Finding Your Art Style: My Journey and Tips for Evolving Your Unique Creative Voice

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

Hey there, fellow artists!

One of the most frequently asked questions in the art community is, "How do I find my art style?". This seemingly elusive concept can be frustrating for beginner artists who are trying to carve out their unique creative voice. The truth is, finding an art style is a journey rather than a destination, and it continuously evolves as you grow as an artist.

Today, I want to share how I found my art style and how I keep working on improving it and provide some tips that can help you discover and refine yours.

2. Experiment Without Fixation

3. Understand the Role of Niche

4. Study the Fundamentals

I know, you've heard this advice many times, but unfortunately it is the truth. The foundation of finding your art style lies in consistent practice. Drawing daily, whether it’s small sketches or larger pieces, helps you explore different elements and techniques. Over time, you’ll notice certain patterns and preferences emerging in your work.

You might say, but I already draw daily and it is not working. It is because you are doing it wrong, and possibly lacking intent behind your art sessions. Here’s how to make the most of your practice:

1. Draw every day: Set aside time each day to draw. The more you create, the more you’ll discover about your preferences and tendencies. Try to make it into a habit, no matter if you are tired or busy, find 15 minutes in your day (possibly swap your evening social media doomscrolling for a creative session). Since you embarked on the journey of finding your art style, I'd believe you are planning to make more from it someday. developing discipline early on will help you to work on demand and deliver art pieces to your clients even on the days you don't feel inspired.

2. Explore different elements: Depending on how many pieces you have in your portfolio already, you might want to dedicate more or less time to this exercise. If you are a beginner, try to avoid limiting your art niches - experiment with various subjects, mediums, techniques, and topics. In the beginning, the goal is to find what kind of art comes to you naturally. Create a weekly drawing challenge for yourself, and try to practice different themes daily. You might have heard the saying 'You have to niche down' but do not worry about it at this point, you can always do it later on in your art journey.

   If you are a seasoned artist who's trying to refine your skill, this exercise is a great way to spice up your portfolio and break a creative block. Join a drawing challenge on social media that has interesting prompts, use an online topic randomizer, or as your audience for recommendations.

3. Analyze your work: Now, let's bring it all together. You've practiced drawing various themes daily for some time, and now is it time to see how can you define your art style from your portfolio. Look for recurring themes, shapes, colors, or ways you draw certain features. These commonalities are the building blocks of your unique style. Now take these elements, and start putting them together into another artwork. It might be that you like drawing cats, flowers, and dragons. Take these themes and put them into one illustration. You should already have a unique way of drawing each of these visuals (and if not, go back to practicing for a while longer).

   Repeat these steps until you're happy with the final illustration you create, and you can confidently replicate it over and over again. Congratulations, you now defined your art style - it is expressed in how thick the lines you draw, what color themes you repeatedly choose, and elements that are reoccurring in your gallery.

Let's talk more about the exploration stage of your art journey. One of the biggest mistakes artists make is fixating on finding their style, consequently limiting themselves and their creativity. Remember, your art style is not a static attribute but a dynamic aspect of your journey. Here’s how to keep evolving:

• Stay open to change: Allow your style to evolve naturally. Don’t be afraid to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. Trust me, it took years and years for your favorite artists to become who they are today.

• Avoid labels: Don’t pigeonhole yourself into a specific category too soon. Experimentation is key to discovering new facets of your artistic voice. You can always niche down, but it is much harder to stay creative when you feel obliged to stick with the same topic. In the beginning, enjoy the phase of freedom, play with your art, experiment, and give yourself space to discover new things.

• Enjoy the process: Focus on the joy of creation rather than the outcome. When you’re less concerned about the end result, you’re more likely to stumble upon unique aspects of your style. Sometimes you might have a vision of a final piece, but you are not able to create it yet. Do not get frustrated, rather go back to step one, start practicing daily, and improve your skills.

Your art style is often influenced by the niche you choose. The techniques and styles used to draw landscapes are different from those used to draw fantasy creatures. I know there is a lot of pressure to choose your topics early on in your art journey, as that is what most artists recommend, but I would argue the opposite. Do not constrain yourself in a niche, until you give yourself enough time and freedom to experiment. You might surprise yourself with how much you enjoy drawing puppies, while you were so convinced your niche has to be horror creatures.

When you are ready to narrow down, here are a couple of things you can do to align your style with your niche:

• Identify your interests: Reflect on the subjects and themes you enjoy drawing the most. Do you prefer illustrating characters, nature, abstract concepts, or something else?

• Study your niche: Look at artists within your chosen niche. What techniques and styles do they use? How can you incorporate or build upon these in your own work?

• Specialize gradually: As you discover the themes that resonate with you, start focusing more on those areas. Specialization can help you develop a more cohesive and recognizable style.

Understanding the fundamentals of art is crucial for developing a strong and versatile style. Learning the basics of anatomy, perspective, color theory, and composition forms the foundation of any good artwork.

Use online resources such as Skillshare and Domestika to find tutorials and courses on these subjects. When you practice, focus on specific fundamentals. Spend a week on perspective, another on color theory, and so on. This targeted approach can deepen your understanding and skill set, allowing you to apply these principles creatively in your work.

Finding your art style is a dynamic and ongoing journey. And yes, it does require a lot of practice and patience, but it is so worth it. By drawing consistently, embracing experimentation, studying the fundamentals, engaging in creative constraints, and aligning your work with your niche, you can discover and refine your unique artistic voice. Remember, your style will continue to evolve as you grow and explore new creative avenues. Enjoy the process, stay curious, and keep creating!

If you found these tips helpful and want more insights on developing your artistic journey, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter. Let's continue to inspire and support each other on this incredible artistic adventure!