Art is a vast subject. There are, I imagine, endless topics to cover; such as painting, sketching, techniques, tools, you name it. But for my first article in this blog, I thought it'd be fitting to talk about this widely confusing topic: finding your art style.
If you're either :
- a confused artist pondering whether to go for a cartooney, anime or realistic art style (or a mix of those),
- an aspiring manga/comic artist, or
- an aspiring freelance illustrator,
friend, this article is for you.
Without further ado,
Art Style?
If you're an artist, you probably already know what I mean. Every artist has their own art style, because God created every single human distinct from the rest: each reasons, feels, and does things in different ways; we're also drawn to different things due to factors like personality, likes, dislikes, and the above. Drawing, consequently, is not excluded.
The way you draw hair, eyes, noses, and facial expressions reveal something: not only how potentially professional you are of an artist, but also your personality--which makes your drawings set apart from other drawings, and that is totally significant, especially if you're a comic artist/illustrator. God has made you unique, and that includes your art style!
Okay, what's my art style then?
That's for you to figure out, my friend! Tis an adventure to discover one's style. but I will give you these simple yet fundamental tips:
Step 1, master drawing realism.Step 2, master drawing realism.Step 3, master drawing realism.
Okay, just kidding since I really do have a legitimate second step. But I'm trying to emphasize mastering realism. I too, have made the mistake of rushing the process and immediately adopting my own art style without first mastering this. Now of course you don't have to first be Leonardo Da Vinci then make an art style, that's not what I mean. We never do get to the point where we stop learning how to draw anatomy or anything really; we're not God, and we cannot achieve perfection. However, the point remains that if you want to make the best version of your art style, you need to know beyond just the basics if you want your art to thrive or say, make masterful comics. You need to really know realism like the back of your hand.
(May I suggest books to read on anatomy/realism? I'll mention the books at the end of this article).
You're probably wondering, 'why realism though?'
See, I discovered a month ago from my illustration lecturer (Yep. I'm no beginner but I'm no master yet either, hehe) that you need a foundation first. If you're drawn to semi-realism/cartoon/anime/etc, then you need proper understanding of what real humans look like. Once you master, for example, why muscles/specific bone structures create specific expressions; or what eyes, noses, or lips look realistically, then you most definitely will have a more professional art style, and consequently, higher quality art.
Second Step: Get Designing.
This, is my legitimate second step: after you've mastered realism and have sufficient understanding of what realistic humans (etc) look like, design your own art style! Of course, it's harder than it sounds because the first step alone takes years to be able to say "I have mastered realism". But the second step is the easy part after you achieve the first one. Now that you know what real eyes look like (and you probably have encountered along the months and years which eye styles you're drawn to and the ones you're not), simply find inspiration from your favorite artists, what their eye styles look like. Pinterest/Instagram is a good place to hunt.
Bottom Line.
Get good at realism (That alone my friend, is worth tens of articles). Devour lots of books on the human body/whatever art style (anime, for example) you're interested in since the start. Study and observe people in daily life, draw a lot, have lots of references from other artists (Pinterest is a good place to start), and DRAW.
And God-willing, you'll have the best version of your art style.
Oops, forgot the disclaimer--remember, this is all my opinion on how to maximize the quality of your art style and save yourself a lot of frustration and changing art styles back and forth along the way. If you have different methods of making a good art style, go for it. Like I said earlier, this blog is called "Voyage" for a reason, I'm simply sharing what my experiences have been, so far.
3 years, 7 years from now I may or may not have a different opinion. we shall see. ;)
(P.S if I do have a different opinion, I'll make sure to share it with y'all!)
Till then, I hope this article provided a reliable guideline for you, that I'm hoping will prove to be most accurate and useful. Be blessed, friends! Thanks for reading :)
**Recommended Books on Drawing (that I'm reading now too!) :
- Andrew Loomis "Drawing the Head & Hands"
- Andrew Loomis "Figure Drawing For All It's Worth"
- James Gurney "Color & Light"
- Marina Fridman "The Elements of Realistic Drawing"
