Discovering our style - Who's in?

[Zachary Drenski]

I spent way too long on this :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_cold_sweat:

So, I thought I knew myself better, but this turned out much different than I thought.

I am noticing a bunch of stuff that I've written down but it's a long list and you all don't have to point out any commonalities that you see. I thought instead I'd talk about how I came up with this grouping and would be interested in hearing how you picked yours.

I set 2 rules and I wonder what you guys think about them? The first rule was that I would only choose published picture book illustrators (admittedly, I don't know what Ilaria Zanellato does but she looks the part and I love her work).

The second rule was that I would only pick one piece from each artist. I did that so that I would be forced to choose only art that I really love and with a wider range of artists I thought it would be easier to find common themes and techniques that represent what I want to do.

Also, 1% doubt and it was out. I cut a lot of great stuff but my gut told me it didn't belong. (Wipes sweat from brow) I'm done now, right? Oh yeah, now the hard work begins

[Heather Boyd]

@Zachary-Drenski

I cannot give solid advice on how I choose because I am on my 3rd instalment yet interestingly enough my 3rd is more similar to my first, I think if I can remember.

But I sort through like you said one artist per work.

I also choose based on what I would actually do or wish I had done as close as possible. However I tend to gravitate to how the work is done style wise not style and content. Like my newest portfolio WIP has a very collage style work which I really like strangely enough but the content/subject matter is a ship which I would not necessarily have gravitated towards, if that makes any sense. I also like science fiction content but have yet come across the style I gravitate towards within that subject. Maybe I am not looking in the right place.

And lastly, elements in children’s books that I want to be foundational. So to name 3 absolutes: playful ( when I think of kids, playful comes to mind first), tactile (collage or pencil process visible) and simple (what I’ve learned from life, focus on what’s really important), this idea is a WIP too.

And because lastly clearly wasn’t last, I look back at what I naturally gravitate too and like and find similar work.

Oh and poor Jake Parker, he’s going to feel left out.......... jks

[Zachary Drenski]

@Heather-Boyd collage work is awesome so run with it! It sounds like you are in an advantageous place to possibly bring something new to the sci-fi world. Oh, and Jake Parker will be fine. He's shows up in everyone else's dream portfolios 🥳

[chrisaakins]

Hi, everybody, I have been out for a few days due to family medical issues. But I did get a chance to create my dream portfolio and compare it to my actual portfolio. I went ahead and posted it as a separate entry for space's sake under Akins Dream portfolio exercise. If you could take a look at it and give me some feedback I would appreciate it.
I will be taking the next few hours looking at your posts now that I have a sec or two to think.

[chrisaakins]

@neschof I love your dream portfolio. I see a whole lot of lines used as texture and pattern and a lot of expressive movement. Your dream portfolio reminds me a lot of Matisse's work and has a playful feel to it.

[chrisaakins]

@Braden-Hallett Hey Braden...stop overthinking it.

[braden H]

@chrisaakins said in Discovering our style - Who's in?:

@Braden-Hallett Hey Braden...stop overthinking it.

Can't stop

[braden H]

So I got my 'dream' portfolio together and answered the questionnaire. It yielded some interesting results and a vague direction to head in order to fix some problems I got goin' on.

That' being said I think I'm gonna have to do this again.

My method for finding dream pieces was trawling pinterest since, really, my artistic 'heroes' are few and far between and I've really NEVER asked myself 'so what DO I want this to look like?' This meant that I picked a whoooooole bunch of images that I liked and am drawn to, but not many that I actually want my art TO look like.

I guess what I'm saying is that one week isn't enough time for me to gather images (found a good 80, paired it down to 20), but I'm gonna press forward anyways At the very least I've got some good direction to go in even if I need to do this again.

[Miriam]

@Braden-Hallett said in Discovering our style - Who's in?:

How is everyone here FINDING their dream portfolio images.

