Discovering our style - Who's in?

[Zachary Drenski]

@Meta @Heather-Boyd @chrisaakins hi. I'm doing this now too I'll post some studies and my influences here. It would be great to bounce some ideas off of the group

[Inge Permentier]

@Meta I'm in This assignment this month is difficult but i want to do it. and i like it that i don't have to do this all by myself I have done this before but i think i should update it to who i am now.

[Meta]

So great!!! This is a little group now!

[Meta]

So, do I post my dream portfolio here or open another thread ...? Hmm ...

[Heather Boyd]

@Meta you started this thread so by all means post here lols

[chrisaakins]

@Meta on here!

[Meta]

Was just wondering, because @Inge-Permentier opened one for hers A minute, pleeease!

[jakecrowe]

Neat I'm totally working on this myself. I work as a designer/illustrator for a large online printer making templates from business cards to greeting cards and everything in between; requiring me to be well versed in a million different styles bouncing around nearly daily. 12 years of this has caused me to have no idea what MY voice and style is. I've gone through the steps of creating a dream portfolio, I'm working on analyzing the portfolio and would love everyones opinions on commonalities they see in the work, or if you agree/disagree with what I find.

What I've worked out:

Folk Art / Sci - Fi (sometimes both at once!)
Abstract or minimal backgrounds
Analogous colors
A lot of detail
Texture - usually with lines
Monoline

I'm sure there are more things I'm not seeing. I'll reply with some pieces of my own that I like in a few days that hit some of these commonalities. This has already been so helpful in helping to discover my voice.

[Heather Boyd]

@jakecrowe also say solid block colours (with that detail of line on top - like you said). Unless that’s what you mean by monoline, but I’m not sure what that means so that’s why I ask.

[Meta]

@jakecrowe You already pointed out a lot. I would as well say you like secondary colors and their close neighbours. And, as Heather noticed, lineart filled up with color blocks. Very graphic, not painting-style.

[jakecrowe]

@Heather-Boyd @Meta yes I totally see that thank you. By mono line I mean that most of the pieces that have line work don’t tend to vary the line weight very much.

[braden H]

Don't know why this is something I'm actively apprehensive about doing. So i'd better do it.

I'm gonna join in with you guys and give some feedback tomorrow. It'll be a good start to slowvember

[Meta]

Here's my first Dream Portfolio. (There will be a second one with a rather graphic style due to my next goals.) I've sorted it already a bit.
And I see a lot of green landscape with vibrant lighting. Or strong light/dark composition. Rather realistic approach to landscape and human figure. Lot of paint and line.
Ah, and I like many things from disney people!

[Heather Boyd]

@Meta I notice a lot of strong compositional lines, angular and vertical, being main focus like the tree bridge across, and the angles in characters like the elephant.

[jakecrowe]

@Meta I don’t know if I have the language for all of it, but I’m seeing a lot of dramatic lighting.

Also, as far as subject matter goes there’s plant matter in almost every piece! Maybe that’s all coincidence.

[Meta]

@jakecrowe I think it isn't! :face_with_stuck-out_tongue_winking_eye: I like that stuff.

[Inge Permentier]

@Meta Sorry XD i wasn't trying to take away from your thread i just thought this was a thread where people could specify whether they joined or not. That's why i opened a separate one.

[burvantill]

@Heather-Boyd @Meta
Me too! Always.

[Miriam]

@jakecrowe, Along with the texture you mentioned, I'm also seeing a lot of brown & green, and earthy tones. So I'd say a rugged / nature kind of feel.

You mentioned "Abstract or minimal backgrounds", and most of these have a very simple, centered composition.

[Miriam]

@Meta, I agree with the other comments. Something else I noticed is the compositions move the eye all around the page--very quickly for me. Some have a lot of details, while others achieve this effect with the strong lines and contrast in lighting. Also, most of the characters are very engaged and alert. I'm seeing a lot of depth in most of the images.