Art tips

Discover Your Art Style: It’s Already Within You

So, you want to find your art style? I have good and bad news. The bad news is, you don’t have to find it because the good news is, it’s already here and there. The only thing you need to do is to look for it and release it, shape it like a diamond. So far, maybe it’s just a big blob of something, but I want to show you how to make it shiny and bright, just like you are. Stick around until the end, and you will get four tips to shape your art style and express your voice.

https://youtu.be/kwnlujYVMkA

Table of Contents

Hello, Bonjour!

I’m Cécile, a French artist. I’ve been teaching art online for five years, with over 40 classes and 22,000 students. If you’re one of them, thank you!

I use a lot of mediums: gouache, oil painting, acrylic, watercolor, alcohol markers, and anything I can get my hands on. I’ve always been painting and drawing since I could hold a pencil and even attended art school. I’ve been a full-time artist for six years and am eager to help you in your art journey.

The Misconception About Finding an Art Style

Many beginner artists feel pressured to ‘find’ their unique art style, as if it’s a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. However, I believe that your art style isn’t something you find—it’s something that’s inherently yours, waiting to be uncovered and polished like a diamond. Here are my four key tips to help you release your art style and express your unique voice:

Tip 1: Determine What Pleases Your Eyes

The first step in finding your art style is determining what pleases your eyes. This involves exploring various visual stimuli and identifying what resonates with you personally. It can be anything: architecture, plants, flowers, animals, music, paintings, drawings, photography—everything around you is something that you like or don’t like. Your preferences are unique to you and are the first clues to discovering your style.

When I was in art school, we created mood boards using physical magazines, scissors, and glue. We would cut out images, patterns, and colors that attracted us and paste them onto a board. This was a tactile and immersive way to understand our visual preferences. Nowadays, we have Pinterest, a perfect tool for creating digital mood boards. While it might be less tactile, it offers many images at your fingertips and allows easy organization and analysis.

Garden Paint Challenge

To start, create a Pinterest board and be intentional about it. For example, if you’re interested in landscape painting, type “landscape painting” into the search bar and begin pinning images that catch your eye. Don’t just mindlessly scroll—take the time to look at each image and ask yourself why it appeals to you. Is it the color palette, the composition, the subject matter, or the technique?

Here are some specific steps to make this process effective:

  1. Categorize Your Boards: Create different boards for various interests—landscapes, portraits, abstract art, etc. This will help you see patterns in your preferences across different types of art.
  2. Incorporate Different Media: Don’t limit yourself to paintings. Include photographs, textile patterns, fashion designs, and even nature images. Your art style can be influenced by a wide range of visual experiences.
  3. Regularly Update Your Boards: Your tastes and interests might evolve. Keep your boards updated with new images that inspire you, and remove those that no longer do. This will help you track the evolution of your style.

Tip 2: Understand Why You Love It

Once you’ve gathered some inspirational images, the next step is to understand why you love them. This step is crucial because it helps you dig deeper into your preferences and understand the underlying reasons behind your choices. It’s not enough to like something; you need to analyze and articulate what specifically about it appeals to you.

8 reasons to copy masters paintings

Here are some strategies to help you understand why you love specific images:

  1. Break Down the Elements: Look at each image and break it into its components. Analyze the colors, composition, subject matter, texture, and technique. For instance, if you love a painting because of its color scheme, identify the specific colors used and how they interact. If the composition attracts you, examine the arrangement of elements and how they guide the viewer’s eye.
  2. Emotional Response: Consider your emotional response to the image. Does it make you feel calm, excited, nostalgic, or inspired? Understanding the image’s emotional impact can provide insights into the type of art you want to create. For example, suppose a particular landscape painting makes you feel peaceful. In that case, you should incorporate similar serene elements into your work.
  3. Artistic Techniques: Pay attention to the artistic techniques used in the images you love. Do you admire the brushwork, the use of light and shadow, or the level of detail? Identify specific techniques that resonate with you and think about how you can practice and incorporate them into your art.
  4. Personal Connection: Reflect on personal connections with the images. Sometimes, we are drawn to specific artworks because they remind us of a place, person, or memory. This personal connection can be a powerful source of inspiration and help you infuse more meaning into your art.
  5. Cultural Influences: Consider any cultural influences that might be present in the images you love. This could include traditional patterns, motifs, or themes from your culture or others that fascinate you. Understanding these cultural elements can add depth to your analysis and help you incorporate diverse influences into your style.
  6. Comparison: Compare images you like to those you don’t. Identify the differences and articulate why one appeals to you more than the other. This can help you refine your understanding of your preferences and make more intentional choices in your work.
  7. Storytelling: Think about the narrative or story the image conveys. Are you drawn to images that tell a straightforward story or evoke a particular scene? Understanding the storytelling aspect of art can help you create more compelling and meaningful pieces.
  8. Trends and Consistencies: Look for trends and consistencies in your collected images. Are there recurring themes, motifs, or styles? Identifying these patterns can help you recognize your inherent preferences and guide you in developing a cohesive art style.

