How to find your ‘unique’ art style
It’s your individual artistic style that gives your work integrity.
Your personal art style is developed over time. We can probably all draw, paint, or write. Over the years, we try out many art styles until we find the one that suits us. These styles range from “Art Deco” to modern “Digital” and artificial intelligence-generated styles. But creating art is more than just studying anatomy, learning to mix paints, and mastering grammar.
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Our personal touch includes the emotions we put into creating our pieces, the natural movement of how we perform a particular stroke, the painting style/method/sequence, our thought process of how we do it, personal influences/research, etc.
What is an art style?
Your art style is what you feel is you. It’s what makes a Picasso feel like a Picasso, and a Hitchcock feel like a Hitchcock. Two artists can paint the same image with the same style, but there will always be a distinction between the two because it is made by two different individuals with their own attributes (personality).
There are countless books, videos, and tutorials on how to draw, paint, and write, but how to become a unique artist and discover your true voice has not been published anywhere.
Your style will change over time depending on your experience, lifestyle, personal life/challenges/experiences. The more you reveal yourself and put in the effort, the more you will see it developing and changing.
Your style is you!
Just as you develop and become more like yourself as you grow, so does your artistic voice. With each experience you have, you change and discover yourself, and with each piece of art you create, your style changes and grows.
Depending on how long you’ve been making art, look at all your completed works and see if there are any similarities. For example, I paint portraits, but I also do other genres. All of my portraits have a similar “look,” whether I’m making fan art or something else, and that look is the emotion I put into them; it’s really my style.
Your progression
I just drew conclusions and gave you my life progression. But this doesn’t have to be your way of going down that path. If this is the path you don’t want to go down, then don’t do it, it’s fine! Feel free and create your own experiences without any doubts.
My path is like this:
- I drew.
- I made mistakes.
- I made them regularly enough until they became significant.
- Voila! My style.
(Just kidding) 😂
A journey of self-discovery
Developing and discovering your own artistic style is a personal journey that may take time and experimentation. Here are a few steps to help you find and develop your own unique artistic voice:
1. Experiment
Try working with a variety of art mediums, such as painting, drawing, sculpture, digital art, writing, or mixed media. Experimenting with different mediums can help you discover what resonates with you the most and where your strengths lie.
2. Explore techniques
Explore different artistic techniques and styles by studying the work of various artists throughout history and across different genres. Try to imitate their techniques to learn new skills and gain inspiration, but don’t be afraid to adapt and combine techniques to create your own style.
3. Be prolific
The best way to discover which styles suit you is to simply keep creating. What do you like? What techniques work best for you? What materials do you like to use? Find inspiration anywhere and everywhere and explore subjects from portraits to abstract paintings.
4. Find inspiration
Look for inspiration in the world around you. Pay attention to what catches your eye – nature, architecture, people, emotions, or everyday objects. Keep a sketchbook or digital journal to capture ideas and inspirations as they come to you.
5. Narrow your focus
After this influx of art, you’ll probably feel ready to hone your influences. Choose a few artists whose work and style you admire. Practice working with these styles: what do you feel comfortable with? What challenges you as an artist? Does it seem like a natural fit for your skills and talents?
6. Practice regularly
Like any skill, developing an artistic style takes practice and dedication. Set aside time for regular art practice, whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly, and commit to experimenting, learning, and improving as an artist.
7. Trust your instincts
Ultimately, developing your own artistic style is about trusting your instincts and following your creative intuition. Don’t be afraid to take risks, make mistakes, and push yourself outside your comfort zone. Your unique perspective and voice are what make your artistic style truly yours.
8. Keep evolving
Changing direction is a natural part of an artist’s journey. Even when you feel like you’ve found your style as an artist, you will continue to change and improve over time. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
“Failure is more useful than success” because it forces you to evaluate.
Jonathan Yeo
The evolution
It’s important to remember that this is a continuous development that can and should continue throughout your life as an artist.
This chevron pattern has evolved and changed over the past 5+ years of drawing, as I’ve developed other quirks since then as I and my art have changed.
Each change, if you follow it, will lead you to the next. You can still see the shadow of my chevron pattern as I fill in areas with a pen, such as in the texture of the hair.
As a creative person, evolution will come naturally to you. There will always be new things that inspire you or different stories that you want to tell through your art.
Your mistakes will lead you
Remember that developing your artistic style is a journey, not a destination.
Be patient with yourself, What really attracts you is that you don’t have to spare any effort or patience. Embrace the process of exploration and growth, and allow your style to develop naturally over time despite the adversity or mistakes that will accompany you throughout your life without rest.
You just have to persevere through the difficult, obstacle-filled periods as you try to understand who you are and what your essence is. Just like graduating from high school to finally become an adult.
The bottom line
I hope that one day you will find your calling and a voice of art that will accompany you throughout your life as an artist. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next episodes. 🤞
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