As an artist, you want to stand out against the crowd. You want your works to be immediately recognizable. That is only possible if you find your own art style. This post gives you a detailed step-by-step guide on how to develop a unique art style. So dive in and see what you can do to make your art more interesting!
These days, anyone can learn to make art. The resources that you need for drawing, painting, or digital art are readily available and easily accessible.
But being an artist is much more than just mastering the nuts and bolds of your creative field. Making art is also about originality, authenticity, and expressing your very own voice.
But the good news is that you can develop a unique art style, and in this post I’m going to show you how!
If you are interested in a quick art taste test before we’re getting started, then jump over to my previous post to find out what your taste in art says about you.
What is an artistic style?
Your artistic style is a combination of your creative ideas, techniques, media, color choices, subjects, and more.
You can think of your artistic style as your custom signature. It’s what makes your work recognizable and stand out from all the other works out there.
All the great painters developed their unique art style. You immediately recognize van Gogh’s impressionist paintings, Andy Warhol’s pop art creations, or Frida Kahlo’s surreal self-portraits.
There are plenty of tutorials on how to do surrealism, pop art, and impressionism. But there are no tutorials on how to develop a unique art style…
The reason is that there is no fixed path to finding your art style. Every artist took different steps to develop their own artistic style.
How do you find your art style?
Actually, an art style is nothing that you ‘find’, but rather something that ‘evolves’.
Just as you grow yourself, your art style develops, too. With every experience you make, you change and grow.
The same is true for your art style. With every piece of art you create, your style develops and evolves.
This is what makes your creative journey so exciting!
I am actually 100% self-taught and I’ve developed the style that I work in right now over the years. If you are interested in seeing one of my very first photo manipulations, check out my tutorial on How To Do Lowbrow Art – A Personal Story.
Here are some examples of what my art style currently looks like. You can see that the works from my Surreal Stories Collection follow a similar theme.
I tend to come back to specific color tones and use certain elements (in particular of nature) in all of them…
Does having a unique style make your art more interesting?
Do you need a unique art style in order to sell your artwork? No, I don’t think so.
There are so many artists who run a successful art business and have not honed their artistic style yet. So if you consider starting to sell your art, then don’t worry. You don’t need to have a style that is instantly identifiable.
Nevertheless, having a unique art style helps making sales and it surely makes your art more interesting!
Related: Is There A Market For Digital Art? (& How To Make Money Selling Art)
How to develop a unique art style?
First things first, no artist is completely original. Art is all around us and we are all getting inspired by what we see and what we intentionally choose to contemplate.
All these things have an influence on our art style. We take in impressions from the outside world and then our creativity and imagination shapes it into something new. This is how you develop a unique art style.
To help you find your art style, I’ve put together 8 tips for you to try out. I’ve tried these steps at one point of time during my artist life and they all contributed to the style that I’m currently working in. However, that doesn’t mean that this is the only or best way to go about finding your style!
Feel free to discover your own creative path, try the suggestions that you feel comfortable with and then embark on your very own journey to your signature style!
Struggling to find your artistic style? Here are 8 simple steps for you to help you develop a unique art style – QUICKLY! #artstyle #artistguide
8 Steps to develop a unique art style
STEP 1: Get to know your tools.
No matter whether you like to paint, draw, sketch, or create digital art – you need to master your working tools.
Before you can develop a unique art style, you must know the ins and outs of the media you are using. For example, if you focus on acrylic painting, you need to be familiar with the different acrylic paints, brushes, canvases, and so on.
For me, that meant being familiar with a drawing tablet and my digital art software of choice (which is Photoshop).
If you are also into digital art, I suggest that you start by finding a good tablet for beginners and selecting a software program adequate for your specific needs of creating digitally.
Related: TOP 10 Tools Digital Artists Use In Creating Their Artworks
If your favorite software is Photoshop as well, then I have a great tutorial for you on how to use a graphic tablet with Photoshop. Plus, I also have an entire section with free Photoshop tutorials on my website that you can check out to get to grips with the software quickly!
FREE Photoshop Trial
Once you got a solid knowledge of your working tools, you can experiment and discover your specific art style within your chosen way of creative expression.
Related: How To Teach Yourself Digital Art – 5 Tips For Beginners To Get Started
STEP 2: Make practice a daily routine.
There is no way around it. Practice makes perfect and that is also true for any art you may make.
