ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
literature
.:Finding Your Art Style:.
Deviation Actions
Literature Text
YOUR Style
• Figure out how you draw first. By this I mean, pay detailed attention to what things you gravitate to when drawing. Like, do you have a tendency to draw very detailed eyes? Do you like to draw round small bodies? That kind of stuff. Keep track of what you are good at and what you need to work on. Your strengths and weaknesses as an artist are what you need to be aware of because they are things that only you will truly know unless you tell the world. For example if you draw very detailed heads but struggle with the rest of the body, maybe a type of cartoon style is best for you and not anime.
• What’s your preferred subject? Are you into realism? Caricatures? Comics? Animals? Anime? Cartoon? Paintings? Know where your passion is. Maybe you don't make a lot of your own characters and prefer to draw fanart, but you find the show style difficult. Keep trying. Maybe tweak the style a bit to suit your strengths as an artist but still keep the character recognizable.
• Capturing your OC on paper is something that only you can do first. You might be able to get the best illustrator in the world to draw for you but only you really know that character’s identity. Visualize in your mind where their hair falls, what their body is like, and what they wear. Then show us!! Even if it’s not that great yet, make an effort. At least now we have a face to go with that name. If you keep drawing I’m sure you’ll improve over time.
• Post poses/characters that highlight your skills as an artist. To practice things you aren’t great at, maybe use scratch paper off to the side. Show off what you're good at and don’t try to force something onto the page if you know it work. For example, drawing feet is hard for me. Often times I draw large enough to cut the feet out of the picture or I draw a pose such that the feet are in a position that I know how to draw. Keep your weaknesses in mind and be open about them to yourself. Don't whine about them as whining doesn't help anybody. Take your time to improve them. I used to suck at drawing hands but now I’m more confident with them.
• Making your own style is not an excuse to create disturbing or disproportionate figures. Every drawing style is disfigured some small bit from actual anatomy, but…where to draw the line? When something just doesn't look right. I've talked about this a bit before in another guide but some common disproportions are small hands, large heads, small heads, and long legs. Avoid these things.
• Eyes are the key element of capturing a character’s essence. Everyone draws eyes differently. EVERYONE. Whether it’s in slight strokes or order of strokes, everyone if left to their own devise will come up with a different way to draw eyes. Make sure you have likeable and inviting eyes that keep people interested in your pictures and maybe keep them wondering about your character.
• Test out different medias until you find the one that's best for you. The most common types of media are digital, pencil, colored pencil, and marker. Obviously you can tell that I've found my media but back in the day when I was still experimenting, I did pictures with pencil, crayon, colored pencil, oil pastels, and some paint. I even have one digital piece still up but let’s not go there! Most people will have a media that they work best in even if they are good at others. It may take you a few years to find what you’re comfortable in so don’t worry! If you keep your eye out and keep your passion, you’ll figure it out.
• If you’re a beginner and are still trying to figure out this “draw” thing, then experimentation is key. Don't worry if it doesn't come out right. Keep trying. If you fail repeatedly at one thing, move onto another. Try drawing in various show styles until you figure out one that suits you best. This can help you to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses as an artist because you may not have figured them out yet.
• If you aren’t really a beginner anymore but you still can't live up to your personal standards of being a decent artist, then you probably just consider yourself mediocre. Now would be a good time to find your style and develop it already. Maybe try with different medias. Try drawing shading a little differently. Try experimenting with thicker and thinner line weights. Add a little more wrinkles in the clothes. Add a little more detail in the hair. Do things to tweak your drawings just for the sake of experimentation if you find yourself in a rut. Chances are you will find something new you don't like as well as finding a new thing you DO like to add to your style.
• If you print out a picture of a fanart or a public domain official art or even somebody else’s art that you found on the internet, trace it, and then color it, is it really your art? You can say “Well, I drew it from a blank page! It’s MY art!” but how true is this? It’s a grey area. Yes that drawing you made is yours, but the character and the pose belong to somebody else and this was likely drawn without permission from the creator. If its public domain, this isn’t as big of a deal. But when you trace another artist’s character and try to claim it as your own, this is not artwork: its theft. If you just can't seem to figure out a pose and need to trace, do so for educational purposes only. DO NOT POST. Do not try to claim it as your own ever in any way.
