Figuring out your artistic style can feel a bit like searching for a mythical creature. You hear about it, you see evidence of it in the work of artists you admire, but pinning down your *own* unique visual voice? That often seems elusive, maybe even a little intimidating. Many creatives, especially early on, worry intensely about not having a recognizable style. But here’s the thing: style isn’t usually something you just decide on one day. It’s something that emerges, slowly and sometimes unexpectedly, from the process of simply making art. It’s a journey, not a destination stamped on a map.
So, what even *is* this thing called artistic style? It’s more than just knowing how to draw realistically or mix colours well. Style is the collection of consistent choices you make in your work. It’s about your preferred subject matter, the way you use lines (bold, delicate, sketchy?), your go-to colour palettes, the mood you often convey, the materials you favour, and the overall message or feeling your art communicates. Think of it as your artistic handwriting – unique to you, developed over time through practice and reflecting your personality, experiences, and perspective on the world.
Dive Deep into Inspiration (But Don’t Just Copy)
One of the first steps towards understanding what resonates with you is to look closely at the art that pulls you in. Don’t just passively scroll or flip through pages. Really
analyze it. Ask yourself questions:
- What specific elements draw your eye in this piece? Is it the dramatic lighting, the unusual composition, the raw energy of the brushstrokes, the subtle colour harmony?
- What emotions does the artwork evoke in you? Why do you think it makes you feel that way?
- How does the artist handle their chosen subject? Is it idealized, abstracted, gritty, whimsical?
- Beyond the visuals, what themes or ideas seem important to this artist?
Look far and wide. Don’t limit yourself to painters if you paint, or illustrators if you illustrate. Explore sculpture, photography, filmmaking, graphic design, architecture, fashion, even music and literature. Sometimes inspiration for visual style comes from the rhythm of a piece of music, the descriptive language in a novel, or the composition of a film frame. The wider you cast your net, the richer your internal library of influences becomes.
Keep a dedicated sketchbook, digital folder, or Pinterest board – whatever works for you – as a visual journal. This isn’t necessarily for polished drawings. Use it to collect things that catch your eye: photos, colour palettes from nature or magazines, interesting textures, quick sketches of compositions you like, notes on artists or specific works. Write down *why* something resonates. This act of collecting and reflecting helps you identify recurring themes and preferences you might not consciously notice otherwise.
Embrace the Glorious Mess of Experimentation
You cannot find your style by thinking about it alone. You have to
make stuff. Lots of stuff. Often, stuff that feels awkward or “wrong.” Experimentation is absolutely vital. This is where you move from absorbing influences to actively trying things out.
Try techniques you’ve never considered. If you usually draw with tight, precise lines, try working loosely and quickly. If you favour muted colours, challenge yourself to create a piece using only vibrant, saturated hues. Try different tools: swap your usual pen for charcoal, try watercolour if you’re an oil painter, explore digital brushes if you’re traditional, or vice-versa. Play with different surfaces – textured paper, smooth board, canvas, wood.
Don’t be afraid to explore different subject matter too. If you always draw people, try landscapes or abstract shapes. If you love complex scenes, try focusing on a single object. Stepping outside your comfort zone forces you to find new solutions and can reveal unexpected affinities.
Crucially, give yourself permission to make “bad” art during this phase. Think of experiments not as potential portfolio pieces, but as information gathering.
Every attempt that doesn’t quite work tells you something valuable about what you don’t like or what doesn’t feel authentic to you.
Fear of failure is a major roadblock to developing style, so try to view mess-ups as data points on your creative journey.
This playful, low-stakes approach is often where the most interesting discoveries happen.
Sometimes, imposing limitations can paradoxically boost creativity. Try exercises like:
- Time Limits: Create something in just 10 minutes. This forces intuitive decisions.
- Colour Limits: Use only three colours (plus black and white, perhaps). This pushes you to focus on value, composition, and texture.
- Tool Limits: Make a piece using only one type of brush or mark-making tool.
- Subject Limits: Draw the same simple object (like an apple) 20 times in different ways.