Just like with any other skill, you need to invest time and energy in order to get better at your art.
Each time you practice, you’ll learn new things, discover a new technique or find a different way of visual expression. With this learning comes progress and evolvement. And finally, this is how you develop a unique art style!
Setting time aside to practice every day is best. Even if it’s only 5 minutes a day! But consistent practice is so much better that practicing in big chunks every other week (or even month).
Find a routine of practicing that works for you, and then stick to it!
To improve your skills and learn new things, you can look at other artists. Nowadays, it’s easy to learn from the best of the best! Many artists show their creative process on the internet, and you can get valuable tips from them.
You can find lots of free tutorials on YouTube where creators give you insights into their processes of all types of art.
For a more structured way of learning, you can check out the courses available on Skillshare (some courses are free), LinkedIn Learning, or Udemy.
For all of you who are interested in learning Photoshop (the best all-round program for digital art in general), I recommend the Adobe Photoshop CC Essentials Training Course for Beginners and the Advanced Training Course on Skillshare.
If you like to work with special digital painting software like Corel Painter or Clip Studio Paint, you can find out where to learn it here.
STEP 3: Start experimenting.
Finding your own art style also involves experimenting. If you ask any great artist, chances are they will tell that they used to play with different forms of art.
Experimenting is a powerful way to explore different media, styles, techniques, subject matters, etc. That’s why it shouldn’t be missing in your creative journey.
Little (or bigger) experiments are always worth it. There is no right or wrong. If you like what you’ve experimented with, you got to know something new to perfect your art style.
And even if things don’t turn out the way you expected, you’ve made progress on the creative plane. You then know what you don’t want to do and can concentrate your energy on what works for you!
What you should not do is judge the outcome of your experiments. Take it easy and keep your mind open. Try to see your experiments as what they are: merely new experiences that bring you closer to develop your unique art style.
For example, if you usually create digital art, you can start experimenting with traditional forms. Or, you can mix different media, such as physical elements and digital images.
Related: How Is Digital Art Different From Traditional Art? | 10 Differences
One example where I experimented with real and digital elements of nature is the second piece of my ‘shoe fashion’ series. ‘Extravaganza‘ is a mix of real and virtual leaves and tendrils.
If you want to know more about my creation process, then feel free to check out The Making of ‘Extravaganza’.
STEP 4: Learn from other artists.
As I said above, it is quite impossible to be 100% original in your art. Every artist gets inspired by something or someone.
Most artists would agree that it is vital for your artistic development to have other artists or artworks that you admire and that inspire you.
Moreover, most artists would also agree that learning from copying other artworks was an important step at the beginning of their artistic career. (Those who don’t agree probably just don’t want to admit that they copied other artwork…)
“Every artist gets asked the question, ‘Where do you get your ideas?’ The honest artist answers, ‘I steal them’.”
That’s a quote from Austin Kleon’s book ‘Steal Like an Artist’.
However, there is a clear line between ‘stealing from other artists’ and ‘copying artwork in order to learn’.
What’s the difference? Well, let me explain.
When you copy another artwork and claim it as your own, that is stealing.
When you trace or emulate another artwork for the sole purpose of learning, that is not stealing. It helps you make progress in your artistic development.
When you try to profit from copying someone’s work, for example through selling it as your own, that is stealing.
When you combine elements of several artworks into a new idea of your own, that is not stealing. It is learning.
In any case, you should not forget to always credit the artist correctly!
Like every other artist, I also copied other artwork when I started out on my artistic journey. Copying a digital painting by emulating it in form of a photo manipulation using my own face helped me a lot to refine my technique and make progress.
If you want to learn more about what art I copied and how I copied it, check out my post: Is It OK Learning From Copying Art? – Breaking The Taboo In The Art World.
STEP 5: Pick three artworks that speak to you.
OK, so this is an absolutely great method to show you how to find a unique art style!
It’s very simply. Just hop over to Instagram, Pinterest, or Google Image Search, and find 3 artists, artworks, or art styles that you really love.
This can be anything from two-dimensional and three-dimensional art, to photography, digital art, sculpture, and so on. But you can also choose different art styles, such as abstract or surreal art, pop art, lowbrow art, impressionist art, cubist art, … Whatever you like.
In fact, the more diverse your choices the better. Try to pick artworks that are as different as possible, this is how you’ll get the most out of this method.
