I have such a strong urge to be creative but don't want to waste time going down a path that I am not passionate about. For a long time I have been bothered by the fact that I don't seem to have a 'style' and don't really know how to develop the limited skills that I have into something that speaks 'my voice'. Anyway I thought I would probe deeper into this and have found some very interesting vlogs on YouTube about how to find your art style and listed some of the suggestions below.
Be aware of the stimulus that is around you that attracts you every day.
Take pictures of everything that draws your attention –
without judging.
Rearrange the photos into families; colour, weird objects etc.
Broaden your research to ask why does a particular artist
draw your attention, what is it I really like about him/her? What do you have in common with the
artist?
Group your photos into folders such as movies I like, such
as Tim Burton or Alice in Wonderland and find a commonality in what it is you
like about them. Do the same for books
etc. Don’t hurry the process in trying
to find ‘your style’. It could take a
couple of years.
Allow time to find your voice.
Artists emulate artists – find other styles you like – copy
to learn.
Create your own rules – how long an arm should be or how big
the eyes etc. Manga or Anime has a set
look – you don’t have to follow the rules to create your own style.
Know what people like and produce it.
Self-doubt is part of being an artist – style is always
evolving.
Borrow/steal from multiple sources.
Style is built into you on how you see the World.
Analyse your work.
Bad habits can become your style.
Keep re-defining your style to hone and craft your art.
Change your tools or materials – change from a round brush
to a flat.
Choose 3 colours to do all your paintings with or put
constraints on your materials to encourage creativity.
Take a pencil and pad everywhere you go.
Style can be found by having physical restrictions.
I hope that any aspiring artists will find the above list useful. I am going to start to keep folders of things that attract me and write down the reason why. Hopefully, over time a pattern will form identifying what 'styles' I like. Pulling from multiple resources my art style should evolve from the influences I expose myself to.
Have a great weekend!
