Meet Danielle Asfour | Graphics Designer & Digital Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Asfour and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have always been interested in art and being creative. Art has always been a captivating and inspiring medium for me. From a young age, Art has a unique way of allowing me to communicate and connect on a deeper level.

Creating art itself brings me an immense sense of fulfillment, even in my saddest moments, I can dive into the emotion and some of the prettiest things come of it. Art has become an integral part of my identity, providing a source of solace, inspiration, and personal growth.

My interest in art stems from a deep appreciation for its ability to provoke thought and ignite the imagination. It allows me to express myself authentically, and connect with others.

I started with graphic design as my parents wanted me to have a “career” and they didn’t think art exclusively would generate a livable income.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
From the vast landscapes of Florida artists, I seem to be just completely different than the majority of the artists around me. I focus mainly on portrait-style artwork of Fantasy and real people. I focus highly on color theory and love challenging myself to see how I can convey their likeness so there is no mistake as to who you are looking at – if in fact a real person, and create a mood within the portrait piece.

The Proudest recent moment in my artistic journey was getting into Artigras! Don’t get me wrong, outdoor events are so much work! but it was such an experience to get to see people interact with my artwork where I would never really get the full effect on social media. For my display, I made QR codes for each piece I had up so people could use their phones to scan and see the entire process and speed-painting reels of how each piece was created. I was pretty proud of that interactive bonus and turns out I was the only one at the event who did that, but I anticipate that will change next year. I feel like my graphic design background has made me a little more progressive in that sense.

Some of my current challenges with digital art is the boom of AI. Many people think what I do is generated by a program but it’s really just me drawing on my tablet (not tracing) like anyone would paint on canvas or pencil draw onto paper. It has become such a hard thing to explain to people that I have started to branch out into other mediums.

With more of a tangible art medium the results are very different and there is no “undo” button with something like paint, so it makes it a little more stressful of an experience and maybe a little more wasteful, but it has benefited me artistically to expand how I create. I forget sometimes that I went to Alexander W Dreyfoos School of the Arts for all of high school. I had the experience but I ignored those tools in the pursuit of a career, then came full circle making my art a career. Funny how life goes.

I don’t feel like I have completely arrived professionally yet, but I’m getting there. I am still coming up in the art world and I am experimenting with different mediums and formats to see what fits me for the moment. Suddenly having a fan base, however small, has definitely given me the courage to keep showing my work and keep up with my progress.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So when my best friend is in town I take her to places only we would like to go. Dancing at Respectables is a must! We would also venture to historical and eerie places that I am obsessed with. Locations like the Coral Castle in Miami, Deering Estate in Miami, or the Haunted Ghost Tours in Key West for a bit of local folklore and supernatural history.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give credit to those who challenged me and to those who support me.

As a graphic designer starting out, I got a job at a Graphic Design company & was hired by my then boss Donna Weinberger. She pushed me to think outside the standard expectation of graphic design on printed marketing materials. With her high expectations, I had to go back to the drawing board multiple times to impress her but I got so much better! Ultimately, there are several successful businesses out there that still have my designs as part of their brand that I created under her watch.

I would also love to credit my husband Michael Asfour, he has been my biggest supporter and the first person to show me you can make it as an artist. He was the one who bought me my first laptop out of Design School and my first ipad pro where I made the most growth in just a matter of a few years. He never “pushed” me but guided me softly to allow myself to grow.

And Jo Brockman, the owner of Brewhouse Gallery, was so sweetly supportive of my artwork she made me feel like I had arrived (artistically speaking) and I can show my art like the professionals, and thankfully from the opportunity she provided me, I am! Her team urged me to apply for Artigras emerging artist program and I got accepted from, I believe it was roughly 40 applicants (i’m not 100% sure on that number though).

Website: danielleas4.com

Instagram: danielleas4

Other: other instagram account @danielleas4art

Image Credits
Danielle Asfour Linda Colaprete