The most important part of this step is to select artworks that you really enjoy and admire. And don’t forget – you can only pick three! Once you’re done, you can move on to Step 6.
STEP 6: Study the artworks you chose.
Once you’ve chosen your three favorite artworks, it’s time to study them. You want to find out what exactly you love about these works.
It is the colors they use, the subjects they depict, the technique they apply? Why exactly are you in love with in these artworks?
Take your time to figure out why you love these artworks. This will help you find your own style and voice as an artist.
Figure out what sparked your interest in the first place. After that, make out what other things engage you in the artworks.
Really study each artwork you chose. Take a pen and paper and write down your observations. At the beginning, you might find it difficult to put your impressions into words. But don’t worry, there are no right or wrong observations.
You don’t have to be an expert writer to complete this step. The only thing that matters is that you bring your thoughts to the paper, as precisely as possible. The purpose is to figure out why you like what you like.
It’s important to be as precise as possible. It’s not enough to write, ‘I like the character that the artist depicted’. You want to explore what exactly you like about the character.
Is the character male or female? Is it realistic or stylized? If stylized, what style? Is the character soft or powerful? What is the character doing in the scene?
Starting to speak about art isn’t easy, if you’ve never done it before. I know what I’m talking about. When I first began to speak about my own art, I thought I would never be able to find the right words to express the meaning behind my art.
But the most important step is to get started. And soon you will notice that it’s not even as hard as you thought. That way, this step is also a good exercise to learn speaking about your won art. I now even enjoy speaking about my creations!
STEP 7: Examine your own art.
Now that you’ve analyzed three works of your favorite artists, it’s time to take a good look at your own art.
Examine your creations just the way you did it with the other artworks. We can learn so much from looking at our own art.
Ask yourself what are the common elements in your pieces. Are there certain themes that you come back to in your artworks again and again? What kind of characters do you like to create? Do you have a preferred color palette?
Once you answered all those question, you are already a big step closer to understanding what makes your art style unique!
When I look at my body of work, it’s immediately obvious that I like to work with lips. After all, I have an entire Lip Service Collection! But that’s not the only thing my artworks have in common.
In many of my pieces, I revisit specific elements. Most of the time, these are elements of nature, in particular roses, rose twigs, flowers, bees, etc. And there is always a little bit of blood… Those themes actually also appear in my Surreal Stories and in some of my Headshots.
STEP 8: Own your artistic journey.
My last tip for now is to own everything that happens on your artistic journey – the good and the bad, the successes as well as the failures!
None of us is perfect and we all make mistakes. Believe me, even the greatest artists have messed up one piece or the other.
Sometimes, you might be happy with the outcome of your creation, and sometimes, you might consider it a total fail. That’s totally normal and all these experiences are an essential part of your creative journey. Eventually, they will all lead you to finding your artistic voice.
Because ultimately, developing a unique art style is just a matter of perseverance! And there is no reason why you shouldn’t find your own art style.
Finding your very own artistic style is a wonderful achievement. Some artists develop it early on in their career, others take more time to find their voice. Whatever your pace may be, don’t try to force things.
Just keep creating and remember that every piece you make brings you one step closer to your unique art style!
Let me end this post with a quote by author Neil Gaiman:
“Go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make. Good. Art.”
For more good vibes, check out 110 Quotes About Artistic Inspiration To Keep You Going!
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I hope that this post on how to develop a unique art style was helpful to you! Remember to follow your own pace when trying to find your own artistic style. Don’t rush it. I’m still working on my art style, too. Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips that I didn’t mention!
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I never realized the importance of studying other artists as a means of inspiration. Your suggestion to blend influences rather than imitate really opened my eyes. This post has given me a fresh perspective on developing my own distinct art style. Thank you, Angie!
Hi Cathy, glad that the post was able to help! Sometimes the biggest inspiration comes from fellow artists, that’s true. I wish you all the best on your creative journey (:
Thank you for sharing your valuable advice, Angie! You’re such a generous resource to artists like myself who are trying to find our way. Very grateful for the work you do!
Hi Fabienne, thank you for your support. Happy that you found the article helpful!
I’ve been struggling to find my own style, and your post couldn’t have come at a better time. The emphasis on staying true to myself and not conforming to trends is such a valuable reminder. Can’t wait to start experimenting and honing my artistic voice!
Hi Cathy! Glad I was able to help. I wish you all the best on your creative journey! ♥