What is the most frequently asked question for those new to art?

How to Find Your Art Style

Finding your art style is a reoccurring answer that not many have the answer to, however, I may be able to help you

A drawing I did of a friend’s character

Within the artist community, everyone wants to be unique. Every artist wants to stand out in the way they draw. They want to be truly original.

Originality is something we all strive for as artists, and it’s not surprising. We all want to be one of a kind, special. As creative people, we don’t want to do what others do. So when it comes to the way we draw, we obviously want to do it in a way that no one else does.

This is where the term art style comes from. It’s a way of drawing that is unique to a person. And like handwriting, an art style is different from person to person, and no two art styles are the same, no matter how similar they are.

But then that leads to the question of what exactly is an art style. Most artists refer to an art style as the way you draw, but what does that mean exactly?

The main thing that comes to mind when you hear art style is how you draw figures. More specifically, anatomy and whether your art imitates life or not. These are choices like rubber hose arms, sticks for legs, human proportions, and other things of that nature. However, that isn’t the only factor in an art style, merely one part.

There are six main things that contribute to your art style:

• Anatomy
• Coloring Style
• Lineart
• Shading
• Character Design
• Themes

Some of these things aren’t as obvious to artists as parts of an art style as anatomy is, but they’re all just as important. So, I’ll give a quick rundown on what each of these mean.

The lineart, coloring, and shading process I did of this character

Anatomy refers to the chosen proportions of a particular subject matter. As I’ve previously stated, it’s the choices you make in how you draw figures. This is one of the most visible components of an artist’s style.

Coloring Style is another very visible part of an artist’s style, but many times it’s overlooked. While often discounted as part of an artist’s style, it plays a very big role. Choices in color have an effect on the tone and mood of the entire piece, and when you have a consistent color palette, the mood of your drawings becomes a part of your style.

Lineart is slightly a slightly less visible component of your art, but nonetheless important. Whether your art has bold lines or no lines at all, it has a massive effect on the feeling of your art. It’s more commonly recognized as a part of an artist’s style but not as commonly as anatomy is.

Shading is a more subtle piece of the puzzle, but very important regardless. Shading is how you introduce light and shadow in your art and heavily influences the emotions your art provokes, and when spanned across your pieces, it’s a really important part of your style that makes it recognizable.

Character Design is not typically recognized as a part of an artist’s style, but I find that it is. Everyone has a preference in what they draw, and each character an artist creates has similarities between them. These little things are an important part of your art style that makes it different than those around you.

Themes in art, while not very talked-about, is also something I find very important in an artist’s style. Every artist has a story to tell, whether it be something simple, something sad, or something that you love, it appears in your art. Things you believe and hold dear always sneak into your art, and that makes it an integral part of your style.

Now that we’ve established different parts of your style that make it unique to you, we can talk about how to find your style.

A drawing I did of my character Artemis

First, I have to make this clear:

You already have an art style.

Every artist has a style unique to them, no matter how similar it seems to someone else’s. Your style is yours. It’s how you draw. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t change your style.

A drawing I did of my character Fae

Look at Other Artists

Now, this doesn’t mean to copy the way another artist draws. You can’t draw like other people exactly, no matter how much you try. It won’t be authentic and will look like a knock-off. That’s not what you want in your art. It wouldn’t be truly you.

Instead, you should look at artists you like and pinpoint what you like about their art. It could be their color palette, mood, anatomy, etc. Then figure out what pieces you don’t like in your art. This will help you figure out what to and what not to include in your own art style.

Look at Life

When I say look at life, I don’t mean drawing realistically if that isn’t what you want to do. What I mean is to observe life and the things around you. Naturally occurring color pairings, how light reflects and shadows are cast, hard shadows and soft shadows, figure drawing, gesture drawing, all these things help when trying to further develop your style.

Looking at life helps you understand how it works so you can bend and break the rules of nature.

Change It Up

If you don’t like how your art looks or just want to change it, then experiment. Change one or all the different parts of your style. Switch up your color palette, change your linework, or shade differently.

Change the facial details of your characters if you draw people. Larger noses, smaller eyes, different ears, etc. Simplify your art. Make it more complex. Use pastels or neon colors. Maybe forgo colors entirely. Do something different.

Draw Consistently

Once you figure out how you want to draw a specific thing in your art, you can’t just assume you’ve got it locked down. Muscle memory is very important if you want to have a consistent style. To really have that become a part of your style, you have to draw it multiple times so it becomes part of your repertoire.

That doesn’t mean you have to draw over and over again all day. It simply means to draw it until it comes naturally to you, that way you draw that way subconsciously.

Have Fun

Art is, at the end of the day, supposed to be fun, whether you draw as a job or a hobby. Draw what you like. Don’t feel pressured to draw something in a completely original style. Art has been around for centuries. It’s impossible to be completely unique in your art. Some piece of your art will always bear a resemblance to someone else’s. But it’s the feelings and emotion you convey in your art that make it yours.

Your art is yours, no matter what it looks like. Have fun and draw. Your style will eventually find you.