These kinds of exercises break habitual patterns and force you to approach problems from new angles, which is fertile ground for stylistic development.
Look Back, Reflect, and Refine
Periodically, take a step back from the constant making and look at the body of work you’ve produced, especially your experiments. Spread them out (physically or digitally) and look for patterns.
Ask yourself:
- Are there recurring colours, shapes, or lines that appear even when you weren’t consciously trying to include them?
- What subjects do you find yourself returning to again and again?
- Which pieces felt the most enjoyable or natural to create? Which ones felt forced?
- What techniques or materials felt intuitive and exciting?
- Is there a common mood or atmosphere across different pieces?
This reflection isn’t about harsh self-criticism. It’s about gentle observation. You’re looking for the threads that connect different pieces, the beginnings of your unique visual language. Be honest with yourself. Maybe you admire hyperrealism, but you discover that your most joyful work happens when you’re working loosely and expressively. That’s valuable information!
It can also be helpful to get feedback, but choose your sources wisely. Ask trusted friends, fellow artists, or mentors whose opinions you respect. Instead of asking “Do you like it?”, ask more specific questions like “What does this piece make you feel?” or “What elements stand out to you the most?”. However, remember that style is ultimately personal. Filter feedback through your own intuition. If a suggestion doesn’t resonate with your goals or feelings, it’s okay to disregard it. Your voice is yours alone.
Practical Exercises to Kickstart Style Exploration
Sometimes, structured exercises can help break through creative blocks and encourage stylistic discovery. Here are a few ideas:
Exercise 1: The Style Mashup
Choose two or three artists you admire whose styles are quite different from each other. Identify specific elements you like in each (e.g., Artist A’s colour palette, Artist B’s linework, Artist C’s subject matter). Now, try to create a piece that intentionally combines these disparate elements. The result might feel strange, but the process forces you to actively deconstruct and reconstruct stylistic components, helping you understand them better and see how they might fit into your own work.
Exercise 2: The Subject Deep Dive
Pick a single, relatively simple subject – a coffee cup, a particular tree outside your window, your own hand, a bicycle. Commit to creating at least 10-20 versions of this subject over a set period (say, a week or two). For each version, intentionally change your approach. Vary the medium (pencil, ink, paint, digital, collage), the style (realistic, cartoonish, abstract, impressionistic), the mood (cheerful, somber, energetic, calm), the composition, the lighting. This intensive focus on one subject removes the pressure of *what* to create, freeing you up to explore *how* you create it.
Exercise 3: The Emotion Translator
Choose an emotion – perhaps joy, nostalgia, anxiety, serenity, or curiosity. Without resorting to obvious symbols (like a smiley face for joy or tears for sadness), try to visually represent that emotion. Focus purely on the elements of art: What colours convey that feeling? What kind of lines – jagged, smooth, thick, thin? What shapes – geometric, organic? What textures? What kind of composition feels right? This exercise pushes you beyond literal representation and encourages you to develop a more intuitive, abstract visual language, which is a core part of personal style.
Be Patient and Persistent
Finding your artistic style is a marathon, not a sprint. It develops gradually through consistent practice, experimentation, and reflection. There will be frustrating days, even weeks or months, where nothing seems to click, or you feel like your work is derivative. That’s normal. The key is to keep showing up, keep making art, even when you don’t feel inspired or sure of your direction.
Remember that your style isn’t set in stone. It will likely evolve and change as you grow as an artist and as a person. New influences, life experiences, and technical skills will inevitably shape your work. Embrace this evolution! Allowing your style to shift and adapt is a sign of growth, not inconsistency. The goal isn’t to find one “perfect” style and stick to it forever, but to develop an authentic way of expressing yourself visually that feels right for you *now*, while remaining open to where it might lead you next.
Ultimately, your unique artistic style emerges from the intersection of your influences, your technical skills, your personality, your experiences, and the deliberate choices you make again and again in your work. Don’t stress too much about “finding” it. Focus on the process: explore, experiment, reflect, and most importantly, keep creating. Your style will find you.
