - I am instantly getting motivated, trying to prove people wrong and show them that I can do cool stuff too.
What are some of your favorite things to draw and paint?: Horses, faces. I genuinely LOVE horse anatomy. And whenever I draw a character, I always start coloring their face first. It's like, the face is the essential part of the drawing for me. It set's the drawing's whole mood.
What artistic accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years?: I am just hoping to be more popular.
Who are some of your favorite concept artists, or illustrators that you draw inspiration from?: Mingchen Shen, Crow God, Christian Fell
Did you have any professional training? If so, what schools or classes did you attend? If not, what process did you use to achieve your level of artistic talent?: From 2008 to 2012, I attended two drawing courses after school. After 9th grade, I left my regular school and went t a specialized school to get the Painter-Florist education for two years. In my free time and whenever I had some money saved, I'd take private classes with artists - all this education was for traditional art, by the way. And when I got home after all that studying, I'd learn how to use a graphic tablet and drawing programs on my own.
I also spent half a year studying in university, barely learned anything, and quit. Ever since then, I was always focused on digital drawing.
What is an interesting bit of personal info about yourself you could share with our readers?: I am a housewife. When I say that I do not work in any company or don't even do freelance, I always get these surprising looks, haha. I sure did work for about three years in game companies, but I don't anymore. Soo... drawing is a hobby for me now.
What is one bit of advice you would give to an aspiring artist like yourself? Something you've learned from experience along your journey?: Don't worry about finding your style. You're just wasting your time that you could've spent drawing.
Just draw stuff that you like and how you want it. The style will show itself with time, and you won't even realize that.
Artistic achievements? This could include jobs, projects, awards, accolades, etc... Anything you consider significant in your art career. Please also include any links to process videos or anything else you'd like included!: I got my first job at Gameloft at the age of 18. I was able to draw for a huge YouTuber, an actor, and I am followed by my biggest inspirations(read: idols) on artstation, which means that they not only know about my existence, but they also like my art! This praise is so important to me and brings happy tears to my eyes every time I think about it :')
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