Hello I stumbled across your profile and I just say I love your art style! I've gotta ask, how'd your develop it? And do you have any advice for someone who can't decide what they want their art to look like?
Thank you so much!
To be entirely honest, I don't feel like I truly "developed" my style. I feel a lot more like I finally let myself draw it! But I am incredibly deliberate with my work, and I do have clear tendencies and preferences... So I'll do my best to explain how I got to where I am now as an artist.
It's important to remember that "style" is something of a nebulous concept. It changes with you as you grow as a person, and most artists can work in and emulate many art styles! Art really is a form of communication with yourself, and your "style" is a reflection of the tendencies and preferences you have. My art does not look how it looked 5 years ago, and my art will look different 5 years from now too. I've changed, and my art reflects that!
(2012, 2018, 2023; two pieces I remember being incredibly proud of and considered my best work up til that point, and then my most recent piece)
What you need to do, as everyone will tell you, is study the fundamentals (anatomy, perspective, form and structure, lighting and shadow, color, and composition) so you have the proper tools to make the most informed decisions possible about your art, and so you can deliberately break or follow rules as you please for your desired effect. I know it sounds silly to learn rules if you're not gonna be following them anyways, but they help you be much more consistent and intentional! More knowledge is NEVER a bad thing to have!
However, I know it's a bit demoralizing to just be told to study fundamentals. Everyone knows you're supposed to do that, but it takes YEARS to learn, and people want their art to feel how they want it to now (which is very very very normal to want!)
So on that front, I have 2 follow up suggestions that I personally find helpful (of course, everyone is different, so it's not like this is the only way to learn! But, if it resonates with you, it might mean it will work for you too.)
1: Separate study from application
I believe this is beneficial for a few reasons:
If the goal of every piece is learning, it can become frustrating, overwhelming, and boring
It's harder to self critique when there are multiple variables to investigate. I like to study one fundamental at a time
Study (usually) works best with a large quantity of output, whereas application of knowledge (finished pieces) is often more satisfying and effective when you get to take your time
Deliberate practical application of what you've learned in a finished piece helps cement the learning in your mind, and also lets you get satisfying finished pieces with noticeable improvement after a good study session!
I've found that keeping these things separate helps me improve faster and more deliberately, and it takes a lot of the pressure off of both aspects! I'm not worried about my studies looking beautiful, they're just to learn! And I don't feel pressured to critique my finished pieces, cause they're just for fun and to make something pretty. I personally find this helps me have a much healthier relationship with my art.
When studying, copy! Copy things as best as you can, all the time. It gives you something to compare to for self critique (and of course, if you're copying someone else's work and you share the study, ALWAYS give credit, share the original, and say it was for study.) In application, don't copy: reference. Make it yours!
2: Let yourself do the things that feel "easy" or like "cheating"
This one is simpler: nothing in art is easy.
If something feels easy to you, most of the time it's not because it's actually any easier... It's because it's part of your natural tendencies and preferences! This took me forever to realize, but as long as you're actually doing some study, then you're learning. You don't need to learn All The Time. When you're doing the "application" portion, you should let yourself do whatever is actually the most fun and feels easiest! This is where your style will start to come through, and where you get to learn about yourself. Take the pressure off, and have fun!!!
The only cheating in art is theft. If you're not stealing, then it's allowed!
My whole life (and yes, still!) I'd get regular criticism about both my style and my subject matter. You will too. You'll see a thousand different styles, and a hundred different things to admire in each. Your heart will ache that you don't draw like others do.
But art is a form of communication with yourself. It's like your voice, or your accent; just something that's a part of you! It can be fun to mimic others', but when you sit to have a conversation you speak naturally. (I know some people want to and do change their voice, but this is a metaphor and metaphors aren't perfect)
Don't stress so much about what you want your art to look like, especially if you're not sure. There's a lot of value to be had in constant experimentation, I think it'd be rather boring to only draw one style the rest of my life. What I draw is what I want to see, right now, for who I am now! It's a part of me and comes naturally, if I let it!
I hope this helps!
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What kinds of textures would Lost In Transmission Eclipse be most fond of? What would their Perfect Day look like?
Ohhhh this is such a fun question!
Eclipse would be indifferent to textures like brick, carpet, and plastic especially, whereas natural textures like tree bark, grass, and stone would have them perplexed, and it would be a struggle to get them to come back inside again. They would spend hours at the local park, sat toddler style and pulling up grass just for kicks, picking flowers to show y/n and staring with childlike fascination at the ants that run up the nearby tree.
Don't forget to give your television cryptid proper enrichment!
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with all the (deserved) joker hate, I don't know if it'd be better if he just died, did not pass go, stayed dead or got to experience Second Death: electric boogaloo via Means Unknown to the Living. ig it really depends on the will of a clown.
also can't wait for Dick to get his revenge once he's feeling a bit better- maybe a shovel talk?? (idk how effective it'd be to the ghost king, but a man can try) or some teasing for how unsubtle Danny's crush is
Man, even I'm not sure if the clown will live. It's going to be a surprise to me, too. The best part? I'm not sure who would kill him.
Danny, in a fit of protective and clown-hate fueled mindless rage?
Jason, finally given a chance to kill his worst nightmare?
To be honest, leaving Joker in the shadow realm would be far worse than death since it makes you live your worst nightmare. The Joker would exist in a world where no one knows him. No one cares about him. Where he's ignored. Mediocre. It's far worse than death for him.
To top it off, his real body will remain on life support. Slowly, people will forget about him as he fades from existence. Gotham will care far more about he existing Rogues who are actively causing harm. They don't have time to spend thinking about a Rogue who has been in a coma for years. Even Batman will give up eventually, forced to focus on the current catastrophe of the week.
And Dick. Ah I love this boy he has so much comedy potential. Once he realizes he finally gets to give his first ever shovel talk he's going to be ecstatic. Even better, he doesn't know Danny is the Ghost King. Can you imagine when it's later revealed and Dick realizes he threatened the King of The Dead?!
A treat for sending an ask
💚
"So." Dick fiddled with his escrima stick, flipping and spinning it in a display of nervousness Jason only knew he was comfortable showing because they were alone.
"You and Danny, how long have you two been together?" Dick asked, tilting his head slightly so Jason could see the smirk on his face and the light of mischief in his eyes.
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