What is style?
< Bus queue lady
‘Style’ is a difficult concept to pin down when it comes to art. I suppose that one’s drawings, like handwriting, display certain characteristics that make them recognisable. It could be the type of line you commonly use, the way you usually draw people, the materials you favour, or some combination of all of those - the things that mean people look at your work and say, ‘Oh, that’s by such-and-such!’ (if you are a really great artist, they’ll use only your surname. That’s when you know you’ve arrived. Has this ever happened to you? No, me neither, but I live in hope).
Now, this is only me thinking aloud, because I have never quite got to grips with the whole idea of style. But it seems to me that when you are new to art - say, when you are a child, or when you are trying drawing again for the first time in years - your style could go in any direction. That’s the time to be looking at artists you love, and consciously trying to imitate facets of their work.
Once you’ve started drawing a lot, and regularly, something strange happens - your style emerges. That’s why I don’t consider the kind of copying I mentioned to be plagiarism: you see, you can copy other people as much as you want to, but your own style will always come bobbing to the top.
Maybe it’s a good thing if your style is ever-changing, although I hear from professional artists and illustrators that while this might be a good thing for your art, and your sanity, it can also be a disaster commercially, because employers want to be able to pigeonhole you, to come back to you when they think, ‘Ah yes, this person does just the kind of thing I have in mind.’
The forming of your style is almost a subconscious effect, and you can bend it only so much through your conscious attempts to imitate. And that’s for the best, right? It means that we only have one of each artist in the world. But, in my experience at least, it can also be a very frustrating thing. You know, every time you want to draw a person, they come out looking, well, like a person drawn by you.
In that sense, you just have to hope that your style is one you actually like, otherwise, the manifestation of it that you most often experience is going to be one of looking at your work and groaning. And not in a sexy way. And then, it’s back to the conscious manipulation of every element of your work, which can be a Sisyphean task. Maybe a quick fix is to shock yourself with new materials or subject matter, I don’t know.
What do you think? Are these musings on style completely misguided? And what’s your style? Reply with a picture, if you like.
Posted: July 4th, 2007 under You, Technique.
Comments: 8
8 Comments
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Ah “style! How I’ve mused on this topic.
I don’t know, maybe it’s the Gemini in me, but I just can’t stick to one style. I’ve tried, but I suffer from drift. At first I thought this was a good thing, trying out differing things while on my way to finding “my style”, and I don’t know, maybe I’m still on that journey, but I’ve just never been able to stop and settle (dispite wanting to).
All that said… people often comment on my “style”, which always catches me off guard (because I never thought I had one). I consider it a compliment.
So I think you’re right, maybe it’s as simple as the way we each use line or choose colour. Perhaps it’s easier for others to see our style than it is for ourselves to.
(p.s. This site is still my favourite discovery of the year!)
Thank you! What a lovely thing to say. I ought to collect together these quotes and put them somewhere…
I’ve just had a look at your site, and I can DEFINITELY see a style! A very beautiful and individual one, too!
I think style is a bit like DNA - whenever you try and copy someone else’s style it can’t help coming out looking like you! When I first started cartooning as a lad, I copied Bill Tidy and Larry — big noses and dots for eyes, then I copied Mickey Mouse’s pie eyes. Can’t ermember where I got the mouths from! I hate it when clients ask you to do something, but not in your style! Why did they choose me then! I remember Ellis Nadler (who does illos with a distinctive wobbly line in the Guardian) recalling a client who asked for an illo from him, but without the wobbly line. He said yes, but it’d cost extra!
This is a job where the client asked me to copy someone else’s style (with the original illustrator’s permission, as he was too busy) — but it still came out looking like one of mine!!!!
fred
Interesting indeed! But I also remember you’ve done some beautiful screenprints which look much less cartoony than this - so is that your secondary style, a more ‘arty’ one?
By the way, I think your mouths have a touch of the Beano about them.
You’re probably right about the Beano (or Dandy)! - what I like about different media is that they demand a different approach (and maybe style) — my screenprints are all done by scalpel and ruler! For my cartoons I use ink (either coloured by watercolour or computer) — my pencil roughs are scruffy beyond belief!
fred
Ah. ‘Style’ is plaguing me a lot these days. It’s actually in my top 3 of things I constantly worry about, the others being The Future and My Figure.
My problem is this; everytime I attempt a brief, drawing, anything, it comes out different to what I last did. Now, this is quite good, as I suppose I’m versatile, but my aim is to become a freelance illustrator, and, like you siad, clients definately want to see a style in your work so they go “we need a bla bla, let’s call rachel lewis, she’s good at that.’ Or whatever.
And while I know i’ve still got time, I find it incredibly frustrating. I know why it is though; I am so inspired and inlfuenced by everything - from scary Tim Burton sketches to Kawaii-cute vector images. Everything. I’m like a sponge for contemporary everything. And while it’s great because I’ve got so many ideas buzzing round my head, it’s annoying that evrything comes out different. Let’s find some examples…
(I’ll just post links as blogger doesn’t like images for some reason)
This is an illustration I did yesterday, for Illustration Friday (theme: twist). http://bp1.blogger.com/_X5RhhgDq90U/RopsvHDlVoI/AAAAAAAAAFs/-Htd8AdYLXc/s1600-h/twistfinalcopyright.jpg
It’s basically pen with a bit of photoshop.
Then this is a screenprint I did last year at uni:
http://bp1.blogger.com/_X5RhhgDq90U/RlRytEkfmoI/AAAAAAAAACM/4QpHzUL8fno/s1600-h/ScreenprintCopyright.jpg
This is a digital collage, for an illustration for a short story:
http://bp2.blogger.com/_X5RhhgDq90U/RlRzoUkfmpI/AAAAAAAAACU/3n18mWSInQs/s1600-h/CowCopyright.jpg
And this is the last of a series of 6 for the novel “Everything is illuminated”:
http://bp3.blogger.com/_X5RhhgDq90U/RlR8okkfmyI/AAAAAAAAADc/WtwtJn58GIE/s1600-h/Bird6Copyright.jpg
And in my opinion, they’re all completely different.
GAH!
I think my favourite medium is ink though, so maybe i’ll end up leaning towards that.
I do know exactly what you mean. I think especially if you do a foundation year at art college, when they introduce you to everything, it’s really difficult to settle. Maybe that’s why they do it? Maybe it’s good not to have a style too early on in life, because it is a restriction of sorts.
I don’t know, because I’m not a professional illustrator… maybe someone who is can comment… but I imagine that what happens when work and deadlines start coming in is that you go for the style you are most confident and quickest in.
Yeah.. I did a foundation year, and it’s true, you do a bit of everything; I almost chose to follow textiles, then fine art.. at the very last second I just went “uh, actually, i’ll do graphics!” and they had to change all my paperwork. Then once I’d done that I went down the illustration path.
That’s probably very true. I’m hoping that one day a style will just emerge and I can stick to it.