In my early 20s I did the same thing your colleague did - I tried very hard to paint digital illustrations in line with the "standard" other artists have set. I painted some commissions in that style, but I hated working that way, and quit illustration altogether. None of those artworks are in my gallery now. (Yet some older, "less skilled" pieces are, because they're dear and meaningful to me.) I wish I didn't try to become "employable" so early (without art school education, no less). I needed more time to explore, instead of trying to impress art directors. It took me many years to shake off the weight of expectations and just paint in the most enjoyable way I can. I work in several distinct styles depending on which medium I use, and I enjoy them all. P.S. Seeing the same skull model I have on your desk makes me feel connected to you in a weird way 😄
It's nice to hear someone else speak of the merits of being unconcerned with having a particular style. In the past couple of years I've seen many videos and articles that claimed it is a necessity as a general artist. As a fellow multi-disciplinary artist, I totally agree, from experience, that you can gain a lot of applicable knowledge from studying and trying out a variety of things.
Another thing about finding your style is that you might just not be able to see it the way other people do. Like with you Prof- I see a style in your work because of the way you naturally make the marks. It might not be as in-your-face as Picasso, but throughout all these different media, there’s this subtle consistency- because it’s the same person. And that can often come through way more to other people than it can to yourself. I’ve been told I have a style for the same reason. My mark-making, the colors I unconsciously gravitate toward, things that come through without thinking. Which is also why exposing yourself to more things means a more well rounded creative process. The things you learn and observe start to bleed into your work, sometimes purposefully, sometimes not. That being said I absolutely love this message! I’m already someone who loves playing with new creative toys, so to speak, but now I feel inspired to really push outside of what I’ve explored in the past. We get so stressed out as artists trying to be seen and recognized and get our art sold, but making art is supposed to be fun and explorative and evolve with you and sometimes look terrible, and the former doesn’t really come without the latter.
Okay, I'm just over a minute in and I am LOVING all the art you're showing on screen. I keep wanting to take screenshots or look up the artists to find more!
This is so, so good! And I feel like it applies outside the art world too. The more interests you have, the more angles you study, it really makes you a more well rounded, thoughtful, and compassionate person, able to see the world from so many different perspectives, and not be so rigid in your interpretation of the right or wrong way to be and do.
Your style Is within allow your art to come out from the inside I paint and draw what flows from me!! I am not copying a style I am creating what naturally attracts me to what I see!! Keep looking!!
Thank you for this! I'm an architect, but I've been drawing my whole life! Recently, i've decided to get more serious about my art, and I've been feeling really nervous about not having ine distinct style, or wanting to try mamu different things and techniques, and feeling bad i couldn't only choose one. So this video really helped 😊
I started drawing when I was a little kid. My mother bought me Walter Whitman art sets that introduced different mediums to me every year. I was a commercial artist for a little while, no classes or school, then made jewelry. I'm doing watercolor and also pen and ink now that I'm 60 and retired. Art is really a "follow your heart" thing IMO.
""Finding your style"", per se, is a fairly recent thing. The term is like a craze. It never used to be such a worry or ambition. Everything was more about phases of your art. Eras. So relax, explore, be versatile, don't limit yourself, and make the art you enjoy.
Love this video really insightful. I’m at the stage of seeing a piece on Pinterest then copying a version. I want to be more original and expressive using paints and other techniques. Great advice 😊
The problem with trying to try all the things is that it just costs too much. I'm lucky to have a wide range of materials, but there are still so many more that I want to try, but simply don't have the budget for. I know some people are in a financial state where even if they have the cash, they don't feel comfortable spending it on art supplies. The most they might have is a sketchbook and leftover school supplies. What do you recommend for people who are on a tight budget but still want to explore and experiment?
I often find people confuse voice and style .... I compare it to writers a writer has a voice Stephen King sounds like Stephen King whether he writes horror, sci-fi or romance ... What we call style in art is more akin to genre in writing....not every writer has their own genre ... In fact genres in writing or style in arts is much rarer to come up with "your own" ...very few artist create a new genre ...but every artist has their own voice
Ooh, that's a good point. Visual arts uses the term "style" to refer both to general art movements or types and to the personal way of making art. I think there's more variation in a visual artist's voice, though. Like how animators have to learn to adjust their style to suit different companies or the particular look of each film. Some artists are really set in their personal style and struggle to do anything else, while others are a lot more versatile. An artist will do lots of angular work for a while and then switch to more flowy stuff just for a change of pace.
The saying Jack of all trades, is actually a perversion of the original Shakespeare quote to make it seem like a pejorative. The original quote is "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but often times better than a master of one". Meaning, as you say, become familiar across a broad range of media and you will likely be better at whatever you choose to pursue mastery over.
My wife could have gone to the BMOFA School but her mother wouldn't let her. She was the #1 art student at Andover High but her mother wanted her to be a secretary. I'm told this was typical for those days. She's 84 and still a good artist.
not to be too contrary but illustrators who have a strong style do better. it’s all mostly forced, which is fine. sentimentality has nothing to do with it, if you have skill, you can create a style, that you like doing, if after a few years you want to shift, then pivot to another style
See related topics in our wellness playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLvt8_pMl6ywmcgYhq9ikesClM1qVSJIg5
In my early 20s I did the same thing your colleague did - I tried very hard to paint digital illustrations in line with the "standard" other artists have set. I painted some commissions in that style, but I hated working that way, and quit illustration altogether. None of those artworks are in my gallery now. (Yet some older, "less skilled" pieces are, because they're dear and meaningful to me.)
