How to develop your Art Style (Patreon)

An art style is your recognizable way of drawing — a way that tells the viewers that a piece of art is yours. It’s like your artistic fingerprint.

Your style can consist of the subjects you draw, whether you draw realistically, abstractly, or something in between. It can also be about the medium and color palette you use and what message (if any) you convey with your art.

If you want to work in the art industry for example as a children's book illustrator or surface designer you kinda need an art style so that your clients have an idea of what they can expect to get when they decide to work with you.

You don´t have to stick to one art style! A lot of artists have two or even three. For example, Teagan White has an art style for children's book illustration that is very cute and then another art style that is more realistic and I would say a bit vintage and darker. (I would definitely recommend having separate social media accounts if you want to develop such different art styles)

Here are some of my tips to help you

Develop your unique Art Style!

1. Experiment with different mediums

Try to experiment with a variety of mediums such as pencils, paints, or digital tools. This will help you find the medium that suits you the most, brings you the most joy, and can also be helpful in discovering new techniques.

At the beginning of taking my art journey seriously, around 6 years ago, when I thought I want to be a children's book illustrator and nothing else, I was very into watercolor. But then very quickly switched to colored pencils and oil pastels. I also created a lot with markers back then. During this time I also had a drawing tablet without a screen that I used with Photoshop. These were my years of experimenting with different mediums and where I hadn´t my own art style yet. I was enjoying digital art a lot and also still liked the style of colored pencil art the most after some years of focusing on my art but I wasn´t happy with my digital illustrations as it was very hard for me to use a drawing tablet without an implemented screen.

Then when I moved here I was still drawing mostly with colored pencils but this was also the time when I got my first iPad. 

And this changed everything for me! I tried to create a colored pencils look digitally on my iPad and it was sooooo much fun to finally be able to draw digitally directly on a screen. Now that I finally found my favorite way of drawing - digitally in a colored pencil look - I also slowly developed my own drawing style :)

But of course, developing your art style is not only experimenting.... 

2. Look for inspiration

Observe the works of other artists and find out what you like about them. You can also look for inspiration in nature, your surroundings, or even other forms of art.

I very liked the way of finding things that I like about other artists' art and combining them to create something new back then when I was practicing art to become a children's book illustrator. 

Write down the elements that you like about each piece and think about how you could incorporate some into your own work. This doesn’t mean literally copying them, though some people like to do this as an exercise (I also loved doing that in the beginning!). Instead, it means taking ideas from several different sources and combining them into your own work.

3. Practice regularly

Regular practice can help you refine your skills and develop your own unique style. Set aside some time each day or week to practice your art. 

Try to at least sketch EVERY DAY!

For example, I developed the "style" of my foxes and how they look now over the last three years of drawing them nearly every day. 

And when you look at my bears, they still look different in every drawing because I don´t draw them often enough and I´m never happy with how they look so I always try to change something about them.

When you draw an animal every day you will quickly realize how it gets easier and easier for you to remember how to draw that animal and you will start to draw parts of its body the same every time to pick up your pen. 

And this is how your style starts to develop with practicing and will always develop further during your art career! :)

4. Be open to feedback!

Feedback from other artists or even non-artists can help you grow and refine your art style. Listen to feedback with an open mind.

Artists that are further ahead of you in their art journey may quickly be able to spot where your illustration isn’t quite working.

5. Find your niche

Identify the type of art that you enjoy creating the most and try to develop your style around it. This can help you create a unique style that stands out in the art world. 

Maybe you enjoy creating kawaii art the most or vintage art? Try to narrow that down!

What is it you like about this type of art? The colors because they are pastels or dark and moody? Do you like it because it´s outlined or because it's soft?

Finding your niche and type of art also depends on your personal preferences and your aesthetic.

6. Give yourself time

Remember, developing your own art style takes time and effort. Don't be afraid to try new things and make mistakes along the way. With persistence and dedication, you can develop an art style that is uniquely yours!

When I think of myself I was also drawing my whole life (of course with some breaks in between when I was a teenager and later on) and I´m 31 now. And I can say that I found my style somewhere in the last 3 years. So it took very very long for me. Five years ago I thought that I would never find my style and was disappointed with my art very often but not giving up finally brought me to my style and back to the love of creating :) 

I really hope this will help you to find your very own art style! 

If you have any questions please write me a message or share your question in our Discord channel :)

I wish you a lovely day/evening!

💛💛💛