How to find your style as an artist
Many artists struggle to find their unique style - How to overcome this and why is it important
Take a look at any successful artist's portfolio of work, and you will see a coherent look. A professional artist has developed a style, that is why we instantly recognise our favourite artists' work when it pops up on our social media feed, because they have an established style.
So what is an artist's style? First it is not painting the same thing over and over. Artists are creative people and we need to explore and evolve and try new things by experimenting. So we need to get a balance between having a naturally evolving style that will change over time, and working consistently so our work becomes recognisable.
It is also not about the medium or colours we use. Although there may be some consistency, but each artwork will also be unique. Like a lot of landscape artists, I also love to paint seascapes. The colours I use will be quiet different. The mediums change a little as well. I started with acrylics and now almost exclusively use oils, but I will get my acrylics out from time to time - I know acrylics will be more suited to certain paintings. The process and medium will heavily influence the end result, but this is not going to determine your style.
When we start as artists we probably have a different style with every painting - I know I did. That is ok when we are starting out - finding our feet as artists is all about experimenting and finding out what we want to paint, but we must develop our own unique voice. Nothing screams amateur more than an artist with numerous styles. When we want to start selling our work we need a coherent look. Our customers need to connect with us and our work before buying from us. A lack of focus is just too confusing.
So how do we find our style? If you are struggling with this ask yourself the following: What are you passionate about? What fascinates you? What drives you to paint what you do? Fully understanding what and why we paint is the key to unlocking our unique style.
If you are an artist who has not found your unique style yet, then keep experimenting and it will emerge, and when it does, recognise it and consciously work on your establishing your style with each new piece of art.
Having a consistent style does not mean painting the same thing over and over. Like many artists, I love to paint landscapes and seascapes.
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