note for later

[egypturnash]

semi-rant: "style is a crutch" -> "style is a trap"

getting out of that trap by deliberately pushing away from what's "easy" and into what's hard
yes, everyone does this, every artist had that phase.

what do you always do? stop doing it. maybe you'll come back to it, maybe you won't. when you come back it'll be conscious.

Kill your "style" to save it. If I hadn't done this three or four times I'd still be doing the horrible awkward pastiche of Jim Davis that I had when I was in high school. seriously.

Comments

[kitsunenine.livejournal.com]

What if you've never done anything? Is style still a trap then?

I think this post may be more elegantly put down as 'never rest on your laurels'.

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

Paper cups! Use the bottom of paper cups to paint! That's what everyone should do! I found it at least fun...

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

It's a trap waiting for you to fall into once you start doing things!

This is a specific case of that, really. There are hazards on the path from novice to mastery that I've seen in myself, and in pretty much every artist whose history I've seen. Wander around forums full of beginners and you'll find tons of young artists worrying about their "style". Some search for it, some swipe it wholesale from one other place, some decide they have it and don't have to change ever again. And then every chance to learn something new just bounces right off. I've been there myself, and I rue the time I was stuck in that place.

[jmj20320514.livejournal.com]

I dunno about this one, no matter how many times I hear it.

When developing as an artist, I always understood "style" to be something someone can't help most of the time. Style is the fingerprint you leave behind. You wouldn't tell someone literate that their handwriting needs to change or else they don't grow as a writer (calligraphy is another matter).

On the other hand, people that focus on being a mimic of their favorite artists or themes really don't have much of a style to scrutinize. It's hard for them to understand why drawing perfect anime characters isn't good enough.

I think style is not a crutch or a trap. And when a style is yours, you can make whatever adjustments you like.

As a sidenote, I think this came at an ironic time. I wish I could vary my work more lately, but I'm working on a comic and need to keep things somewhat consistent. I also tend to fascinate myself with comics where the art gets better as the story goes along. Just throwing some thoughts out there. :P

[mister-wolf.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I've always felt that style is pretty much how you cover up for what you can't do. :)

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Once you've figured out ways to make your failings look intentional, you have a "style". Can't get there until you've beat some of your failings into submission and flailed around trying to cover up the ones that won't cooperate!

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

I was thinking more along the lines of 'stop drawing that way you always draw' but that's a pretty good way to make yourself try some totally different solutions too!

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

You might have issue with what someone writes, though!

Style is not always inevitably a crutch or a trap; these short notes are the extreme edge. Style can be a crutch for someone learning, it can be a trap. It can be a problem even when you're a Master; there are some artists who fall apart at the end of their career, with their style still going strong, but the fundamentals starting to collapse beneath that.

I've deliberately chosen the parameters of style for the comic I have in gestation to be flexible for that very reason - I want to be able to keep it fresh and fun to draw over the course of its length. An expressionist approach is great for that, because it gives you the easy out of keying a stylistic shift to a character's mood!

[jirris-midvale.livejournal.com]

I find myself going in cycles with this. I want to learn more things, and glue it to the katamari of my art skills. I keep finding myself doing this number: learn/reinforce something that is a fundamental piece of art knowledge -> adopt a new technique for something I already knew that amounts to a 'feat' -> pick up a new medium/do a bunch of work in a neglected medium -> pass go, collect 200 dollars and start again'

I don't mind this cycle, I just need to hurry it along faster.

For example, this year I studied human faces, and adapted what I learned to drawing cartoon people and furries, then I picked up acrylic paints, which lead to me studying color and brushwork, which I am refining as we speak.