Developing your own style

How to develop a style:

1. Follow your gut. Experiment a lot. Draw, paint, color the stuff YOU like in the way YOU like it.

2. Mimic other artists you’re fond of. Try to do what they do in your own way.

3. Hone your understanding of fundamentals. Learn the basics that underlie all artistic expression. How shape, form, light and shadow work, why colors work, steady and confident lines, and how to capture different kinetic energy.

4. Mash all of that together. Become an imitator of dozens of styles with a confident mastery of fundamental skills, and splice in a little of your own expression you’ve discovered along the way.

An artist doesn’t start out with a “style”. It’s not something you can force. It’s something you DISCOVER when you’ve worked at your craft long enough to know what you like and don’t like, and what your mental and physical mechanics create.

Being an artist is a life long pursuit. Your “style” will evolve over the years. But it won’t become recognizable as YOURS for a while. So be patient… it’s coming.