Need some art advice

[Charlotte Holmes]

   So, I've started taking an illustration class and I've drawn more in a few weeks than I ever have in my life. I'm having a lot of fun, and enjoying the process a lot more than I used to. My art's going pretty well.

    However, I'm realizing I don't have as consistent of a style than I thought. Every picture I draw looks different, and it's kinda uncomfortable. I'm glad I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone, but is this normal? For any experienced artists on this site, what comes next? Will something eventually stick? 

    (I know it's a thing all artists go through, finding a style, but I've always been a very compliant, don't-rock-the-boat type, and so experimentation doesn't come as naturally to me as it does for others.)  

    Also, how to I appreciate all the earlier work I've done in a different style and not hate it? I have a lot of trouble with hating my work, so any advice would be appreciated.

[Mae 🌼]

I'd also like to know this! I draw a lot but I can't see to find my style that fits yet! Experimenting styles is out of my comfort zone!

 

Maybe it's something that comes with time?

[NickyTannock]

In my experience, a personal art style isn't something you find by looking for it.
It's something that develops on its own when you've done enough art.
Friends are often commenting on my art style when I show them a piece of art I'd created.
But when I create said art, I'm not thinking about adhering to an art style I've chosen, I'm thinking about the techniques I will need to create the art.
My advice is to forget about art styles.
Instead, look up the techniques of the artists you admire and think about how you can use them.
Your art style will develop before you know it.

[RottenInDenmark]

yes! with a lot of practice.  In my opinion. no shame in using tutorials and and using others arts and techniques and videos as reference to get comfortable in finding your own. i Had my rock the boat times in art school' drawing things out of my comfort zone. My art Teacher's advice was to sit down draw that thing' you are uncomfortable with (or think you are bad at )' and have patience and draw, draw, draw. again and again until it's in your wrist. until it's in your subconscious.  

Sure it might have been hellish', but funny enough i find myself drawing that easily without even thinking about it today. and finding my own style without stressing over it, and less insecure about it, cus'  i know i practice it. 

[Ruination]

Never taken art school, but my friend just got her illustration diploma c:

Basically, from what I've heard from her, use this as a chance to experiment!! Please don't lock yourself into a 'style' right away! Once you're done school, people are going to hire you for your style. People want to know what to expect from you. You won't get to experiment besides personal pieces after this. 

Creating your style will come to you eventually. But use this time to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Imitate others. Try out new things. Find out what it is you really like. Then later on you can refine your 'style'. But don't worry about it for now. You'll find your stride and then you can work on consistency. 

[Fantastic Name]

Practice, practice, practice. I've never gone to art school, but I developed my style through years and years of practice, and even then it's still changing. Just practice. I know you've probably heard it a bazillion times, but it's the only way you're going to get better. Experiment with things. Feel free to risks. You will get there... if you practice.

[GloriaA]

One of my teacher once told me that you can talk about having an art style only after you had spent thirty years drawing.

Maybe it was a little excessive, but the message is true: don't fret about acquiring an art style, an art style is something that you develop naturally after years of constant practice.

 

[Epitaph]

I work through a digital medium which would be totally different to its physical counterpart but the concept still remains the same. At first I was concerned with style. What should I go for? What should I study to emmulate? I got nowhere real fast. I was so concerned with staying within the borders of that set style that it left me with no room to grow.

 

I've since shifted gears, and now I opt to experiment a little more to find a "feel" and a workflow that I personally enjoy. Every project of mine is different from the last since now I consistently adapt and change my workflow. Despite the randomness of it, now it feels like I actually progress towards something even though I don't know what. My advice is to just keep working. Over time you'll shift and eventually settle on something you enjoy, which is the most important aspect of any art.

[Zosia]

On 3/11/2018 at 4:30 PM, Charlotte Holmes said:

I'm realizing I don't have as consistent of a style than I thought. Every picture I draw looks different, and it's kinda uncomfortable. I'm glad I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone, but is this normal? For any experienced artists on this site, what comes next? Will something eventually stick? 

    (I know it's a thing all artists go through, finding a style, but I've always been a very compliant, don't-rock-the-boat type, and so experimentation doesn't come as naturally to me as it does for others.)

 

On 3/11/2018 at 5:28 PM, Mae__ said:

I'd also like to know this! I draw a lot but I can't see to find my style that fits yet! Experimenting styles is out of my comfort zone!

