choosketches:

i think this is one of the questions i get asked most often, so i guess i’ll finally try to answer it?? keep in mind, this is just stuff from my perspective, i don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to figure out what you want from your own work. ALSO, please remember that i’m 22, i’m not done improving or developing yet! (AT LEAST I REALLY HOPE NOT) 
2nd also: not talking about techniques or classes or things to learn here, talking purely about the ever elusive concept of “style”

i see a lot of people getting really focused on finding their “style” but imo….you can chill out a little about it. you’ve already got a style, it’s just the way you draw. maybe you wanna get BETTER at stuff, but your style is already there. for me, the Thing i’ve stumbled upon (style, preferred aesthetic, whatever you wanna call it) happened pretty naturally as i believe it does for most people. imo style is a combination of your own personal experiences, tastes, and predispositions, what makes a style look GOOD is a whole lot of time, study, practice, and deliberate decision. 

something i notice a lot is younger artists copying other’s work, i mean hell, i used to do that too! how many of you remember redrawing shit like pokemon cards and tracing over anime/manga? i think learning off others can sometimes be helpful, but i don’t think it’s good to let another artist’s style control how you feel about your own. don’t get trapped thinking that you need to emulate or absorb the way a particular artist’s style looks, i think that can be damaging to your personal growth and you’ll just end up very noticeably aping other people. i think it’s way more useful to pinpoint the things that you find appealing. do i like the colours here? the lines? the detail, or maybe the lack of detail? the composition? exactly why does this make ME think it’s a pleasing image? 

then, you practice that shit. assemble the stuff you’ve learned, the culmination of your observation, your practice, and your own personal touch and there’s your style.

(obviously, this isn’t a very comprehensive explanation: it’s pretty hard to get all the thoughts i have about style down to be honest. but be patient with yourself, you’re gonna learn a lot over a long period of time, don’t stress out!)

ps don’t quote me on this shit, i’m still not 100% on what i’m doing either. every day is a fucking struggle.