how do you find your style?
By
BattleWraith,
Posted on: 2007-07-03 13:49 in Multi-Media Fan Creations
You find your 'style' but drawing a whole lot a lot of the time, I think. And don't be so quick to give up on realism, it takes time to get the hang of, and it's the base the support and the root of everything cartoony.
I think your style finds you is my honest answer , tho I can always see influences from those I admire in my own art .
Im sure someone can explain it much better than me but theres a number of folks here who's styles have grown and changed just on the short time I have been on these forums .
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You find your 'style' but drawing a whole lot a lot of the time, I think. And don't be so quick to give up on realism, it takes time to get the hang of, and it's the base the support and the root of everything cartoony.
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It's so true, and I wish I'd known it when I started.
When I started, I was just told that 'anime sucks' or 'you shouldn't draw cartoons'.
No one ever told me *WHY* - so by the time I got really serious; I'd become quite hardened to the idea of doing realism; and only recently has it been that I've realized how necessary it is.
Realism is the foundation of everything else - everything else is a distortion of it; sometimes a VERY COOL distortion, but a distortion nonetheless.
Thus, no matter what you wish to draw, its probably best to start off doing realism, you'll do yourself a big favor having a good foundation before tying yourself to a style.
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.
Agrees with the Shia , practice makes perfect 
at school I always draw in the margins of notes or in my rather expensive school books
when im doing temp office work I constantly sketch on post it notes
and I always draw while watching TV with my roommate
practice practice practice
I wanna add something else actually Gamma >.>
And *DO NOT* take this wrong.
I'll repeat *DO NOT BE OFFENDED BY THIS COMMENT*!! >.<
I think you also need to branch out your subject material just a bit too! Whilst erotica is a fantastic thing (and I do mean that - don't think I'm kidding), one should try for breadth in things.
Try for a more artsy pose now and again; or maybe fully clothed without a panty shot.
This is not me ragging on what you do >.< never that - merely that I think it would be good to branch out some and try new things.
<@.@> Just a thought!
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.
yeah thats true too Drawing unicorns with switch blades, ponies flashing gang signs and teddy bears hopped up on smirnoff was fun but it helps to try all sorts of different things .
household objects , friends, pets , that malnourished plant in the corner
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I wanna add something else actually Gamma >.>
And *DO NOT* take this wrong.
I'll repeat *DO NOT BE OFFENDED BY THIS COMMENT*!! >.<
I think you also need to branch out your subject material just a bit too! Whilst erotica is a fantastic thing (and I do mean that - don't think I'm kidding), one should try for breadth in things.
Try for a more artsy pose now and again; or maybe fully clothed without a panty shot.
This is not me ragging on what you do >.< never that - merely that I think it would be good to branch out some and try new things.
<@.@> Just a thought!
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I really agree
Variety is awesome, you simply wont get any better trying to draw the same poses over and over (And your hand tends to do that anyway when you arent using a reference picture).
Other then drawing different kinds of people with different builds and genders, you might also want to try mixing in drawing various backgrounds and people lending their weight to poses, relaxing in chairs, tensing to push against a wall. Backgrounds really do interact with a person/character and can have as much personality if not more than the character themselves.
Not that I'm saying I myself have gotten the hang of ANY of this :P But its been my general impression from a few of the better teachers I've had.
Realism is the basis for everything else. Once you're comfortable sketching reality, it becomes much, much easier to deviate from that norm into whatever style you wish.
This is true in music, as well, where before you write a rhapsody it's best to learn the scales, and practice tried (and trite?) but true pieces.
I find that 'your' style has a better chance of finding you while you're busy trying to master conventional depictions. You are creating the blank slate on which it can assert itself. Your style is the paint, and realism is the canvas.
I know I sounded very sure of myself in the above paragraphs, but I reserve the right to change my opinion at any moment. Chances are that tomorrow I'll believe something entirely different.
But in any case...
Before I was able to create a portrait in 'my style', such as this one: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/53466531/
I spent my time with very traditional pencil and charcoal sketches, such as this one: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/55476816/ (possibly NSFW)
Eventually the traditional bits just didn't satisfy me anymore, so I layered other more stylised things on top of them, bending rules to suit my taste - but always conscious of the rules.
(I cook the same way, too. I start out with a recipe, but then make it my own, and the end product is often scarcely recognizable as the original... latest creation? A slow-cooking vegetable stew that started life as a quick lentil ragout to serve over pasta.)
