📚Tutorial to find your own art style
#31 July QaA
Hey my demon 👋
Welcome to the edition #31 of the Art Missive! We are 4,198 😈 in this newsletter. Whether you have been here from the beginning or you have just arrived, thank you so much for reading ❤.
If you haven't already, you can also:
Read all the previous Art Missives
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In this Art Missive
⌛ Reading time : 7 minutes
🥊 Actionnability: immediately actionable
💪 Goals:
Improve your art
Find your style
Learn from Masters
Introduction
If you're a regular reader of this newsletter, you know that I host a Q&A every last Monday of the month, and guess what? It's that time again!
And as always, there's one question that keeps coming up more than any other:
"Hey, Léa! How do I find my own art style?"
I’m not surprised; a great artist is recognized by their style. I've already addressed this question in edition #8 of the Art Missive where I explain in detail why you should focus on realism and fundamentals to find your own style.
But I get it, that answer might not be enough to keep you motivated! And once you've worked on the fundamentals, what can you do to find your own style?
That's why today, I'm here with a super cool tutorial (you're going to love it).
Welcome to edition #31 of the Art Missive where you’ll explore how to experiment with different art styles to find your very own!
But enough chatter, let's dive right in!
Steal like an artist (again?)
"Alright, Léa, I've been diving into the fundamentals, and now I can draw what my eyes see. How can I take it to the next level and truly find my own style?"
If you know me well, my response won't come as a surprise.
My method to experiment and discover my style is to "steal like an artist."
I've already explored this concept in a dedicated Missive, which you can find here.
What it says is that your style will never be entirely unique. All artists build their own flair by borrowing inspiration from other artists' styles.
In today’s tutorial, I'll guide you on how to do this without mindlessly copying. The goal is to explore a style that resonates with you and glean valuable lessons to develop your own artistic identity.
Find your style with this tutorial
1️⃣ Find a cool reference.
To experiment with a new style, I suggest you take it easy and focus on reproducing a photograph without seeking to develop a concept or a story too much. To do this, choose a photo of a scene, a person, a portrait, or a still life that you like. Make sure the photo has good lighting and good contrast.
2️⃣ Find a style that you love.
Go on Instagram, ArtStation, or Pinterest and choose a style from an artist you deeply admire. Not just a style you find cool, but one that you truly envy and can study diligently without getting bored. Focus on experienced and recognized artists to ensure you learn from a reliable and harmonious source.
3️⃣ Analyse this style.
Observe samples of the chosen style and take notes of the distinctive traits you observe. What makes this style unique? How does the artist approach the objects they draw? It could be unique proportions, a specific pencil stroke, or a particular way of arranging colors. You want to understand how the style is constructed so that you can reproduce it using your own reference photo.
4️⃣ Draw the reference photo.
Draw your reference photo as usual, but concentrate on integrating the new style you've observed. Keep looking at your various references throughout the process (spend more time on the reference than on your own drawing).
5️⃣ Don't copy everything.
Avoid copying everything you see from the studied style. Use the distinctive traits you like and blend them with your own style elements and aesthetic choices.
6️⃣ Keep an experimental approach.
Embrace being out of your comfort zone and don't worry if you fail or make mistakes! The goal is to focus on learning new techniques. Keep reproducing this process with many different styles, and you'll build a valuable mental library.
Gradually, by effectively studying artists you admire, you'll create a unique style that others will want to study!