I get asked a lot about how to develop an art style, so I decided to make this into a proper post that won’t disappear after a day like with Instagram stories lol

I would also like to preface this blog post with the fact that this information is not exactly going to work for everyone. Everyone will have their own way of creating art in terms of what works best and what doesn’t, so I really can only share my experience with digital art, so that you can form your own approach and use it as a reference :) I also don’t want to give a simple answer of “here are my inspirations and the exact specific things I do, take this so you can also make art that looks like this”, and rather offer some perspective about how to have a healthier work ethic around art style and progression in general. Not that I’m always in a healthy head-space around it either but… y’know...

As I general rule I follow, don’t create art with the set goal of it looking a certain way. You can have ideas, concepts and images in your head, but the style itself will develop alongside you as you grow as an artist, and it will never be a consistent thing either. If it becomes consistent, in the long term you won’t keep growing. And also having patience, which is the hardest part for me lolol

A couple of things I always keep in mind:

I will explain more below!

It can feel rough sometimes being an artist who posts on social media and having eyes on your work (whether you’re a big or small artist, it’s easy to start worrying about judgement). But I have to remember that posting art online is a conscious choice I make, and that I don’t have to post every single thing that I do, and no one is staring down my back watching me draw either. Once I remove the idea of judgement from my head, whether it’s about the quality, content, technique, etc., it’s easier to express my thoughts clearly through art and experiment with something new, and neither do I feel guilty or weird about it. I think that fear of judgement can really be a mental block to letting yourself develop further, and also not just for art either.

The point I’m making here also extends to the concept of adapting and taking inspiration from existing art and styles into your art, as I feel so many people worry about the perception from others and/or catch themselves up on trying to create something unique and extremely personal to them. It can be hard to move past that when art IS inherently personal, but at this point in time nothing is entirely unique any more, and there is no shame in incorporating parts of existing artistic influences and styles into your own. Art is supposed to be an amalgamation of the things that make you – YOU. This includes the things you’re interested in, like art. You have to let it shine through and wear your inspirations openly and proudly rather than trying to hide it.

(Small disclaimer, that directly ripping off artists via tracing, stealing/copying art and others characters and stories doesn’t apply to this. You can take inspiration without being a thief lol).

This might also be a hot take, but I think the general online space for artists has fostered a very isolating view of art, in terms of people ‘owning’ concepts like poses, colours, art styles, and subject matter. It creates an environment where people are scared to share, worried about making art that they truly like, with the fear of a call-out post hanging over their head. It does not help that social media itself puts pressure on artists to perform well, in a specific way, as well as consistently posting at the same time. All that to say, that I think finding a community, whether it’s big or small, offline or online, that uplifts you personally and your expression, can do so much for self assurance and confidence.

Kind of relating back to the point of “don’t create art with the set goal of it looking a certain way”, I always try and go into every drawing not expecting anything, with no end goal. This is more personal to me, but if I have a finished image in my head, I will never achieve how ‘perfect’ it looks in my mind, and I’ll get frustrated and discouraged. Maybe I know that I want to draw a specific character or idea, but any more than that, it gets overwhelming to meet that ‘criteria’. So I just try to keep it open, and see how it will manifest as I go.

And finally the most important for me, is actually enjoying the process of making art and experimenting. You have to push outside of your comfort zone in some kind of way to keep going forward, otherwise it is easy to stagnate. But you can make this fun, try out a technique you’ve always wanted to try, try replicating art you like, try a different form of art, etc. I remember being a child and pre-teen just drawing from the Warrior Cats illustrations, panels from manga and the like, and just having fun with it. It’s a foundational block to my art. And while there is truth that drawing consistently will help you improve and develop, I really also only draw when I’m actually feeling motivated to do so and enjoying it. So that means not pushing myself when I’m in a creative rut, but then committing to come back when I have a clearer mind and better outlook. When I force myself to draw, I start really picking apart everything and it sucks away the passion and fun, which makes everything feel like a chore.

Basically what I’m saying is, don’t put pressure on yourself, whether that is pressure to preform well, or pressure to achieve something specific. Give yourself time, grace and patience, and just actively enjoy the process of creating art. Development will come naturally the longer you stick with it, so make the long, never-ending journey a good one.

Thank you for reading this far, and I hope it was useful to someone out there :)

Widget is loading comments...