How to Be a Creative Chameleon Without Getting Stuck
Artist Oliver Sin reflects on the benefits and perils of having a signature style
After collaborating with UK-based artist Oliver Sin on an animation commission for #ConnectedByLemonade, we asked him how his style has evolved over the years—and how that has affected his professional career.
When you were starting out, what was your art style like?
When I first started dabbling in digital, I used to create a lot of trendy vector art. It was either very cartoony, with bold colors, or the total opposite end of the scale: Think vector realism. It was quite a cringe-y phase I went through, but I like to believe it helped me understand Adobe Illustrator a whole lot better.
Early on, would you say that you leaned very heavily on your influences, trying to emulate the styles of other artists?
Absolutely! My first few years in the industry I found myself quite lost when I was left to my own devices, so I used to trawl through so many different reference and inspirational sites to help spark ideas.
It was great in some ways, but I found myself subconsciously influenced to the point where some of my work ended up looking a lot like what was on trend at the time.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with taking inspiration from people you admire but it’s always best to use their ideas as a platform for you to create your own unique piece.
At what point did you stop and think, ‘It’s about time that I developed my own recognizable, signature style — something that people will see and know is Oliver Sin’?
It must have been about 3 years ago. I was hitting a bit of a creative brick wall, lacked confidence in my own work. I noticed that I was jumping around from one style to another, over and over again, and not really having one that I could actually classify as ‘my own.’
This was mainly due to a lot of my clients wanting me to be adaptable, depending on the project. This seems to be more the case with animation work than illustration. I decided that it was time for me to focus more on my illustration style and develop an identity for myself.
Are there any downsides to having a set style like that — in the sense that it can be hard to experiment, or try new things, especially when clients have very specific expectations based on your past work?
There’s always a fear that I would discourage some clients from wanting to hire me if I wasn’t flexible enough with my style… but the past year has shown that it only opens more doors, and I’m winning the projects that are more ‘me’.
This isn’t saying that I don’t still experiment with other styles, as I’m still hired to work in other styles. I think that will always be the nature of my work when it comes to animation. Being adaptable is still necessary, and for now, I’ll have to be as flexible as possible to make a living.
Could you ever see yourself making a major stylistic shift again, completely abandoning the type of work you make now in favor of something new and unexpected?
Anything is possible. I didn’t ever think I’d have a ‘style’ to go by, but here we are now. It’s natural to end up changing the way you work is over time. Who knows… In the future I may need to evolve and adapt—so I can win work, and also just keep things feeling fresh.
For more of Oliver Sin’s work, click here! And don’t forget to dig into other art and creativity content at #FF0083.
