Finding my Drawing style?

[Urwen Starial]

How on earth am I ever supposed to find the style that is mine? I try drawing in many different styles, but how can I find my style? The one that I’m comfortable using/use all the time?

Tagging others who might be able to help.

@the-fledgling-artist @chalice @mayacat @esmeralda-gramilton

@anyone else I forgot or who can offer advice.

“Tears sparkle like fallen stars, the world at our fingertips, We didn’t know, It wasn't happiness.

[Esmeralda Gramilton]

@urwen-starial

I don’t think ‘finding’ is the right word here. I would use ‘recognizing’.

Your style is just consistency to your drawings, whether you’re free-handing or using a reference.

And it’s perfectly okay to have more than one style. I know you like both manga/anime and real-life drawings, and you definitely don’t have to pick one or the other. The fact remains that your real-life drawings look a certain way and so do your manga characters.

I’ve actually noticed that your free-hands look like a bit of both. I love that style, and you do a great job with it.

While categorizing styles helps keep everything organized, there isn’t this-many styles and no drawing steps outside the line, either. Styles can be completely mixed, and sometimes a style is a style because it isn’t consistently a traditional style.

And even when the way you draw something varies, your style is just how it looks in the end, unique to you.

These are just my personal thoughts, really, but I hope it helps.

I wonder what I was thinking whenever I re-read my old, well-loved stories

[Chalice]

@urwen-starial, Hmm, this is a good, question. I agree with @esmeralda-gramilton.

I would say, you don’t need to have only one style that you use all the time. Art is a form of communication, and one style won’t always cover all the things that you want to communicate.

That being said, you should have a style. Something that differentiates your art from everyone else’s. As for finding it… *shrugs* 😬 I don’t know if I’m really qualified to answer this. But here are my thoughts. An artist’s style is kind of like a writer’s voice. Sometimes you just need to draw… and draw…. and draw to find it (or recognize it). But it shouldn’t be something you’re worrying about all the time, either. Like “Do I have a style?” or “What if my style isn’t as ‘good’ or ‘strong’ as other peoples?” Chances are, if you’ve been drawing for a while you already do have a style. So don’t stress it. Just have fun with your art.

(Of course, take all this with a grain of salt. This is just my humble, conjumbled opinion. 😉)

ENFP-T/Artist/Writer/Musician
“Creativity takes courage” -Henri Matisse

[The Fledgling Artist]

This can be an interesting question. Because I think people look the topic from several different angles. Idunno if my personal angle will resonate with you any more than anyone else’ but here it is anyway.

Personally, I see art styles as being a lot like a person’s handwriting. You might not think you have an art style, or you might think yours is boring or obvious/unexciting, just like someone might not think there’s anything significant or special about their handwriting.

I don’t think there’s ever any reason to stress over ‘finding’ a drawing style because it’s already there. I see art style as a combination of personal interests, personal aesthetic preferences, and skill. Those first two are already present in everyone so that just leaves skill. If you’re feeling like you don’t have an art style, it could just be that your skill isn’t developed enough for your style to be obvious. My best advice is don’t stress and keep practicing. C:

"Though I'm not yet who I will be, I'm no longer who I was."

[Author]

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