How do you create...?There are many artists out there whom I idolize. I admit, I have subconsciously and even intentionally tried to emulate their style and/or ideas. I would take something of theirs and attempt to mold it out differently in hopes I would make my own piece unique. I try so hard to make it [style, idea] divert from that artist, but still, there is always a suspicious remnant. I am perhaps...too dependent on these artists. If I never have been 'inspired' by them, my artwork would be virtually nothing, just dead.
As I continue to look at my idols' work, I am beginning to feel apprehensive that I am abosrbing their characteristics too much and subconsciously incorporating it into mine. The solution...maybe I should cease watching these artists - therefore, i can't leech off anything because I have stopped absorbing. The problem..now what? How do you create something with an extinct inspiration? Is it sad that I cannot function without them? It is their work that motivates me to draw more (hmm..that and music, films, literature etc).
I realize I am damaging these artists and damaging myself as well. I have deprived myself from independent evolution. I've stripped myself from an actual identity. i need to figure out how to evolve my own way and develop something personally unique. I feel like I have to quit all my work in progress art because of that lingering 'other artist' presence. I think I might even be hesitant to start drawing anything because of this paranoia.
a dismay...i don't know who i am.
i seem to draw with an imprinted function. must stop.
how? how? how do you artists develop your own unique style? I know many artists are inspired from others, but still, these artists manage to have prominent qualitites that differ from others.
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and on a totally different topic: i would like to say that i utterly regret creating the online alias name of 'drakonshie'. i wish i could change it - but that would mean i would have to change my other accounts. and that would cause confusion X.x (wow...if i had my own unique style - i wouldn't need a consistent alias to distinguish who i am)
i've been on dA for what..at least 2 and a half years so far. i started becoming serious in my art in 8th grade. still haven't been productive much. it amazes me how some artists manage to create massive numbers of image in short time. (regardless that they have jobs, college, lives etc) I don't have much of a life, but still - i just don't seem to find enough time to work on my art. i am currently a high school senior, and i'm about to go to college so...i definately will be less productive on my art.
Devious Comments
In response to your main question: How do artists develop their own unique style?
For me, it has always been what I want to portray with my work. I don't want to be spending tedious amounts of time working on something so realistic and perfect, and decided to work with a simpler style that would have some realistic values to it. With this decision, I chose to work mainly with anime/cartoon like figures, but with the correct proportions and so on so forth. I enjoy viewing my style of art as unique; it is a mixture of both realistic and anime/cartoon-like art. I may not have honed it to where I'd like it to be, however so far I feel I've done it justice.
The hardest part about being a "unique artist" is indeed finding your own voice. Fan and fan objects are, incidentally, a good way to practice finding that voice. Look into what you like. What you don't like. What you find to be “easy on the eyes,” what you feel is beautiful and what you feel isn't entirely appealing to you. Are you in the fantasy genre? sci-fi? Futuristic? Do you like cave paintings or Picasso? Would you prefer a beautiful and soft painting by Monet or an abstract Pollock? What do you want to say with your work? What kind of message do you want to tell people with your work? Which ones mean the most to you? Finding your voice is tough, but find out what you really like and what you want to portray/convey first. What aspects of your idols do you like the best? Is it the style? Is it the coloring technique that they used? The way they have drawn the expressions? Or maybe you simply liked the poses and wanted to draw something similar.
I am in art college, and my schedule can get pretty tough with all-nighters and occasional doses of caffeine. But that does not give me an excuse to not draw for myself at least once per week. I draw constantly. I have art on the brain. I have been drawing seriously since the 6th grade. Drawing has actually been a challenge for me, and I can understand your frustrations well. I can't see as much as I would like, and thus in a way I've felt stunted. I've felt frustrated and angry. I've felt like I wanted a million daggers to stab all the wonderful artists in the world because of their creative genius, imagination, and skill.
On your name – I actually like it. It may not be entirely original in a sense, but the spelling makes it memorable and reminds people of the fact that you do like to draw dragons and draconic figures. I have a tendency to think of names; it took me ages to think of one for a Paintchat name, “HikariAkuma” and all the other names that I have used online. For example, for a number of years I was known online as “Mikora” (still am in some places to some people). After quite a few years, I bored of it, and changed it. It took me awhile, but I finally made a new name for myself.
Remember that practice makes perfect, and that you will improve. As time comes and goes, your speed, craftsmanship, decision making, anatomy, and ability to make your work “believable” will all grow. It won’t be right away, but if you want concrete example on improvement, look at the drawings you have now and the drawings when you first started. If they’re not drastically different, then either you haven’t been drawing long or you haven’t practiced enough. You might not be drawing professional drawings any time soon, but know that with each drawing you make you are getting closer to what you would like your art to be. I’ve worked hard at developing my style for years, and I am very much pleased with the progress that I have made. I did not automatically get at the level I am at from day one; I had to work hard to get here, and the fact that I did will not be taken away from me. I still have lots to improve on, but so far I’ve made good work. I didn’t use to draw every day, but I do now and this has, little by little, improved my work faster than I could have ever imagined. I look back at drawings I did just a year ago and wonder why I called it “good.” I look back at my first drawings and... well, let’s just say I don’t look back at them often for fear of burning my eyes.
In any case, despite your frustration, you have at least found something you DO like amongst what you call a lie. From your gallery it is obvious that you adore dragons and the fantasy genre. (Dragons are hella cool.) This is a start. Focus on what you DO have with you. Like dragons? Create a few. Study dragon sketches. Particularly liked a certain pose? Try it for yourself. There's no shame in trying to find your own voice by looking at other people's work. However, it's important to remember to distance yourself sometimes; you don't want to copy their voice.
To copy or not to copy? You must find the in-between of the two; to look at your idol’s work and borrow an idea or two but not do it too often. If you feel like stealing a pose then give credit. You don’t have to cut yourself off entirely just to find a part of yourself. You are you. Your voice is lurking inside. Even if you traced something, it would still hold a part of you. The style would most likely be not at all your own, but there are still elements in every one of your art pieces that defines you.
Look around you. Observe even the simplest of objects. What inspires you? What makes you think? One of the biggest motivators for me is the sky. It is breathless; it changes every day at will and is always beautiful. It never stays the same (save for cloudless days) and is always moving, changing, breathing, living. I have my own sky stock photos in my computer. Though some of the pictures suck, it’s still something for me to look at and think.
The thing is, if you keep looking up and never look elsewhere, you will never feel like you’re getting anywhere. It’s just the sky. If you only want to slice through the sky, you’ll never enjoy the scenery around you. Don’t keep looking at how great everyone else is; that would only hinder you more. Look at your own art. What do you like best about it? Is it the feeling you put into it? The toning? The line art? The way you drew a claw or arm? Or perhaps it was the composition of a particular piece? Believe it or not, there are good aspects to your work. For example, I really love the way you draw dragon wings and the amount of detail you put into your work. For example, [link] and [link] It looks tedious, and I’d imagine it to be, and it looks fucking awesome. Your coloring isn’t half bad either. Just because you don’t get 100 comments every day doesn’t mean your art sucks. The best way to get comments is to give them. It takes awhile, but after awhile they do start coming in.
Don’t give up because you feel your art is horrible and deteriorates people’s vision. It takes much time and practice to get to the skill and level you want it to be. You won’t automatically get popular no matter how good your art is. Everyone has the potential to do better, but it’s really about whether or not if you’re willing to chase after what you’re looking for.
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It's all just a beautiful lie...
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