 

Maybe it's something that comes with time?

 

Honestly, I don’t really think it’s necessary to find a style. You make whatever you want to make. If you *want* to have a consistent look to your work, and that would make you happy, then by all means do that. But don’t feel pressured to put yourself into a box. Many people are going to try to convince you that your work needs to look a certain way, or that you can only make art dealing with one subject, or you can only work in one medium, etc. And personally, I think that gets extremely boring. People have told me that I make work in so many different styles, mediums, and with so many different subjects that it looks like my art is made by different people (or, slightly more critically, they’ve said my art is “schizophrenic”, whatever that means. ) And frankly, I don’t care. I think it’s an accomplishment when people can be so diverse in the things they make. I’ve had people tell me I should do just landscapes, or I should settle on just watercolors, or my skill is really in graphite drawing...but, I think I would get extremely tired of sticking to any one thing. So, if you think you’d be the same, don’t do it! You’re under no obligation to make your work predictable, palatable, or easy to digest for others.

 

I know another artist who has been making art for at least 50 years and he’s done everything and anything—glassblowing, woodworking, bronze sculpture, marble carving, sculpting in clay, oil painting, acrylic painting, watercolors, pastels, charcoal drawings, graphite drawings, you name it. He’s made hyper-realistic art, he’s done sketchy and expressionistic art, he’s done impressionistic art, he’s recreated folk art styles. He’s dealt with landscapes, still life’s, portraits, animals, skyscapes, cartoons, religious figures, flowery sculptures, functional work like dishware...he can do anything. And so can you, if you want.  If it’s fun and it makes you happy, make it. Don’t put these boundaries on yourself because you think it doesn’t fit a certain style. There’s another artist I heard of years ago who was so frustrated by people telling him what kind of art he should make that he showed, advertised, and sold his artwork under different names so that he could have completely different styles and people wouldn’t think they all came from him.

 

There is no “normal” when it comes to art. There is no “one right way” to make it. You make art the way that you want to at your own pace.

 

On 3/11/2018 at 4:30 PM, Charlotte Holmes said:

Also, how to I appreciate all the earlier work I've done in a different style and not hate it? I have a lot of trouble with hating my work, so any advice would be appreciated.

Everyone has an inner critic. Maybe ask other people how they deal with theirs and see how you could apply their skill to your situation? Maybe make a list of what frustrates you about your work (sounds painful, I know). If you can list it out, it might make it easier to tackle. I’ve had a stretch of really serious self-criticism for the past 2-3 years which has made it extremely difficult to work on any artwork. I’ve been working on ways of digging myself out of that hole lately. Is there anything specific that you feel is really holding you back with your art other than the style thing? Maybe I can give you some resources or suggestions?

[Zosia]

Thought I would post this. It’s about being a beginner artist:

 

 

[Marrow]

I can't remember where I was told this, but a "style" isn't just found, its developed over time. It's essentially the parts of drawing that you find comfortable doing. So let's say I give you a rock and a bunch of tools and I tell you to smash it and let's say you smash it with a hammer; that's your style. Some others might also smash the rock with a hammer, some might use a chisel, and others might use a spoon, but what matters is what you feel most comfortable smashing the rock with. (I feel like that analogy sucked, but I dunno).

[Euna]

I never had art lessons with a teacher, but there was a time I was really into pencil portraits, and got decent enough at it that they looked like the subjects.    What helped me with style was drawing the same face over and over again.  I chose a character I really liked and kept drawing them until it became more comfortable.  After a while, I noticed my style of drawing everyone had evolved, so that they all looked somewhat consistent in terms of outline, shading, etc.  It probably took about a year, maybe two, though I wasn't drawing every single day.

[Guest]

I'm a self-taught artist, so not sure if my advice would be any good to you since I've always rebelled against being told how to do my art.

 

However, consistency does come with time and with tons of practice. There isn't a way around this. I'm always complimented on my art, and how I make it "look easy", but thousands of hours of drawing went into my style.

 

 

I had many glaring weaknesses, and for me, I practiced the hardest on what I struggled on. I looked at artists renditions of what I was trying to do, and tried to work their styles into mine. I always added my own style to things, but was nice to learn from other artists. I am curious by nature, so this isn't for everyone--but I looked into all styles. From pointillism, to abstract, to macabre to whatever.