I wish I didn't try to become "employable" so early (without art school education, no less). I needed more time to explore, instead of trying to impress art directors.
It took me many years to shake off the weight of expectations and just paint in the most enjoyable way I can. I work in several distinct styles depending on which medium I use, and I enjoy them all.
P.S. Seeing the same skull model I have on your desk makes me feel connected to you in a weird way 😄
It's nice to hear someone else speak of the merits of being unconcerned with having a particular style. In the past couple of years I've seen many videos and articles that claimed it is a necessity as a general artist.
As a fellow multi-disciplinary artist, I totally agree, from experience, that you can gain a lot of applicable knowledge from studying and trying out a variety of things.
Thank you prof. This is an amazing and extremely helpful video!
Another thing about finding your style is that you might just not be able to see it the way other people do. Like with you Prof- I see a style in your work because of the way you naturally make the marks. It might not be as in-your-face as Picasso, but throughout all these different media, there’s this subtle consistency- because it’s the same person. And that can often come through way more to other people than it can to yourself. I’ve been told I have a style for the same reason. My mark-making, the colors I unconsciously gravitate toward, things that come through without thinking. Which is also why exposing yourself to more things means a more well rounded creative process. The things you learn and observe start to bleed into your work, sometimes purposefully, sometimes not.
That being said I absolutely love this message! I’m already someone who loves playing with new creative toys, so to speak, but now I feel inspired to really push outside of what I’ve explored in the past. We get so stressed out as artists trying to be seen and recognized and get our art sold, but making art is supposed to be fun and explorative and evolve with you and sometimes look terrible, and the former doesn’t really come without the latter.
Okay, I'm just over a minute in and I am LOVING all the art you're showing on screen. I keep wanting to take screenshots or look up the artists to find more!
This is so, so good! And I feel like it applies outside the art world too. The more interests you have, the more angles you study, it really makes you a more well rounded, thoughtful, and compassionate person, able to see the world from so many different perspectives, and not be so rigid in your interpretation of the right or wrong way to be and do.
Your style Is within allow your art to come out from the inside I paint and draw what flows from me!! I am not copying a style I am creating what naturally attracts me to what I see!! Keep looking!!
Thank you for this! I'm an architect, but I've been drawing my whole life! Recently, i've decided to get more serious about my art, and I've been feeling really nervous about not having ine distinct style, or wanting to try mamu different things and techniques, and feeling bad i couldn't only choose one. So this video really helped 😊
Thanks!
Tysm for your support!!! -Prof Lieu
I started drawing when I was a little kid. My mother bought me Walter Whitman art sets that introduced different mediums to me every year. I was a commercial artist for a little while, no classes or school, then made jewelry. I'm doing watercolor and also pen and ink now that I'm 60 and retired. Art is really a "follow your heart" thing IMO.
""Finding your style"", per se, is a fairly recent thing. The term is like a craze. It never used to be such a worry or ambition. Everything was more about phases of your art. Eras. So relax, explore, be versatile, don't limit yourself, and make the art you enjoy.
Fantastic video, terrific insight and lots to feast on visually! Have I been unobservant? I've never noticed this microphone before.
Love this video really insightful. I’m at the stage of seeing a piece on Pinterest then copying a version. I want to be more original and expressive using paints and other techniques. Great advice 😊
my principles:
1. experience many different things
2. always keep evolving
The problem with trying to try all the things is that it just costs too much. I'm lucky to have a wide range of materials, but there are still so many more that I want to try, but simply don't have the budget for. I know some people are in a financial state where even if they have the cash, they don't feel comfortable spending it on art supplies. The most they might have is a sketchbook and leftover school supplies. What do you recommend for people who are on a tight budget but still want to explore and experiment?
the free education heennnyyy, like and subb.
I often find people confuse voice and style .... I compare it to writers a writer has a voice Stephen King sounds like Stephen King whether he writes horror, sci-fi or romance ... What we call style in art is more akin to genre in writing....not every writer has their own genre ... In fact genres in writing or style in arts is much rarer to come up with "your own" ...very few artist create a new genre ...but every artist has their own voice
I love how you explained this! -Prof Lieu
Ooh, that's a good point. Visual arts uses the term "style" to refer both to general art movements or types and to the personal way of making art.
I think there's more variation in a visual artist's voice, though. Like how animators have to learn to adjust their style to suit different companies or the particular look of each film. Some artists are really set in their personal style and struggle to do anything else, while others are a lot more versatile. An artist will do lots of angular work for a while and then switch to more flowy stuff just for a change of pace.
The saying Jack of all trades, is actually a perversion of the original Shakespeare quote to make it seem like a pejorative. The original quote is "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but often times better than a master of one". Meaning, as you say, become familiar across a broad range of media and you will likely be better at whatever you choose to pursue mastery over.
My wife could have gone to the BMOFA School but her mother wouldn't let her. She was the #1 art student at Andover High but her mother wanted her to be a secretary. I'm told this was typical for those days. She's 84 and still a good artist.
i just had ptsd from the lino tools.
Pyrography…interesting 😂
not to be too contrary but illustrators who have a strong style do better. it’s all mostly forced, which is fine. sentimentality has nothing to do with it, if you have skill, you can create a style, that you like doing, if after a few years you want to shift, then pivot to another style