Art College Crash Course, Lesson 4: The Truth About "Finding Your Style"
Or: why your first 500 drawings look like Disney characters, and why that's fine.
"What's your artistic voice?" "Develop your own style." Every art student hears this. Nobody explains how.
Here's the secret: you don't find your style. You build it, by copying, mixing and drawing a lot.
How style really happens
You copy the artists you love.
You feel guilty that you're copying.
You realize every artist started by copying.
Your favorite influences start mixing together.
That mix, plus your own taste, becomes your style.
The four stages of style
Stage 1: The Copycat. Your characters look a lot like Disney, Miyazaki or your favorite anime. That's normal. REAL: many master artists learned by copying the work of the masters before them. It's how hands learn.
Stage 2: Trying too hard. You force yourself to be "different." You draw with your other hand. You try every art movement at once. Some experiments help. Most just teach you what you don't like, and that's useful too.
Stage 3: Just drawing. You stop worrying and draw what's fun. This is when your style shows up, because you're making choices without thinking about them.
Stage 4: Always changing. Your style keeps growing your whole life. Any artist who says their style is "finished" isn't telling you the whole story.
Copying vs. stealing
Copying to learn is great. Studying how an artist draws hands or eyes is how you improve.
Posting someone else's work as your own, or selling a copy, is not okay. Learn from it. Give credit. Then make your own.
Your style recipe
Think of style like a recipe. Take: - Two or three artists you love - Something you're interested in that isn't art (bugs, cars, cooking, history, sports) - The way you naturally draw when you're not trying
Mix. That's your style.
Try this
Pick three artists you love.
Draw the same simple character (a cat, a robot, a kid) in each artist's style.
Now draw it a fourth time, mixing your favorite parts of all three.
That fourth drawing is the start of your style.
Up next
Lesson 5: Networking. Why your classmates are your future coworkers.
Who was the first artist you tried to copy? Tell us in the comments.
The revolution will not be graded.
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