I find images different ways. I have a Pinterest account, so I just pin images whenever I come across something I like, or that looks interesting to me.

I collect images from Google searches, Pinterest, things I see on SVS or Instagram, & just sites around the internet. When people mention an artist (such as on the SVS forums or on the podcast), I Google the artist & see if I like their style, or see a technique I like about their work. I've also found artists I like by reading books. If I see a picture book or book cover with illustrations I like, I'll look up the artist to see what else they've done. Browsing Goodreads is a good place to see a lot of book covers. I've also taken pictures of textures I see around me, such as a knitted or crocheted pattern on an item in the store.

I have separate Pinterest boards for art that I find inspirational or interesting, and art that I'd like to emulate.

I'm wondering if you might be "trying to hard" & are too focused on finding works to copy. Perhaps you could benefit from allowing yourself to relax more, and try gathering collections on boards for art that you don't necessarily want to copy, or do that style, but just like. You could include photos as well as illustrations. I think if you shift your perspective to looking for things you enjoy & appreciate, you'll end up finding things you want to copy as well.

You might want to go to a library & just flip through some children's books. Or you could try searching online for attributes rather than artists. For example, if you know you like watercolor art, search for that, and look for work to add to your dream portfolio.

[Miriam]

@Zachary-Drenski, Great observations & analysis!

[TessaW]

@Braden-Hallett When I think of you, I think of someone who already has a very distinct style and point of view, and very strong skills to back them up. I'm interested to see what you get out of an assignment like this.

[Miriam]

@Elena-Marengoni, If you see an image you like, but don't have the artist's name, you can use the image to search on Google.

Macs: Control-click on the image (right-click? on PC), then select "Search Google for Image".

Even when it doesn't find the exact image, it provides "Visually similar images" that could be useful.

[Miriam]

@burvantill said in Discovering our style - Who's in?:

If I see something out in the world I try and find it online and then add it in to the dream board.

In case you haven't seen this--for the things you find in the real world, you can take a photo & upload it to Pinterest.
Click the circular "+" button at the lower right of the screen (not sure if this is the same for mobile) & click "create a pin" (I don't know why they make you click twice--there aren't any other options!), and you can upload a photo from your computer to pin on a board.

[Miriam]

@Meta, I just took a look at your Instagram, and your illustrations are really good! I don't know anything about the children's book industry, other than books I've seen, but your art looks like it would be great for children's literature to me.

[Miriam]

@neschof said:

after some brutal culling

:smiling_face_with_open_mouth_closed_eyes: Ha, ha! That's a great description!

@neschof said):

colour....? I'd love some help with this

I don't know much about color, but I am noticing a lot of bright colors, with somewhat subdued saturation. I especially notice the same Pink! in several of these images.

I'm also seeing that most of the images have people or buildings or other human objects. Only a few of them have only animals/nature.

[Miriam]

This post is deleted!

[bugeyefly]

@neschof Did you assemble the two boards at the same time? The second group feels much more of a piece to me than the first one. There are three in there at least that make use of the same complementary colour approach (blue-orange) for their mood. The range and depth of colour is greater in the first group and I can't see a pattern in the colours there.

[Kat]

Hi, all! This is a great thread to follow, and I'm really impressed with how good you guys are at analyzing these collections. I've been trying for months to come up with a dream portfolio (watched Lee's video awhile ago) but I just can't seem to whittle it down to just 20 images. Then I find more....it's a real struggle, but I'm going to keep trying. Anyway, thanks for all the great examples of dream portfolios and analysis - just wanted to thank you all for sharing!

[LauraA]

@neschof Yours really does have a consistent style! I'd call it "fanciful lines." And did you notice how much pink and blue there was?

[LauraA]

@Zachary-Drenski I notice that we like a lot of the same artists (some of yours l like a lot but had to eliminate them in the end, others stayed), but we chose different pieces or styles that, in the end, have a different effect together. It's interesting how people can like the same artist, but get a totally different read on him/her!