Your drawing style is the hallmark that distinguishes your work from other artists and makes it unique. Unlike the technical skills that require you to be a good illustrator, your drawing style should relate to your personality and be a sign of your creativity. However, sometimes finding a personal style is not so easy. You'll need to extrapolate inspiration from other people's work, hone your skills, and add your own personality to stand out from other artists' work.
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Method 1 of 3: Finding Different Styles
Step 1. Find out about famous illustrators
Try researching famous artists past and present. By studying their work, you can determine how it developed the foundation for contemporary illustration. When researching the work of famous illustrators, you will need to:
- Learn how the work uses composition, color, and line to bring the work to life.
- Pick a favorite artist's colors and lines and try to imitate them using the same color and line style.
- Research the ingredients used and try to imitate the process using the same ingredients.
- Famous illustrators of the past include Jean André Castaigne, Edwin Austin Abbey, and Rose O'Neill. Some of the successful contemporary illustrators include Pat Perry, Dagna Majewska, and Mouni Feddag.
Step 2. Visit museums and art galleries
Visiting these two places will allow you to see other people's illustrations in person, and this is a very different experience than viewing pictures on the internet or in books. Search the internet for open art galleries near where you live. You may need to narrow down your search so you can find illustrators who use the medium or draw on the same subject as you.
- Pay attention to their styles and techniques and find things you like about other people's artwork.
- What you find directly may not be visible if you just look at photos, such as image textures.
Step 3. Purchase art books and graphic novels
Graphic novels tell stories using a series of pictures and text. Unlike comic books, graphic novels tell a complete and often complex story. Buy a graphic novel at a comic book store and take a look at the different drawing styles available. On the other hand, art books allow you to view various works of art from artists you respect in a textbook format. These books are great if you are unfamiliar with the artist's art or can't afford to visit museums.
- The main types of graphic novels include manga (Japanese comics), superhero stories, and nonfiction.
- Some of the most popular gravis novels include Uncle Scrooge (Uncle Scrooge), Persepolis, and Maus.
- Some of the popular contemporary art books include "Every Person in New York," "Beastly Verse," and "Beloved Dog."
Method 2 of 3: Developing Your Own Style
Step 1. Practice using various methods
Many mediums can open your eyes to new art styles and inspire your current one. If you always draw in only one medium, try switching to a style you rarely use. For example, if you're drawing using a pencil or pen, consider switching to pastels or charcoal. As you adjust your drawing technique, it can inspire your overall style.
You can also try other forms of art, such as sculpting or painting, if you feel stuck
Step 2. Draw using various techniques
Sometimes artists can get stuck using only certain techniques, and limit their body of work. For example, if you're too used to drawing in an anime style, this may discourage you from looking for something else to draw. Think outside the box and draw inspiration from the innovative artists around you.
- Other styles include photorealism, surrealism, abstract, and manga.
- If you always draw cartoons, try drawing something realistic.
- Drawing in a variety of styles can help hone your skills.
Step 3. Decide on the subject you want to draw the most
Every illustrator likes to draw different things. Some artists prefer to concentrate on the human body while others like to draw still life and landscapes. In addition, other illustrators like to draw architecture and some like to design clothing designs. Think about what you want to appear in your illustration and decide on a subject that is most meaningful to you.
Some artists are known for their love of drawing on certain subjects, such as Georgia O'Keeffe, known for her distinctive floral paintings
Step 4. Express yourself through pictures
Think of your favorite emotions and themes as you draw and try to translate them into works of art. For example, if you want to convey a dark emotion, you can express it by drawing on a serious subject, such as violence or a depressive event. Show your frustration with sharp, jagged lines. If you want a serene scene, use light colors and choose a subject that can inspire others.
- Try creating a faster concept work instead of obsessing over perfecting something if you're having trouble finishing the drawing.
- Try taking 30 seconds or less to draw something. Try to get the shape and idea of the subject, instead of drawing it in detail.
- Many artists stick with similar themes, colors, and drawing techniques that set them apart from other artists.
- If your inspiration is stifled, focus less on getting a unique style, and focus on bringing emotion to your work.
Step 5. Build your line style
Once you've determined the medium, subject, and topic to draw, it's time to visually differentiate yourself. Consider thickness and how you use line in your artwork. Ask yourself if you like bold lines or prefer more elaborate and detailed lines. In addition, also determine whether the line will be drawn short, long, and sharp, or smooth and long. Will your lines darken and highlight the outline of the image, or will color and detail be more important to your artwork?
- Vary your line widths across the image, but maintain a cohesive overall style.
- How you draw the outline will greatly affect your drawing style.
Step 6. Decide which color to use
As an illustrator, sometimes color plays a big role in bringing out the emotions and feelings of an image. Often, dark colors like dark blue and black can produce unpleasant feelings in an image, while lighter colors like yellow, red, and orange can trigger positive emotions. The intensity and method of application also change the outcome of your drawing significantly.
- Decide whether color will play a role in the image. Some artists prefer to draw in black and white.
- You may need to select the color of the image with paints, pastels, or color pens, or scan the image and perform color editing using software.
Method 3 of 3: Hone Skills
Step 1. Sign up for a drawing class to learn the basics
While one doesn't necessarily need a formal education to learn art, it will help you learn basic illustration techniques like shading, adding texture, and composition. Take a drawing or illustration class at your college or local tutoring center. Try researching the various courses on offer and choose the one that best suits your interests.
- Even if you've been self-taught for years, you may be able to learn something new and make friends with other illustrators who can provide feedback.
- Things to consider when looking for a class include class schedules and course fees.
- To complement the basic techniques that every illustrator should have, there are many more advanced techniques to learn such as etching, stipple, and crosshatching.
Step 2. Practice as often as possible and consistently
Doodling or drawing pictures to complete your school notes can help hone your skills. However, dedicated and concentrated practice allows you to improve your skills and technique rapidly. Set aside extra time each day to sit down and draw seriously to develop your new style. Determine your areas of weakness and practice drawing shapes that are still difficult for you to draw.
- For example, if you are good at drawing faces but not good at anatomy, spend some time drawing the human body until you become more proficient.
- Make sure that you are in an environment where you feel comfortable so that you can practice to your heart's content.
Step 3. Get feedback from teachers and other artists
Even if your style already feels unique to you, don't let it blind your ego and hinder your development. While art is highly subjective, there is much that can be done to improve technique regardless of experience. Have an open and honest conversation about your image and try to apply constructive suggestions.
- Many art classes have critique sessions, where other artists will comment on your work and discuss how you can improve yourself.
- Don't let other people's suggestions discourage you. Instead of being disappointed, check out the suggestions and consider how you can improve your artwork.
- You can say, “I won't be offended. I just want to know how to make my art look attractive to other people. Do you have any suggestions?”
Step 4. Be unique
Now that you've mastered the basics, it's a good idea to develop your own style that seems unique to you. Take inspiration from other artists, other styles, and other techniques and incorporate things you like. Don't just copy other artists. Try to make a work that is different from the others.
- For example, you can use dynamic colors from Matt Lyon and combine them with bold lines, Mattieu Bessundo's black and white style to come up with your own unique illustration style.
- Experimentation will give you results that can be incorporated in the style of your artwork.