• Characters from fandoms are open to public use. My characters are not. Unless otherwise listed as a collaborative character, my characters are designed and created by one person: me. And I do not allow usage of my characters without direct permission ever, nor do I allow tracings of my work. Every artist is different. Some may be chill about it but others will go off on you if you try to steal or copy their stuff.
• You might have been told that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery growing up, but it’s not always like that in the art world. It’s great to observe styles, take what you like with them, and mix them in to make your own style. But deliberately copying another style that is not public domain or imitating characters that are not public domain is another grey area (which should be a nono). What I’m saying is that it’s good to have style influences which you personally apply to make your own style better, but imitating someone else’s style entirely is not going to help you find your own style.
• If we visit your page, we want to see something drawn by YOU. People who can recreate public domain characters in their exact show style are AMAZING, but, we also want to see your own style; your own twist on things. Your personal style is something nobody else can come up with on their own!! So why not show it off?
• Keep your gallery diverse and try to create cool characters with epic poses and colorful outfit and hair designs. Don’t draw the same thing over and over but don't be all over the place. I think that people will want to be able to identify your art and find more if it if they like it. A gallery that's all over the place with too many various medias and styles and characters that don't really match up creates a sort of disharmony that pushes people out instead of draws them in. So try to include, in at least most of your drawings, something that tells people this is YOUR creation and nobody else’s.
• Figure out how you draw first. By this I mean, pay detailed attention to what things you gravitate to when drawing. Like, do you have a tendency to draw very detailed eyes? Do you like to draw round small bodies? That kind of stuff. Keep track of what you are good at and what you need to work on. Your strengths and weaknesses as an artist are what you need to be aware of because they are things that only you will truly know unless you tell the world. For example if you draw very detailed heads but struggle with the rest of the body, maybe a type of cartoon style is best for you and not anime.
• What’s your preferred subject? Are you into realism? Caricatures? Comics? Animals? Anime? Cartoon? Paintings? Know where your passion is. Maybe you don't make a lot of your own characters and prefer to draw fanart, but you find the show style difficult. Keep trying. Maybe tweak the style a bit to suit your strengths as an artist but still keep the character recognizable.
• Capturing your OC on paper is something that only you can do first. You might be able to get the best illustrator in the world to draw for you but only you really know that character’s identity. Visualize in your mind where their hair falls, what their body is like, and what they wear. Then show us!! Even if it’s not that great yet, make an effort. At least now we have a face to go with that name. If you keep drawing I’m sure you’ll improve over time.
• Post poses/characters that highlight your skills as an artist. To practice things you aren’t great at, maybe use scratch paper off to the side. Show off what you're good at and don’t try to force something onto the page if you know it work. For example, drawing feet is hard for me. Often times I draw large enough to cut the feet out of the picture or I draw a pose such that the feet are in a position that I know how to draw. Keep your weaknesses in mind and be open about them to yourself. Don't whine about them as whining doesn't help anybody. Take your time to improve them. I used to suck at drawing hands but now I’m more confident with them.
• Making your own style is not an excuse to create disturbing or disproportionate figures. Every drawing style is disfigured some small bit from actual anatomy, but…where to draw the line? When something just doesn't look right. I've talked about this a bit before in another guide but some common disproportions are small hands, large heads, small heads, and long legs. Avoid these things.
• Eyes are the key element of capturing a character’s essence. Everyone draws eyes differently. EVERYONE. Whether it’s in slight strokes or order of strokes, everyone if left to their own devise will come up with a different way to draw eyes. Make sure you have likeable and inviting eyes that keep people interested in your pictures and maybe keep them wondering about your character.
• Test out different medias until you find the one that's best for you. The most common types of media are digital, pencil, colored pencil, and marker. Obviously you can tell that I've found my media but back in the day when I was still experimenting, I did pictures with pencil, crayon, colored pencil, oil pastels, and some paint. I even have one digital piece still up but let’s not go there! Most people will have a media that they work best in even if they are good at others. It may take you a few years to find what you’re comfortable in so don’t worry! If you keep your eye out and keep your passion, you’ll figure it out.
