7 Ways to Successfully Develop Your Art or Illustration Style
It can be hard to make our voices heard over an ocean of noise – a planet full of other artists and creatives and every one of them busy hustling and making their mark. It can often feel overwhelming – “What can I offer the world that hasn’t been made, seen or heard?” but I’ll tell you what you can offer the world – you can offer your unique perspective, a way of seeing things that nobody else does, expressing your vision in a way that nobody else can. Art is about exploring the world around you and then reacting to it.
Today, I’m sharing with you a few self made rules that I’ve been following over the last few months to aid my own story telling – to share my own unique perspective of the world. Have a notepad to hand for any ideas that may come flooding in as you’re reading.
1. Recognise the Myth of the “One True Style”
Style isn’t a fixed destination, it’s a living, evolving thing. We are human, with fickle interests and fleeting fancies, constantly reacting to the world around us. Our passions change and morph as we journey through life. As we get older, our perspective changes, as do our opinions and beliefs as we gather more information, collect experiences and meet new people. Often our search for meaning and connection deepens. Many artists have several style streams and that’s a completely healthy way to work as different styles will attract different audiences, so don’t box yourself in if there a few styles you feel drawn to.
2. Identify Your Natural Tendencies
What shapes, motifs, textures, mediums or subjects do you return to again and again? If you’re unsure, a good place to start is to create a folder of images or a Pinterest board. Create a fresh board and start saving images and colour palettes that resonate with you but try not to over think it or get too bogged down with gathering the ‘perfect’ imagery. Just keep saving or pinning anything you feel an instant connection with. Once you’ve collected a decent amount of images, take a step back and look at your collection or board as a whole. Can you see any themes emerging from your curated images? It could be the same colours popping up over and over, or particular elements and motifs. What story have you conjured up through your mood board?
3. Follow the Threads of Your Inspirations
Trace influences back to what you actually respond to – to colour palettes, pattern, mood and narrative. Once you can see a pattern emerging from your Pinterest board or mood board, have a think about what it is that draws you to it so much. Does it evoke a kind of nostalgia for a time gone by, or a certain emotion or story? Use that emotive connection to dive deeper into the kinds of themes you’d like to explore.
Now is a good time just to remind you of the difference between inspiration vs imitation. Of course it’s okay to be inspired and influenced by another artists but do not be tempted to imitate them. Let their chosen mediums, their colour palette or a theme inspire you, but then go and research those elements away from the influence of that particular artist to figure out why it is that those elements resonate with you so much. Once you’ve followed those threads, you’ll be equipped to start creating your own unique style, instead of taking from another artist. Remember that the world needs to see your unique response to the world, not a copy of someone else’s.
Saying all of that. I’ve had a few experiences in the past of being on the precipice of showing off a new design or piece of artwork, only to find that somebody has done something similar and has gotten there before me. It makes me cringe as I’m thinking to myself “What if that person thinks I’ve copied them?”, but I make myself get over it. If that happens, it’s very temping to retreat back into your shell and hide your work away, but don’t. Show it anyway. There are billions of creative people out there, so sharing the same ideas with another human is inevitable.
4. Make More Art Than You Think You Need
Style emerges from volume so keep on creating and stop overthinking what you’re making. Art isn’t about the finished product. Of course we want to end up with a beautiful finished piece that we can sell and make money from, but it takes a little patience to reach that point. I used to run my own small homeware business up until recently and I got into a horrible habit where everything I designed or created had to have a purpose. Before I even sat down, I’d have a product in mind for the artwork, caring only whether my audience would connect to it, and that way of working boxed me in and stifled my true creativity. I was wearing blinkers, constantly unaware of the evolutionary opportunities flying right by. I told myself I didn’t have time for the whimsical practice of making art just for art’s sake, and it stopped me from evolving as an artist, and I lost my mojo very quickly without even realising why.
Evolution comes from repetition, not over thinking. Keep creating, keep making, over and over. Fail, succeed, tear it up up, cry, laugh, howl, be proud, show it off, don’t show it off, just keep on making. Don’t stop just because you didn't like the last couple of pieces you did. Dust yourself off and move on. You probably won’t like the next piece you make either but the chances are it will still be better than the piece you made before. Being a good artist is hard, but you will get there.
5. Set Creative Constraints to Speed up Style Development
I hate following rules, but for an artist, they actually sharpen your creative voice rather than limiting it. Limited palettes, consistent line weights, specific brushes, repeating motifs or thematic boundaries. I'm quite strict with my creative constraints. I stick to a particular colour palette that I really love and I mostly use the same set of brushes for my digital paintings. It’s taken me years to find the tools I really love to use. When I started illustrating, I’d often create nice images but was never truly happy with the line or fill quality so it’s taken lots of work and experimentation to discover the brushes and textures that work for me, and now I’ve found them I use them all the time to create consistency throughout my work. There are some exceptions. Sometimes I'm working on a piece that requires a different finish or style of brush, but I’ll continue to use the same colour palette and themes as my other work, so it still feels consistent with my style. This brings me to thematic boundaries. Use some of the tips I talked about in points 2 and 3 to choose a theme you’d like to explore and that will also create consistency in your developing style. My own work always revolves around folklore, folk art, textiles and symbology so you will always find these themes in my art.
Do remember that these creative constraints are changeable as you evolve. Obviously you can switch up your style, your colour palettes and your themes as much as you want down the line. The creative constraints you set yourself are just guides to help you create your unique voice.
6. Let your Life and Values Shape Your Style
What stories, rituals, emotions, places or seasons do you feel drawn to? I live on the South West Coast of England and I am always so inspired by the ancient history of these shores, by the landscape, the wildlife, the local stories and the people. I have let this little corner of the world become a part of my identity, but I know I have also been shaped by my years in London. It was in that the city that I metamorphosed from a girl to a woman. My life has been messy and unpredictable, full of incredible joy and light but also incredible emotional pain and uncertainly. I carry shadows with me that I am learning to honour and accept, shadows that often creep into my art in subtle ways. If we let those experiences and those facets of our lives gently flow into our work, then our art will become truly meaningful.
7. Stay Patient and Celebrate the Slow Burn
Style isn’t something you decide, it’s a recurrent story or a pattern that you notice after a time. Be curious. Not just trying new mediums and new colour palettes, but by exploring the way you respond to your experiences and the world around you. Take your time, disappear for a while and don’t rush the process – enjoy it.
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