Edit: As for *practicing* realism... what worked for me was buying some soft art pencils, a sharpener, a good eraser, and a notebook of paper that was kind to smudging. (I love smudging pencil to do shadows/texture.) Then I'd sit down with a magazine that had an interesting photograph, and I'd sketch the photograph - not as I perceived it, but as I *saw* it. Instead of drawing 'an arm' or 'a hand', I'd draw 'a trapezoid in outline bordering a darker rectangle' or 'a curve intersected by a horizontal line'. I'd break down the image into its component shapes, in other words, and draw *those*, and the relationships between them.
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I see ultra-realistic and others that are more cartoony.
...
How do you find the style that works best for you?
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I'd suggest you simply trust in two innate skills: the coordination in your arm (shoulder-elbow-wrist-fingers-drawingtool), and the coordination in your mind (desire-imagination-perception-learning). Your style will generally come from a combination of what you want to think about and what kind of strength and precision your arm has to work with.
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I've been struggling with my art because I maybe I try to hard for realism and it comes out cartoony
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This sounds like: you want to draw realism, but can't quite keep the visual in your mind while you're pushing your arm around.
I find that it's common to focus on the target in mind up until the last second before the arm starts to draw the first line, and then the target blanks out of the mind while watching the line being drawn. You end up focusing on the line, how thick it is, how the curve is coming out, all the imperfections of the surface, how it cuts through the whitespace. The goal is completely out of mind over those few seconds.
It's coming out cartoony because you're effectively focusing only on the lines being drawn, and you're good at visualizing a couple of lines on a page into a cartoon. (This is actually a good thing, but it does severely undermine attempts at realism.)
How do you turn this around? Well, it requires a lot of willpower initially, and a lot of motivation to practice. You kind of have to reject the natural tendency to focus on the line being drawn, and continually reimpose the image of what you're aiming to draw in your mind.
Working on strengthening your arm is good too, because lessening any flaws it brings to the table will also lessen mental distractions.
Unfortunately, this kind of process is slow and frustrating because it's really hard to go against one's natural mentality. But if you want to draw any particular style, you have to be able to get those images into your head and to lock them in while you draw.
wow... you guys are going obi-wan on me here...lol
thanks seriously, there's some really good advice here
I will add to this. Your style will be what you like to look at in the first place. It could be mixes of various styles, you will take things you like from other styles and apply them. Sometimes they work, sometimes not.
Another factor is your technique. How you use your pencil will affect your lines and will cater to some styles better. Watch how artists, who's style you like, draw and mimic how if possible and you may find it easier to get that style.
The best thing though in my opinion is to draw every day. Even if you can only do it for 5 minutes. Try to draw something different every time, poses or objects. Looking at high quality art is very helpful. I find I draw better just after looking at a piece by Paul-Pierre Prud'hon or Michelangelo.
I think everyone's style is based on what they can incorporate into their beings and turn into visual masterpieces. After all, some people are best doing the Japanimation style, some excel with comic-like art, some perform beautifully with portraits... its all based on what each artist can bring into themselves and express artistically.
The more you create art, the more you find your style!
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Your style will be what you like to look at in the first place.
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I'll jump in and disagree with this. My style is NOT my favourite thing to look at. (Just take a look at my favourites in DA...)
Accept the unexpected. More often than not, what ends up on the page will bear little relation to the picture you had in your mind - that can be disappointing, but it can also be an opportunity.
As my second-grade art teacher told me, 'if you're trying to draw a bush, and it doesn't turn out right, then just turn it into a lion's mane.' (Though Gamma Girl taking that advice literally might lead to a rather grotesque result.)
I like my own pictures, yes, but part of the fun is that I never really know what I'll end up with until I'm done. I envy other artists who seem to be able to translate their thoughts to paper without much loss... but it's just as valid to be the the kind of artist that embraces accident.
Also, be aware, nothing you ever draw will look good to you... and even if it does, give it a week and it won't 
yeah artists are there own worst critics
Here is my advice (take from it what you want and discard the rest):
- Art is about expression. We all express things differently. Look inside you for what you want to express and then do your best to put it down (on canvase, paper, wood, or whatever).
- Try something new whenever possible. If you have never painted in watercolor, take a class on it. If you have never used acrylic paints, get some basic colors and try it. If you have never used nupastel, get some and scribble away. This way you have a multitude of options and you may find a medium that fits you like a glove that you may never have tried before.
- Learn to look very closely at objects. Learn to see the slight curves and variations in everything. Don't glance, take long involved looks (like at a lover). This will help you to understand the object and by undertsanding it you can draw it and manipulate it.
- Study an object and draw it while looking at it. Then draw the object again from memory. Repeat until you are happy with the memory results.
