Figuring out style

NessIllustration

@Aleksey I highly recommend the exercise, it's very fun and you learn a lot! It's basically drawing fan characters haha.. But practicing emulating someone else's style is incredible practice, it makes you understand a lot of things. Some of it you will like and will stick to your style, until your style is a mix and match of all the things you like the most

Kat

@NessIllustration What a great exercise! Maybe you should start a new challenge on the forum Name the show/style, and people come up with one new character to fit it.

NessIllustration

@Kat What a great idea! But I feel like if I start a challenge I'll have to participate (or I'd be a big hypocrite haha) and I'm buried in work right now with my tight book deadline However if you or anyone would like to take ownership of this challenge and start a thread, that would be awesome and you're most welcome to do so!

ArtofAleksey

@NessIllustration @Kat this was a fun style to try

evilrobot

Did you do @Lee-White dream portfolio? You might want to check that out. It will help. I'm really into ink drawings so I've been looking up my favorite artists and doing studies of their work...then I find out who their influences are and look them up and do the same. When I look at their work I really study their strokes and try to figure out how they made them. I take what I like and try to add it to my own work. Also if you are interested in pen and ink you might try this book It's older but super helpful.

ArtofAleksey

ArtofAleksey

@evilrobot cool thanks for the tips. Yeah i checked that out it was a helpful exercise. Ive also seen that book before! With me it’s just practice at this point. Im gonna see if i can find that book used on ebay

Kat

@NessIllustration me too - I don't want to start something that I can't participate in all the time LOL! Well, maybe someone will do so, or at least challenge themselves to the task and then share their wonderful creations for us to enjoy.

Kat

@Aleksey :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_smiling_eyes: Love it!

Back in 2005/2006 when I started making my own art after leaving college, I took 5 artists who I loved so much and I studied their work. My five artists were Andy Warhol, Norm Breyfogle, James Jean, Jack Kirby and Brian Bolland. I look at what they did with their lifework, tones, shade and energy. I also looked at how their work made me 'feel' LOL. And that's where I sorta built my style from. But I also drew an awful lot, for nearly a year. I was pumping out the really obvious stuff. And eventually I started to enjoy what I was making.

ArtofAleksey

@lovetherobot this made me happy, I’m glad you started to enjoy what you were making. I am starting to get there.