 

I think through going through various styles that were immensely different, helped me find my niche faster.

 

I lucked out. I remember having a few artists take me under their wings, and teaching me some shading techniques. I also learned painting techniques, stretching a canvas, and the like, which also helped immensely.

 

However, I never stopped practicing.

 

Whatever you want to be good at. Sit with a picture, or image in your mind, and draw it. Keep doing so, until you nail it. Grow your other skills, accordingly. As your skills grow, your style will come along with them. You can't force it, it will come with time and as long as you never stop practicing.

 

Keep yourself challenged, and you'll keep yourself growing. Its like the rubber band effect. Challenge doesn't need to be uncomfortable, however.

[SorryNotSorry]

On March 11, 2018 at 2:30 PM, Charlotte Holmes said:

   So, I've started taking an illustration class and I've drawn more in a few weeks than I ever have in my life. I'm having a lot of fun, and enjoying the process a lot more than I used to. My art's going pretty well.

    However, I'm realizing I don't have as consistent of a style than I thought. Every picture I draw looks different, and it's kinda uncomfortable. I'm glad I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone, but is this normal? For any experienced artists on this site, what comes next? Will something eventually stick? 

    (I know it's a thing all artists go through, finding a style, but I've always been a very compliant, don't-rock-the-boat type, and so experimentation doesn't come as naturally to me as it does for others.)  

    Also, how to I appreciate all the earlier work I've done in a different style and not hate it? I have a lot of trouble with hating my work, so any advice would be appreciated.

A personal style is something you have to develop on your own. 

 

Some art instructors might not approve of the "find what works for you" approach, but when budding artists try to imitate an established artist's style (either willingly or being told to), the results are not likely to be impressive.

 

Not everyone likes to work in colored pencil, or can get the hang of it. Not everybody can work in oils and get the hang of it. When you settle on a mdium you're comfortable with, and you create images in a way you're comfortable with, that will be your style. You'll know you're there when people look at your images with one eye closed, maybe make a couple of faces at it, and ask you what it is.

 

My shading and perspective are not the best, but well over 100 of the images I've created with colored pencils over the last 20+ years don't look like anything that exists in the real world, but I think they look about as coherent as depictions of imaginary objects can look.

 

Hope this helps!

[MagicalMafka]

On 3/11/2018 at 10:30 PM, Charlotte Holmes said:

   So, I've started taking an illustration class and I've drawn more in a few weeks than I ever have in my life. I'm having a lot of fun, and enjoying the process a lot more than I used to. My art's going pretty well.

    However, I'm realizing I don't have as consistent of a style than I thought. Every picture I draw looks different, and it's kinda uncomfortable. I'm glad I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone, but is this normal? For any experienced artists on this site, what comes next? Will something eventually stick? 

    (I know it's a thing all artists go through, finding a style, but I've always been a very compliant, don't-rock-the-boat type, and so experimentation doesn't come as naturally to me as it does for others.)  

    Also, how to I appreciate all the earlier work I've done in a different style and not hate it? I have a lot of trouble with hating my work, so any advice would be appreciated.

Oh, don't worry! I have a lot of different styles actually and I'm a professional artist This was the best advice that my agent could give to me; to be somehow a generalist. I'm not sayin that I don't have an original, personal style cuz I have it. I just had to enhance that style to be able to cover more markets and fields. When I was an art- student we had to study realistic art only. That is the dumbest thing that can happen to you ever! Students should spend years on studying different styles and try to mimic those. That leads you to your personal style. Watch the subject carefully, examine it, then try to copy, then try to copy everything that you like, then try to practice and you'll see how your own style and abilities improve. And first of all! Correct your drawing abilities constantly, correct anatomy, correct perspective, study the basics first, then you can deal with personal style(s)!

And don't hate your previous works bcuz those are very important milestones. Just spend some time on them, study your mistakes, appreciate that you did nicely, and first of all, value the time and energy that you used up to create those drawings. Those are also the pieces of you. I still have my first drawings (i was 3 when I started) and I kept the worst works that I did. To see those again will be very satisfying for you. Keep your old drawings. You'll be thankful for yourself!  

I honestly wish you god luck with your endeavours!