Let’s talk about style today. More specifically, finding your artistic style.
Have you ever wondered how to find your artistic style? Maybe the following reader question echoes your own.
I am 67 and my life became so much more adventurous due to colored pencils.
I would very much like to develop my own style, but I hope I am not too old to do so, because I think it needs a lot of time and patience to develop a personal style. What are your thoughts about developing your own style?
This reader is right in one respect. It does take time to develop an artistic style.
But I would replace the word “develop” with the word “find,” because I think that’s how most artists come by their style. They find it.
Or have it pointed out to them by other people.
But there’s something else we need to talk about first.
What is Artistic Style, Anyway?
An artistic style is the overall appearance of an artist’s body of work. There are literally hundreds of different things that go into an artist’s style, but the main ones may include the subjects they prefer, the colors they use (also known as their “palette”), how they combine the colors, the drawing methods they use, and even their favorite drawing sizes.
All of those things and more contribute to the overall look of each piece.
Style happens when a large collection of pieces all look similar, even if the subjects are different.
Most artists don’t deliberately set out to develop a style. It just happens as they create. Given enough time and enough artworks, style emerges.
How I Found My Artistic Style
I know from personal experience this is true.
After years of painting horses and showing art at local county fairs, I missed a year. Later, a neighbor asked why I didn’t have anything at the fair. I asked how she knew I didn’t and she said, “I didn’t see anything that was your style.”
Up to that point, I hadn’t thought about style and didn’t know I had one. I just liked painting horses.
So it’s likely that your style has already begun taking shape, and you just don’t realize it.
Finding Your Artistic Style
Yes, it will take time and probably dozens of finished pieces.
But it will happen.
When you create consistently and over time, people will recognize your art without having to see your name on it.
And it’s quite likely that other people can already see the style that’s taking shape.
Is It Ever Too Late to Find Your Style?
No! So long as you have breath in you and the desire to make art, you will develop an artistic style. It’s bound to happen. In fact, you won’t be able to keep it from happening!
Unless, of course, you focus so much on style that you don’t draw.
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To your reader that thinks she may be too old to start being an artist, I say go for it. When I was 66, I decided to teach myself how to make greeting cards. Since then I have dabbled in colored pencils, watercolors, and alcohol markers. When I first started, it wasn’t always pretty but eventually I knew before I even used a particular color or method that it wouldn’t be right. We’re never too old to try something new and it keeps us young to do so. I have people calling me all the time now for cards.
You are absolutely right, Pat! Thank you for your words of encouragement to all of us.
Carrie
Make your artwork unique and stand out with more resemblence or connect to one another is very important….
I started as a colored pencil artist.. and started working with other mediums as well .. Doing art for the past ten years… but realised that there was something that was lacking in my works.. they were random… no connections between each work…
I reached out to a master who is running an academy to get a formal diploma to learn more about art, techniques… etc… He taught me the importance and the meaning of own style..
At 63, I have invented myself and working with new energy and purpose…
The style provides the focus…
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. It sounds like you’re making good progress. Keep up the good work!
Great to read this…,
Thank you Carrie, thank you Pat…!
You’re welcome, Dawn!
Thank you for the post about developing style. I didn’t realize I had developed similar techniques in my drawings and paintings until I created a Art wall in my home. I needed a place to safely store work I had entered in juried shows. After I got several hung realized a few things I had never seen in my work. First I noticed the use of similar palette colors in landscapes that I hadn’t deliberately chosen and all had humans or animals in the composition. I had never thought of these things until I could see all together. Appears l feel comfortable with 12″ x 16″. My Art Guild had a small painting show that art had to be 8″ x 10″ or smaller. It drove my nuts trying to work that small! Hanging several pieces together helped me see the similarities in my own work so I’d suggest this to others.
Sharon,
Thank you for reading this post and for also taking the time to leave a comment.
Your experience is probably one of the most common experiences among artists. Artistic style seems to be more of a discovery than a deliberate development for most of us!
This article and replies really hit the mark. Thanks!