How Do I Find My Art Style?

Do you feel pressure to find your art style, but don’t know how? Get concrete tips for what you can do to find your own artistic voice in a genuine and effective manner that won’t stifle opportunities.

Having a distinct art style is what artists are known for, and yet finding your style can feel very vague and unclear. This video breaks down the possibilities and provides specific actions you can take.

Discussion by Art Prof Clara Lieu.

Digital Illustration, Cat Huang
Cat Huang

Video Walkthrough

  • Style is what makes a specific artist distinctive, what they are known for.
  • For this reason, there’s a lot of worry among artists about whether their work will stand out among the crowd.
  • With social media being such a prominent part of being a working artist today, there is an immense pressure for artists to find their style.
  • Social media algorithms tend to promote accounts that are more homogenous in terms of art style.
  • The evolution of your art style should be a natural process.
  • You can’t force a style on yourself overnight, the results will be contrived.
  • People can tell when your style isn’t genuine and you’re basing it off another artist’s style.
  • The best way to find your style is to try out as many different artistic styles, techniques, and approaches as possible.
  • Don’t make assumptions about any art media, any topic, any way of working with an art material, stay open to all the possibilities.
  • The development of your artistic style can be a life long journey.
  • Your styles can keep changing your entire life, there’s no reason you have to stick with one style your entire career.
  • Be careful of your style getting in the way of creative possibilities, it’s easy to rest on your laurels if you find a style that works.
  • Style takes years to hone and there is no clear cut path to finding yours.

Prof Lieu’s Tips

Clara cartoon

Having too many ideas is a great “problem” to have! The way I see it, it may feel overwhelming to have so many options, but having too many, and eliminating them is much, much easier than not having enough ideas.

Intaglio Printmaking: Drypoint
Drypoint: Intaglio Printmaking

Remember that ideas don’t expire, so if an idea emerges that you’re super excited about, but maybe it’s not the right time to pursue it, you can always come back to it later.

I have ideas that I had, but couldn’t do at the time, that I then brought back 4 years later!

Artists Mentioned

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