• If you’re a beginner and are still trying to figure out this “draw” thing, then experimentation is key. Don't worry if it doesn't come out right. Keep trying. If you fail repeatedly at one thing, move onto another. Try drawing in various show styles until you figure out one that suits you best. This can help you to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses as an artist because you may not have figured them out yet.
• If you aren’t really a beginner anymore but you still can't live up to your personal standards of being a decent artist, then you probably just consider yourself mediocre. Now would be a good time to find your style and develop it already. Maybe try with different medias. Try drawing shading a little differently. Try experimenting with thicker and thinner line weights. Add a little more wrinkles in the clothes. Add a little more detail in the hair. Do things to tweak your drawings just for the sake of experimentation if you find yourself in a rut. Chances are you will find something new you don't like as well as finding a new thing you DO like to add to your style.
• If you print out a picture of a fanart or a public domain official art or even somebody else’s art that you found on the internet, trace it, and then color it, is it really your art? You can say “Well, I drew it from a blank page! It’s MY art!” but how true is this? It’s a grey area. Yes that drawing you made is yours, but the character and the pose belong to somebody else and this was likely drawn without permission from the creator. If its public domain, this isn’t as big of a deal. But when you trace another artist’s character and try to claim it as your own, this is not artwork: its theft. If you just can't seem to figure out a pose and need to trace, do so for educational purposes only. DO NOT POST. Do not try to claim it as your own ever in any way.
• Characters from fandoms are open to public use. My characters are not. Unless otherwise listed as a collaborative character, my characters are designed and created by one person: me. And I do not allow usage of my characters without direct permission ever, nor do I allow tracings of my work. Every artist is different. Some may be chill about it but others will go off on you if you try to steal or copy their stuff.
• You might have been told that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery growing up, but it’s not always like that in the art world. It’s great to observe styles, take what you like with them, and mix them in to make your own style. But deliberately copying another style that is not public domain or imitating characters that are not public domain is another grey area (which should be a nono). What I’m saying is that it’s good to have style influences which you personally apply to make your own style better, but imitating someone else’s style entirely is not going to help you find your own style.
• If we visit your page, we want to see something drawn by YOU. People who can recreate public domain characters in their exact show style are AMAZING, but, we also want to see your own style; your own twist on things. Your personal style is something nobody else can come up with on their own!! So why not show it off?
• Keep your gallery diverse and try to create cool characters with epic poses and colorful outfit and hair designs. Don’t draw the same thing over and over but don't be all over the place. I think that people will want to be able to identify your art and find more if it if they like it. A gallery that's all over the place with too many various medias and styles and characters that don't really match up creates a sort of disharmony that pushes people out instead of draws them in. So try to include, in at least most of your drawings, something that tells people this is YOUR creation and nobody else’s.
adviceairbrushanimalsanimeanimstyleartistartistsbeginnerbeginnerscartooncartoonscartoonstylecharcoalcolorcoloredpencilconceptdevelopdevelopmentdigitaldigitalpaintingeyesgraphiteguideguideshelpfulimproveimprovementimprovinginklandscapemediamixedmediapaintpaintingpencilpeopleproportionrealismrealisticreferenceskillstylestylizationstylizedtiptipstoontraditionaltutorialhelpartarttradestyleexperiment
Back with another guide! Because these are just so fun to do. I hope this guide helps you. I hope I reached out to all the "mediocre" artists out there. I feel like beginners and super skilled artists get more attention while those who are just average/decent actually make up most of the artist population. Maybe you learned something new from this guide and maybe you didn't. If this guide wasn't helpful to you then, carry on in the hopes that you find what you're looking for but I don't need to hear about it. Any such comments negative and unnecessary will be hidden. That said, thanks for reading and feel free to check out my other guides <3 there are plenty more to come!!
Comments61
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
This is so informative and the best advice ever. I’ve been out of art in 10 years I’m trying to reinvent myself as an artist but it’s been difficult.