- Practice. Draw and paint whenever you have any free time. Keep a couple sketch books around for drawing and practice. Go back and look at what you have done in the past regularly to see your improvement and for inspiration.
- Get books about art and use them for reference and practice. Practice copying some of the great masters works and reading about their style. By doing what they did you can start to get more well rounded. And they don't call them "the great masters" for nothing.
- As you copy other works or during your practice you will begin to notice things that you like and don't like. You will notice things that you are good at and things that you struggle with. You will start to get a feel for *your* style. After you begin to get a feel for your style keep working at it to develop things that are unique to you and feel comfortable.
Art styles are not something to try and force yourself into, but rather it is the natural progression of your art. Do not try and force yourself to become a certain type of artist (unless that is really what you want to do), but rather let your experience guide you into what you are good at and feel good doing. But at the same time do not neglect other styles because being well rounded is a good thing and may actually help give direction to where you want to go with your art personally.
And good luck with it. I am still struggling with my style, but I feel that some things are slowly coming together for me.
P.S. I do not endorse people to copy and then sell works from other people. rather I suggest copying other works only for practice and to help understand how others work.
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My DeviantArt Page
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yeah artists are there own worst critics
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Here's to that!
Very few things I"ve drawn have ever looked good to me; one of the reasons I can be very pessimistic about my own art.
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.
well, I think the advice is helping because the last two pieces I've drawn (will scan and post later) are better than anything I've done so far. Maybe it's just in my head.
<^.^> Eager anticipation! Just keep at it! Never give up, and never say die! That's really the only requirement!
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.
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I'll jump in and disagree with this. My style is NOT my favourite thing to look at. (Just take a look at my favourites in DA...)
Accept the unexpected. More often than not, what ends up on the page will bear little relation to the picture you had in your mind - that can be disappointing, but it can also be an opportunity.
As my second-grade art teacher told me, 'if you're trying to draw a bush, and it doesn't turn out right, then just turn it into a lion's mane.' (Though Gamma Girl taking that advice literally might lead to a rather grotesque result.)
I like my own pictures, yes, but part of the fun is that I never really know what I'll end up with until I'm done. I envy other artists who seem to be able to translate their thoughts to paper without much loss... but it's just as valid to be the the kind of artist that embraces accident.
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Ugh... Let me rephrase then. You will see art you like and say, "I want to do art like that." You will try your best and eventually you will see your style gravitate towards it. People who like anime will draw anime. People who like classical will draw classical. People who like both will draw mutants in between. Just kidding.
The style will be there. The quality of it will take practice wether you draw exactly what you have in mind from start to finish or wing it.
As you go along you will learn tricks that you may like that will affect style too. Here are some that have affected me along the way...
Heads are upside down eggs. Eyes are almonds. Biceps are potatoes. Draw your hands and feet bigger than you want to. People only have two teeth (upper row, lower row) so draw each as one. Only women have eyelashes. Big pupils are for nice people, little for mean, and one big one small for crazy people.
Those are little tricks help make an aesthetically pleasing figure. However, remember they are only tricks and not rules.
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Also, be aware, nothing you ever draw will look good to you... and even if it does, give it a week and it won't
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Agh LIES LIES LIEEEEEEESSSSSS
*Goes to make more changes on previous art*
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I'd suggest you simply trust in two innate skills: the coordination in your arm (shoulder-elbow-wrist-fingers-drawingtool), and the coordination in your mind (desire-imagination-perception-learning). Your style will generally come from a combination of what you want to think about and what kind of strength and precision your arm has to work with.
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I think this is where part of my problem comes into play, mostly in part due to my Asperger's Syndrome I believe. This connection that most people share between these two, the body and mind doesn't work as it should with me. Even just speaking is problematic. I can say things very eloquently in my mind, but when I go to speak those words something gets lost between the mind and body (or somewhere between one part of the mind and another) and things come out worded entirely differently, awkwardly, slurred, sometimes stuttering.
It wasn't until recently that I noticed that this was happening with my art as well. I used to be really clumsy in gym but never took notice of it until I learned more about my Asperger's. I'm sort of surprised that I didn't make the connection with my artwork until recently as it's the same sort of thing.
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This sounds like: you want to draw realism, but can't quite keep the visual in your mind while you're pushing your arm around.
I find that it's common to focus on the target in mind up until the last second before the arm starts to draw the first line, and then the target blanks out of the mind while watching the line being drawn. You end up focusing on the line, how thick it is, how the curve is coming out, all the imperfections of the surface, how it cuts through the whitespace. The goal is completely out of mind over those few seconds.
It's coming out cartoony because you're effectively focusing only on the lines being drawn, and you're good at visualizing a couple of lines on a page into a cartoon. (This is actually a good thing, but it does severely undermine attempts at realism.)
