Ismail Alias pursued his studies at Maktab Perguruan Sultan Idris in 1986 before earning his degree in art education from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) Tanjung Malim in 2002. Currently based in Taiping, he serves as an art teacher at SMK Mudzaffar Shah in Gunung Semanggol, Perak.

Ismail Alias has been actively creating art since 1989, fascinated by the technique of "line and wash", Ismail combines watercolour washes with ink outlines to depict subjects close to everyday life, such as urban scenes, Malay traditional houses, old architecture, paddy fields, fishing boats, and more. He has won several plein-air art competitions across the country and has organized numerous visual arts workshops for school students.

He has participated in various exhibitions since 2000, particularly with the Persatuan Pelukis Perak, Angkatan Pelukis SeMalaysia (APS), and Persatuan Seni Rupa Malaysia (PeRUPA). Notable exhibitions include “Kedah Ku Indah”, National Art Gallery Kuala Lumpur (2017); “40th Anniversary Exhibition of Angkatan Pelukis Kedah”, Kedah State Museum (2017); “RITMA WISESA”, Kedah State Art Gallery (2018); and “Lakaran Langkawi”, National Art Gallery, Langkawi (2019). He is a member of several artist groups, including Gangsta Watakala, KL Sketchers, Penang Urban Sketchers, Urban Sketchers Ipoh, and Taiping Sketchers.