Comments on: How to Find Your Own Style

By: Wouter Tulp

Wouter Tulp — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:57:57 +0000

Hi Thomas. Thank you very much for the post on this subject. I have been in illustration for ten years now, and I find myself exploring all kinds of styles and techniques. It was actually quite refreshing to read that you encourage people to try many different things to find their own styles. I do so many different things, and I like all of them, so working in one style always feels very limiting to me. Your view on this is going the opposite direction, and that is, as I mentioned, very refreshing to me.
Techniques can be studied and copied. It is very useful to experiment with many techniques and media. But in the end I think vision is even more important. Why would someone want to hire YOU and not someone else, that can also make illustrations using the same technique…
So how do you find out what you are about? What is it that you want to communicate with your art. I think that your style becomes more personal when you put your heart and peronality in it.

By: Jennifer Smith

Jennifer Smith — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:20:28 +0000

I find myself consistently trying to figure out my own style. I love so many styles, and feel I’m all over the place. Right now I’m a student so I’m forced to try different techniques that I’m not used to, which is good. I’m trying to get it through my head that if I stop worrying about it, I will actually start to see my style develop, but comparing my work to other illustrators starts to bring up anxiety about what makes my work me.

By: Thomas James

Thomas James — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:12:05 +0000

Thanks Tony! Welcome to EFII. Any requests for future topics?
Thomas

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:17:45 +0000

I can’t thank you enough for putting together this site. I have just found it today and from the little I have read, it will be a true source of knowledge and inspiration. I am a student and have recently made a career change at 43, to become a web and Interactive designer ( scary ).
Thanks again for sharing :)

By: Chelsea Conlin

Chelsea Conlin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:06:43 +0000

That’s definitely something I need to work on. D:

By: Camilla

Camilla — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:51:13 +0000

I agree, this stuff is all very inspiring. I find the article about the importance of working on “Personal Projects” when you spend too much time on client work is useful, too. And it applies to more than client work. I am at college, and as much as we are given free reign on our “self initiated project”, once you’ve chosen your theme you have to stick with it, and I find myself having all sorts of new and interesting and diverse ideas that I can’t use in the SIP, so time management is even more important if I don’t want to feel stifled by the project work.
It’s all about balance.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:38:54 +0000

I find the information you put on your site invaluable. Thank you for being a beacon of finely illustrated light.