How do you turn this around? Well, it requires a lot of willpower initially, and a lot of motivation to practice. You kind of have to reject the natural tendency to focus on the line being drawn, and continually reimpose the image of what you're aiming to draw in your mind.
Working on strengthening your arm is good too, because lessening any flaws it brings to the table will also lessen mental distractions.
Unfortunately, this kind of process is slow and frustrating because it's really hard to go against one's natural mentality. But if you want to draw any particular style, you have to be able to get those images into your head and to lock them in while you draw.
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I think that this most explains why I am having such a hard time with my art. My art has simply been just an application and evolution of lines on paper. I haven't been able to keep an image in my mind for very long while drawing. As soon as I begin drawing that image is lost and it's simply become mad scribbling to assemble anything that looks good, whether it looks anything like my initial concept or not. I wonder if this is due in part to the ADHD facet of my Asperger's or some other aspect?
I'm still learning to focus on one thing at a time and not let my mind spaz from one thing to the next. Is there anything I can do to help me maintain a mental image long enough to get it down on paper? Should I also try developing my skills outside of this practice so that I at least have some foundation skills to work with while trying to get my mental image down on paper/canvas?
As it is it's become very frustrating to draw. I get very apprehensive even just thinking of drawing again. My practice became less and less over time until it became non-existent and trying to start up again fills me with wave after wave of anxiety. I'm just noticing as I type that it seems like my mind is running on hyperdrive while my body seems only capable of running at impulse. It's like my mind is much to fast for my body to cope with. I'm finding this very frustrating, watching s the imagery in my mind evolves at amazing speeds and as the evolution of my ability to express myself not only fails to keep up but seems to be burning out and failing.
Is there anyone out there that knows of anything that might help me escape this metal trap I seem to have caught myself in and find a way that I can begin expressing myself again? I don't know if I'm ready yet to simply dive right into to the practice, practice, practice method of things at this point in time in my life. If there isn't anything that I can do in the meantime I think that I'm going to go insane as this mountain of creativity wells up inside of me without any way to express it. It feels like it's eating away at my insides, much like when people hold their anger in rather than let it out in some constructive manner. To think that creativity could be so destructive to oneself.
My style found me and is continuously changing. I keep finding more ways to modify the style and morph it to my mood. We're still getting acquainted. Its like a courtship!
Someday, I hope to get some action from it...
I started drawing realism in college when I took life drawing classes. Real life intervened, and I never finished the class. In fact, I walked away from drawing for a long time. When I came back, it was because some friends were looking for anime-style art to go with a story they were writing.
I thought it looked easy. It was anything but. I struggled with anime for a while before moving back to basics (one of the critiques I had of one of my pieces suggested getting a basic anatomy book, or a nude figures book...I got two. And practiced a lot. Another person suggested getting Victoria's Secrets catalogs and practicing. I did that as well)
My style? It's hybrid. I don't do realism, I don't do anime, I don't do cartoony. It's a blend between, and it's mine. I cite Doug Shuler, Deacon Black, Royo, Lindsey and Jared (Cutepet) and Sorayama as influences in my art (all for different reasons), but don't draw like any of them. Although to my eye, I can look at some pieces I've done and say: This is because of this artist, this is because of that artist.
I use photoreference on a great many of my pictures. Those that I don't have a stock photo for, I pose Wyld. Some of what I've been working on lately is more realistic...and I sketch him live for that (usually when he's sleeping. I can stare at him for long periods of time and draw what I see...usually the interplay of shadows and light rather than forms in this case.)
Also, check out different tutorials. I've probably got a few dozen different books on How To draw various styles, and even more online that I've downloaded or sites that I've bookmarked and gone to. Try drawing in someone else's style. Chances are you're not going to like it, but there's also a good chance that you might find something of value that you can incorporate into your drawing style and technique.
It takes a long time to develop a style you're comfortable with, and it will keep evolving as long as you keep learning.
And as others have suggested, draw EVERY day. Even if it's only for a few minutes. One of the earliest people that influenced my work suggested trying to draw a figure a day. Even if it was only a stick figure, since stick figures were the basis for his work (he built his up from a basic stick pose).
Art (NSFW)
Photography
looking at the all the wonderful art work in this forum I see a lot of different styles. I see ultra-realistic and others that are more cartoony. But they're all great pieces. How do you find the style that works best for you? I've been struggling with my art because I maybe I try to hard for realism and it comes out cartoony to the point of looking like a child drew it. If I went for cartoony to start with, maybe that would be better? I dunno...