Victor Zastolskiy: Combining the Incompatible

Victor Zastolskiy has a background in art, interior design, and computer games. In many ways, this has determined the style of his portfolio, where most of the images depict interiors. One of his favorite genres is photo collage. Combining classical photography and 3D, he creates creative images with fantastic, imaginative scenes.

In this interview, we asked Victor about creative thinking, the role of digital technology in his works, and the complex process of image creation.

On photography and inspiration

I have never been into photography that much. A significant part of the creative process, if not the main one, was 3D and digital technology as tools to implement ideas. The reason for this was my background in computer games production and interior design. But I also try to use the possibilities of photography to the maximum.

There are a lot of great artists in the world in all creative spheres. For me, the results of their work are the strongest incentive, and it’s not just about direct influence. You can read O. Henry’s story and be so impressed that you’ll create a futuristic 3D-concept.

Sometimes, I get the ideas only out of my head and then select necessary media elements: I shoot, I gather a 3D scene, and so on. Sometimes, you can just take a funny picture with the camera and you want to make up a new story for this shot. Sometimes, you want to create your own version of the famous visual concept. Color it in a new way, with your own colors – make semantic changes.

On creative thinking and favorite works

I got a lot of knowledge during artistic education. Though I am not categorical in this issue, because there are many remarkable authors without profile education. To develop creative thinking, you should read, watch, and listen a lot. I think that the comedy series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” gave me more than a couple of years at the university.

I love making collages from different visual formats: 3D, photo, and scanned surfaces. They are both interesting and difficult to put together in a single canvas. This approach gives me complete freedom for my ideas and designs. A series of such works is my favorite in the Depositphotos gallery. I would like to focus on this approach in the future as well.

On creating images

The process of image creation starts with the idea. Depending on it, the “entourage” of the collage is chosen. I look for something in my photo or 3D-archive, learn new programs, and plugins. Sometimes, it is necessary to make a photoshoot or to find a model. Next follows a long process of mixing. Working with the alpha-channel in 3D, clipping silhouettes from a photo, adjusting perspective and camera settings. Not to mention color, light, and shadow correction in 3D. Or vice versa. In brief, it can be called composing.

Probably the least favorite stage is to cut out another hairy animal from the photo with Bézier curves. This is quite tedious, but so far the automatic methods do not satisfy me with the ultimate quality.

On a signature style

I think I’m still looking for my style. It’s hard to achieve it right away.

Don’t have to set yourself a goal of creating something unique. Otherwise, you can basically sit forever over an empty sheet of paper. You just need to work, and soon you’ll see the results.

I like to mix genres, instruments, and styles. As a student, I wrote a dissertation on the synthesis of different types of art in the history of mankind. Even then, I thought that combining the incompatible might have an effect that is difficult to achieve with traditional approaches to creativity. I still like this approach. And even though it does not guarantee the result, but often this result is more interesting than the boldest idea. It’s like cooking: if you choose incompatible ingredients your dish may either end up in a trash can or you can create a groundbreaking recipe.