Growing Artist #1 | The Importance Of Your Art Style
Recently I've been struggling with my artistic identity. I don't really know what type of art I should make or what techniques I should use to make my art unique.
But with this struggle, a thought came into mind.
Have you ever wondered what makes an artist unique?
I mean, there are millions of artists all around the globe, and still, each one is different and unique.
No artist will ever be capable of creating the exact same artwork as another one.
That's because of each individual's art style. That's what makes each artist unique.
Having a defined art style means having a strong brand and presence in a crowded industry.
It creates a connection between your work and your audience.
People then start to follow you not only because of the subject of your art but because of the way you create it.
So now that you understand the importance of having your art style, how the hell do you find yours?
I believe each person finds their art style in their own way. There's no such thing as a magic formula.
But here are some tips that can help you in your journey ( as they helped me in mine ).
1) Study your favorite artists
Usually, your favorite artists have art styles that connect with you in some way or another. They're the artists you should make studies from.
Make studies of their work and try to implement some of the parts of their styles into your own and see what fits.
This practice will provide you with insights into which path you should follow.
Keep in mind that it's a good idea to have at least two favorite artists to make studies from.
If you only implement elements from one artist's style, your work will be a copy of theirs.
2) Experiment, then niche down
To know what art styles you resonate with, first, you have to discover the ones you don't.
Trying out and experimenting with new art styles is a great way of filtering which ones are for you and which ones are not. Try making art with photos, new brushes, and new themes, and see what connects with you most.
After testing enough styles, it's time to niche down and pick only a few to keep and implement into your unique art style.
3 ) Don't stress about it
While finding your art style is important, it's equally important not to stress out too much about it.
Instead of focusing only on discovering your artistic voice, enjoy the ride and let things flow. Once you do this, your style will come naturally.
Just keep on creating.
Week Highlights
Growing artists - For those who like the emails from Growing artists, you might have noticed that there was no emails for the past few weeks. That's because I was redesigning the newsletter to ( hopefully ) provide more value to you, fellow reader. This is pretty much a fresh start.
Photobashing - Lately, I've been messing around a lot with photobashing and matte painting. It's refreshing to create art through different techniques. Using images is super fun and can speed up the process quite a bit.
Video - Self Doubt. This video is from one of my favorite artists and creators, Adam Duff. I've always loved how Adam discuss topics that almost every artist can relate to, yet so few actually talk about it. Struggles with self doubt is a constant thing artists face, and this video helps to understand the topic a lot.
My Links
Super Cool Brushes - The collection of brushes that I use in my artwork.