By being intentional and analytical about why you love specific images, you can gain deeper insights into your artistic preferences and incorporate those elements into your work. This process helps you develop your art style and makes your creative journey more deliberate and fulfilling.

Tip 3: Learn the Technical Skills

After determining what you love and why, the next crucial step is to learn the technical skills required to achieve it. This step involves turning your inspiration into reality by mastering the necessary techniques and tools. Style is a combination of what you love and what you can do, so honing your skills is essential.

Here are some ways to effectively learn and improve your technical skills:

  1. Study Fundamentals: Start with the basics of drawing and painting. Learn about perspective, anatomy, color theory, composition, and shading. These foundational skills are the building blocks of any art style. They will provide you the versatility to create a wide range of artworks. In my Gouache Membership we are learning art basics, like value, color theory (and practice!), drawing…
  2. Practice Regularly: Consistent practice is vital to mastering technical skills. Set aside time each day or week to practice specific techniques. Focus on areas where you feel less confident and gradually build your proficiency. Remember, improvement comes with practice, not perfection.
  3. Take Classes and Workshops: Enroll in art classes or workshops, either in-person or online. Structured learning environments can provide valuable guidance, Feedback, and support. Look for classes that focus on the techniques you want to master. Have a look at my available classes on demand and find something you like.
  4. Learn from Masters: Study the works of artists you admire. Analyze their techniques and try to replicate some of their styles. This exercise can help you understand their approach and develop your own skills. You can also find tutorials or books by these artists to gain insights into their methods.
  5. Experiment with Different Mediums: Don’t limit yourself to just one medium. Experiment with various mediums, such as watercolors, acrylics, oils, and digital tools. Each medium has its own techniques and can offer new ways to express your style.
  6. Join Art Communities: Join art communities, both online and offline. Participate in art challenges, share your work, and seek Feedback from fellow artists. A community can provide you with motivation, inspiration, and constructive criticism.
  7. Use Reference Materials: Work from references to practice your skills. Whether it’s photos, live models, or still-life setups, using references can help you improve your accuracy and detail. Over time, this practice will also enhance your ability to draw and paint from imagination.
  8. Track Your Progress: Keep a sketchbook or journal to track your progress. Document your practices, experiments, successes, and challenges. Reviewing your journey can provide insights into your growth and help you identify areas for further improvement.
  9. Seek Feedback: Don’t hesitate to seek feedback from teachers, mentors, and peers. Constructive criticism can help you see your work from a different perspective and identify areas you might have overlooked for improvement. You could join our Facebook Group ‘Gouache Painters’ and share your art, or get a personalized feedback on your art.

Focusing on these strategies will help you systematically build and enhance your technical skills. Mastering these skills will give you the confidence and ability to create art that aligns with your vision and style.

Tip 4: Integrate Everything into Your Own Art

Once you’ve identified what you love, understood why you love it, and acquired the technical skills to create it, the final step is to integrate these elements into your own art. This is where you begin to develop and refine your unique art style through intentional practice and experimentation.

Gouache Food Painting Live Tutorials

Here are some strategies to help you integrate everything into your art:

  1. Be Intentional in Practice: As you practice, focus on specific elements you want to incorporate into your style. For example, if you love bold outlines, consciously use them in your work. This intentionality helps you solidify these elements as part of your style.
  2. Experiment with Combinations: Don’t be afraid to mix and match different elements you love. Try combining techniques, color schemes, and compositions to see what works best. This experimentation can lead to unexpected and unique results that define your style.
  3. Reflect on Your Work: After completing a piece, take the time to reflect on it. What elements do you like? What could be improved? Reflecting on your work helps you understand how well you integrate your preferred elements and where you might need more practice.
  4. Keep an Art Journal: Maintain an art journal documenting your experiments, reflections, and ideas. Use it to sketch concepts, jot down notes about what works and doesn’t, and track your progress. An art journal can be valuable for understanding and developing your style.
  5. Create a Series: Working on a series of pieces with a common theme or subject matter can help you refine your style. Focusing on a single theme allows you to experiment with different approaches and techniques while maintaining consistency. This practice allows you to see how your style evolves over multiple pieces.
  6. Embrace Mistakes and Happy Accidents: Sometimes, mistakes can lead to unexpected discoveries and happy accidents that enhance your style. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; embrace them as opportunities to learn and grow. These unexpected moments can add a unique touch to your work.
  7. Adapt and Evolve: Your art style is not static; it evolves over time. Be open to changes and adaptations as you grow as an artist. As you gain new experiences and skills, your style will naturally evolve. Embrace this evolution and allow your style to develop organically.
  8. Trust the Process: Developing an art style is a journey, not a destination. Trust the process and be patient with yourself. Enjoy the journey of exploration, experimentation, and growth.

Integrating everything into your art with these strategies will gradually develop a distinct and recognizable style that reflects your unique artistic voice. This process requires patience, intentionality, and continuous practice. Still, seeing your personal style emerge and evolve is incredibly rewarding.

Conclusion

The four steps to shape your art style are recognizing what you love, understanding why, mastering the technical skills to create it, and then integrating these elements into your work. It’s a continuous process of exploration and refinement.

Happy painting!

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