Finding Your Art Style
- A'Blazing Arts
- Jul 11, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 9, 2020
What’s up, my ablazing people?! I’m Alexis Hunter, and today, I’m going to talk about finding your art style. So, what is an art style? I would define it as the consistent deviations you make in foundational drawings. For example, one style is drawing characters with big anime eyes, a small nose, and a thick outline. Another style is drawing a character with small realistic eyes, a big nose, and squiggly thin lines. You can even keep everything completely realistic and call that a style. What every example has in common is that it involves a character; the same thing is drawn but with different proportions and line variations. That’s what style is all about: starting with the basics and tweaking features to suit your tastes. Before you can get to this point in your journey, there are some things you must know.
First, in order to find your art style, you must have a solid foundation in yourself and your technical abilities. That means you must know the visual foundations of art and have confidence in yourself. Once you get on this journey, there may be times when you doubt your abilities and think that others are so much better than you. It may be true when it comes to technical skills, but styles are incomparable.
Pablo Picasso said, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” This ties back to having a solid visual foundation. You should know the anatomical structure of the human body in order to draw portraits and characters. You should know how light reflects on different surfaces in order to draw that. You should know how objects look at different perspectives in order to make 2D drawings look 3D. From there, you can deviate from the basics. As long as you know that ears aren’t normally placed on necks, you can put it there. I’m looking at you, Mr. Crocker.
Walt Disney said, “The more you are like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.” It’s interesting how you can’t draw artwork the same way twice. You can draw that piece in a similar way, but something will be different each time you draw it. You can’t replicate your own drawings, so there’s no way you can replicate someone else’s style exactly like them. You have to understand that there is no one like you. You are a unique individual with a unique perspective. No one can draw like you or, in general, do anything the way you do it. We have our own set of characteristics, influences, and experiences. One person may like the anime art style, while another is more drawn to a realistic style because of what they’ve grown up watching. Every experience influences our art, so we cannot try to compare styles.
For me, this inner confidence comes from knowing that God gave me my own identity. I am not a replica of another person; I have my own DNA, experiences, and perspective of life. I have my own set of creativity that cannot be compared to others. Knowing this keeps me motivated to explore and be inspired by others instead of being discouraged from seeing others’ works. Knowing who I am in Christ and knowing that I am uniquely me keeps me going. The following Bible scriptures keep me encouraged:
Psalm 139:14 (NIV) - I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) - For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Genesis 1:27 (KJV) - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
James 1:17 (NIV) - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
I’ll give you a breakdown of my experiences. In my childhood, I watched a lot of cartoons and movies on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Disney like Fairly Oddparents, Danny Phantom, Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kim Possible, and Spongebob Squarepants. In my early teen years, I got into anime a bit, so I watched shows and movies like Naruto and Spirited Away. Then, later on, I started watching some adult cartoons like Boondocks and Bob’s Burgers. All the while, I went to Orangeburg-Calhoun Consortium for the Arts during the summers of high school and developed my realistic drawing skills. I am an amalgamation of everything I was exposed to, and the balance of cartoons and realism have unconsciously shaped my budding art style.
I looked at many YouTube videos (3 to be exact) about finding your style, which I’ll provide at the bottom of the post. What I’ve taken away from the videos are two things: find references and start drawing. Find artists that you like, and study their works. Don’t just look at one artist but multiple artists. You must be aware of what you’re drawn to. Be attentive to the art you see and find yourself going, “Wow, this is amazing!” Look for the details that inspire you. When you have all of your references lined up, start experimenting. You can do a bunch of research, but if you don’t start drawing, you’ll get nowhere.
In my research, I read an article online about a cartoonist, Kevin McShane, who drew himself in 100 different art styles (I’ll link it at the bottom), and that helped me to distinguish the differences. I found myself drawn to the following styles: Archer, Avatar, Adventure Time, Boondocks, and Disney. I like the simplification of realism from Archer, and I like the clean look from Avatar and Boondocks. Notice that I also included Adventure Time, which is all the way on the other side of the planet compared to the others. What I like about Adventure Time is the whimsy, smooth lines, and bright coloring. On the other hand, Disney movies have this romanticism in their works that I adore, which comes from the warm colors and fluid animations. What I like about the early 2000s cartoons is that the line quality varies, and the outlines are usually the thickest.
This is what I can apply to my own pieces: draw eyes that are semi-realistic, make thick outlines, keep the lines smooth, and use warm colors that evoke romantic feelings. I don’t have to stick to every single thing I list; my preferences can change the next second, but if I apply all of these points, I’ll have a unique style.
Let’s review what you should do to develop your art style: have confidence in yourself, know the basics, get references, and start drawing. Like I said before, an art style is the consistent deviations you make in foundational drawings, emphasizing the word consistent. If you’re going to develop a particular style, you must apply those same changes in every part of your drawing, from the characters to the environment. Everything in your drawing must look like they belong together. The best part is that style has a large range, and you don’t have to limit yourself to just one. You can develop a cartoony style, caricature style, realistic style, etc. Now that you know what to do, start exploring!
I’m open to suggestions, so if you have any comments, reach out to me on Instagram @ablazingarts, email ablazingarts@gmail.com, or leave a comment on the site. I can also answer any questions or discuss specific topics in future blog posts. Let’s set the world ablazing!
Below are the videos and the article I looked at for finding your art style. I recommend looking at them and other videos from these artists. They’re awesome!
LavenderTowne – FIND YOUR ART STYLE (And How I Found Mine)
JelArts – How to Find Your Art Style
Ethan Becker – 3 STEPS TO INSTANTLY FIND YOUR STYLE| NEVER draw from IMAGINATION!
Different Cartoon Styles, And The Result Is Unbelievably Spot On
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