WASSUP! It’s been a while, I know I keep neglecting my blog but I just found out something cool that you might consider useful for your own development as an artist. I stumbled upon 2 essential articles about artist developing their styles by Trevino and Christopher Kerry.

If you asked me whether or not I thought developing your own signature art style was an absolute necessity before you begin selling your art, I would say no. – Christopher Kerry

Connecting the Dots

Finding your style can be either discouraging or tiresome, I know it, believe me; but it’s worth the shot. The important thing here is not been the best artist out there or been good at something. It is taking a journey and rediscover yourself with the existing elements that surround you. Taking the risk to fail or experiment with new modifications can be scary, but it’s part of the process. Please mind my silly (Danny Antonucci) animation…

I will write briefly the information of my secret sauce using the methods and processes mentioned in the posts above. This is supposed to help you sort out your style by “borrowing” some elements or characteristics from other artists that you get influence. Once you discover those traits, you will be able to smash those special ingredients together to create that secret sauce (your own style). Now let’s see the process, shall we?

Anthony Holden – The Cat Wizard

I love how the image represents so well the situation between the characters, you can see clearly the role of the protagonist and how clean, simple, and yet powerful the details are.

Some traits of his work are:

• Excellent storytelling
• Good humor integrated
• Simple character design
• The black and white inking

Barachan – 131008 Wraith

This Halloween theme work is outstanding. Cute little monsters, some Dia De Los Muertos design on her face with a weird concept of a stomach creature. Also, a strong palette of cold colors that contrast with each other and the astonishing kaleidoscope effect is mesmerizing.

Some of the traits in her works are:

• Basic geometric shapes
• Use of food or candy theme
• astonishing kaleidoscope effect
• Strong outlines of characters and details

Loish – Lemonade

She has an eye for organic shapes and flows on the movements. Has an impressive coloring technique, accompanied by some floating lemons. Loves to experiments with brushes, styles, and out-of-the-box concepts.

Some of the traits in her works are:

• Food theme
• Rough sketches of studies
• Traditional brushes techniques
• Varieties of characters, body types, and ethnicity

There is no mistake in doing this; the only error would be not to perform this exercise. Do not feel guilty or stress. This exercise is very valid and will help you a lot in your development. – Trevino

Adaptation of Styles

In my artworks, I love to work with the psychological atmosphere or circumstances between characters and/or environments. Sketching is my favorite part, but cleaning up the piece is challenging. I also give it some sort of flow and movements to certain areas with the purpose to make things look more organic and visually appealing. During the process, I add some details or crosshatch for the placement of light and shadow contrast. Finally, I make an outline around the characters to grab the attention of the viewer.

Creativity and a style of its own are to mix elements found elsewhere and combine them in ways that no one else would have thought. – Trevino

Overall

Before doing anything, you must take a journey to explore yourself for a better understanding of your complexity. You may suffer or get benefits from the constant changes your art may face. You could even stay forever in your comfort zone, which is not good over time. The thing is to be able to express yourself through art, experience constant changes, and be comfortable with adaption and evolution. If you want your art to be outstanding from the others you must fail constantly, build self-confidence and be able to try anything either out of curiosity or fear. Be who you want to be, not what you are expected to be. Follow your heart and break the rules!