Developing an art style
Music used in video: Softly to Myself by Kylie Dailey
In this video and blog I share some thoughts on developing an art style which feels personal and particular to you.
Our art is an expression of who we are…
Our art is such a personal expression of who we are, our experiences, our fascinations and our curiosities.
In my tutorials and content I am conscious and careful that I don’t want to teach anyone how to make art that looks like mine; I want to encourage, cheerlead and share advice about how to make art that feels and looks wondrously and uniquely yours...
The art we make is an extension of who we are and what we are interested in, so it needs to feel like it belongs to us, that it came from our hand and our heart.
And I think that is what developing our art style is all about, it’s about ensuring our art feels like we’ve made it, it’s about making art which feels completely ours, an expression of us, a reflection of who we are and what we are fascinated and curious about. .
Make lots of art
I frequently get asked about how I developed my style of art and how others should develop theirs. I believe the way to develop your style is to make a lot of art, average art, beautiful art, any art…we have to try things out, experiment, not know where it is taking us…
Seek signposts
It is only when you have made a significant amount of work, become more comfortable in your skills and tried numerous approaches that you can look back through it and see what it is signalling to you. The art you make contains important signposts to your style.
Get inquisitive
Look at a selection of art you have made and get inquisitive and question yourself:
What aspects do I particularly relish?
What appeal to me?
What speaks to me within my own art?
What do I enjoy making?
How do I enjoy making it?
What kind of marks do I relish using?
How does my art feel?
How would I describe my art?
Ask questions about your own art and listen to your answers they contain powerful clues.
Follow the clues
Think about your art, the subject matter, the technique, the materials, the colours, the marks, the feeling that it stirs, paying attention to what we are drawn to in our own art is the key to creating distinctive, personal art that feels like it is ours.
Evolving and changing
Our art style is an ongoing conversation with ourselves, an expression and voice for who we are and what we are interested in. Our art style is not a fixed thing, which we arrive at and never depart from. The way we make art is us sharing our point of view, our opinion, interpreting the world and our place in it…and as such elements of our style will change and evolve and elements will remain constant. I’ve been making art for twenty years now and my style feels to me as if it is in constant slow motion, it changes and evolves and takes on new iterations and elements and sometimes it circles back to themes and ideas…
In one sentence…
To develop our art style we have to make lots of art, reflect on the art we have made, get curious about the aspects of it that light us up and do more of that. It’s a continual process of taking note of what we love within our own creations and doing more of it…
