Wolf Criers Club
Vol 14
Today’s newsletter comes from Wolf Crier Emily Isamej from her online art journal.
How to find your style
Up until two years ago, I spent most of my artistic journey worried and struggling about style. I felt that if I didn't have a style, I didn't have a personality as an artist. I used to put too much pressure on myself with each illustration and became obsessed with finding a signature style.
"Consistent portfolio" is the rule and the feedback you hear over and over but no one tells you that it is normal to not have it for a period of time. There is more talk about having a consistent style than insights on how to achieve it. Style doesn't simply find you; that is a lie. People say, “Keep making art, and the style will show up.” Well, you can do a lot of work and never find it if you don’t know how to identify what you are looking for. It is through continuous practice and research that you will start understanding your style.
So, I'm going to share with you the tips that I've learned that have helped me loosen up and finally begin developing my style.
Define your path, filter your references.
Figuring out what you want your art to look like means distinguishing between styles you genuinely gravitate towards and those you appreciate solely for their appearance. It’s about taking as reference what truly resonates with you, that thing that someone did that makes you go: wow, how did they do that? I want to learn that. We have to dissect between what we like in terms of style and what we like only because it looks pretty to us. There is art you consume and art you want to produce.
This difference took me a long time to learn because I wanted to do everything I liked. Realistic, abstract, linear, cartoonish—I was all over the place, and my portfolio reflected that. It’s necessary to reject references that do not align with the future vision you have for your style and say: "This art style is beautiful, but it’s not the art that I want to make." But again, it takes time, and now that I look back, I think being “all over the place” was and is fine too. It allows you to grow and explore different art styles. There is some artwork I still love to this day and had so much fun creating, but now I know myself better and understand my voice more.
How can you find yours? I recommend making a vision board/mood-board and start saving art that you like—whether by color themes, lines, characters, etc. fill it with references until you feel you have a good number of images. Remember, think twice about whether it's something you like, something that calls to you in terms of style, or if it's something you just find cute.
After you do this, study this folder. Write down the consistencies. What do you like? Is it the specific way an artist colors, makes lines, uses shadows, lights? Is it the funny way they design characters? Are the shapes or the textures appealing to you? Take time to write it all down and find the connections.
Once you do all of this, you’ll see that the path will start to form itself and you will get an understanding of the things you like. Finding your style is about getting to know yourself and what you like.
This is what my mood-board looks like:
What I could deduce about my art inclination from this practice was:
I like flat shapes and bent perspectives.
I don't like to use a very wide color palette or render too much.
I like the "unfinished" look and imperfect lines.
I like to simplify shapes, objects, and characters.
I like textures and vibrant strong colors like: red, pink, black, yellow.
I like to play with negative space.
2. Do studies.
It's normal that when you start, you don't have a fully developed idea of how you want your art to look. It's normal that you don't magically know how to draw things from your head and use references and that you try to copy or imitate the style of artists you admire. When you copy the work of artists you like, you get an idea of their techniques and creative decisions, it's as if while doing this you can think like them.
You can start calling this a case study or, in illustration terms, a master copy. A master copy is an exact reproduction of other artists’ work. This will help you discover what you like about that particular artist or illustration. It’s important that the end goal of this is not to replicate their work and take credit, but to use what you have learned from these copies to create your own artwork. There's no need to hide your influences or references, nor should you feel embarrassed. This isn't necessarily artwork meant for public display; it is for your personal growth. So, don’t be afraid of judgment. If you do share it, be transparent about its origin: "Master copy based on [artist's name]'s work." That's all. This practice is a game changer.
I did one based on Oliver Jeffers artwork to learn more about his use of colors and character design. By the way, this is not the same as tracing nor can you copy colors with the eyedropper tool. You have to do everything from scratch and also be able to find the colors on your own.
3. Identify your artistic medium.
While I was in my digital transition, there was this voice in my head telling me that I was less of an artist for doing digital art. Society's idea of an artist is someone covered in paint, wearing an apron, with stacks of canvases around the house. And although I longed to be that, it can happen that I might never be that person. Because I didn't fit into that stereotype or description, I tried to hold back and insisted on doing more traditional art trying to prove myself as a real artist. I have to be honest—much as I love traditional art, it takes me more time and effort. It requires more concentration, it's hard for me to let go because I'm a perfectionist, and I struggle to achieve the same level of productivity.
My beginnings were traditional because I didn't have the means to buy an iPad or graphics tablet. Once I had them, I felt more drawn to digital art. This transition happened very naturally for me, and I loved it! I'm not less of an artist because of that. In fact, there are so many things you can do digitally—you can create digital art that looks traditional, and you can also combine both. This applies to both mediums; if you're a traditional artist, there's nothing wrong with not doing digital art either. Find the medium that you like and enjoy the most to start.
Nowadays, I use traditional art as a medium for exploration. It's art that I don't need to show; it's my laboratory where I experiment outside the framework of social media and external opinions.
Whether you create traditional or digital art, it should be because you want to, not because you feel pressured to work with something you're not comfortable with. There are many enjoyable aspects to both mediums, and both are important. The medium doesn't make you an artist; it's what you do with it.
4. Position yourself in the art industry. Find your place.
You have to decide where you want to go and which market you want to work in. I studied both arts and graphic design, and while it was beneficial to gain insights from both fields simultaneously, it often felt like I did not master or know either one completely. While learning art, I wasn’t taught about the various ✨art industries✨ (at least not that I remember). That was something I had to figure out on my own. The moment I learned about them, everything made sense to me.
Some people think because you are an artist you can do it all… and you could, but sometimes we are simply lost doing art for different industries because we don’t know where we belong. This is also confusing when it comes to pricing our work because each industry has different standards.
Ask yourself, is it Publishing? Editorial illustration? Fashion? Concept art? Animation? Decorative art? Fine art? Surface and pattern designs? Stationery? Portraits? Advertising? Although all fall within the realm of illustration, each industry is a different world. Do some research, choose the one you like and see the type of art being done in these industries. Is it the art that you like? Do you see yourself working in these areas?.
This might not seem relevant to developing your style, but it was to me. It gave me so much direction. I spent too much time doing all kinds of art until I learned that what I liked was called sequential art or visual storytelling, which includes comics, graphic novels, and book illustration, fitting into the publishing industry. Once I had a name, I could do proper research and learn more about this world, and I truly feel that I've found where I belong.
Lastly, style develops over time and through extensive practice. Look for what you do that doesn’t feel like you are fighting every stroke, but rather flows naturally as you create art. Over time, you'll notice things within your process that feel comfortable to you, things you enjoy, patterns and preferences in your choices. Pay close attention to these recurring choices, whether they involve specific drawing techniques, color combinations, shapes that attract you, or themes you love exploring. It's all about the small choices you make.
I hope this helps you. If you make your list, please let me know in the comments! I'm curious to hear what you discover about yourself.
If you wish, subscribe to my newsletter at: www.isamej.com.
Great thanks to Emily Isamej for providing these insights this week.
Wolf Criers Club is a collective of illustrators, writers, innovators, and wolves. We explore aspects of dynamic storytelling each week through pictures and words, how to improve, and where to take it next. Why not run with us?
Next week we will share the first round of Wolf Criers Club Coloring Pages.
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The wolf-wearing-glasses logo is by Wolf Crier Michael Luk.
The article was great. Any new artist should read it before they go down that rabbit hole of finding their style. It is hard to climb out once you are there. Sometimes it is right before you, but you cannot see it and all it takes is an objective observer to point it out.
Great advice Emily! If only I read this when I was obsessing over finding my art style haha. Thanks so much for sharing! 😁🙌🤩💕✨