5 Tips to Find Your Art Style
Finding your art style is probably one of the top things artists look up and struggle to create early in their journey. It is important to have a style that is unique to your artistic voice. And I’m here to say you already have a style; it’s about following an art process where you experiment and draw on a regular basis to bring out that style. I’m sharing some ideas from “Treasure Found: An Art Journey” to help you get started.
Tip 1. What are Your Influences?
Who are the artists, both past and present, that inspire you? Who do you have hanging on your wall at home? How do you decorate your home?
As highlighted in "Treasure Found," understanding these influences can help you identify themes, patterns, and colors that you could bring into your work.
“Think about who and what has influenced you and your art, and make a list. If you are not sure, you can create a list of people and things that you look to often.”
Tip 2. Experiment
Don’t be afraid to try different things. Paint, go digital, cut up paper—have fun with it. Experimenting helps identify what works best for you and what techniques you could study further that would contribute to your style. “Treasure Found” places an emphasis on art challenges, classes, etc., to encourage you to try new skills and mediums.
Tip 3. Consistency is Key.
Consistency can vary from artist to artist. Maybe for you it's the color palette you use, a certain subject matter, or theme. It’s those elements that help people identify it as your work.
Tip 4. Document Your Process
Jot down all the notes, sketches, final versions, etc. Keeping these things on hand can help with consistency across your different projects. It can also show you how your style evolves with time. Maybe something was crucial that you naturally left out, or you noticed you added a flourish to your art pieces that became your signature.
Making of “Treasure Found: An Art Journey”
“Recording your process is part of the process. Keep your notes, files, reference images, and so on, and you can create a presentation that acts as a summary of the design you have undertaken.”
Tip 5. Stay True to Yourself
Create what you love. Choose colors, subjects, and things you like to draw. Your style develops and evolves more consistently when you create what you like—even the things you might be a bit intimidated to tackle. Take a course, pick up a book to study up on it, and start adding it to your pieces.
“If you focus on you and your work, you will strengthen your skills and develop a style unique to you.”
Creating a consistent art style involves understanding your influences, experimenting, and refining your techniques. By focusingCreating a consistent style is a mix of your influences, experimenting, and showing up to create regularly and compare notes on the techniques and elements you enjoy in your work.
For more tips and activities to help you create a process to find your style, check out "Treasure Found: An Art Journey."