Sometimes when I'm working in my sketchbook on the 100 Animals project or last year on the 100 Trees, I feel like there is no consistency between the pieces. I use lots of different media, techniques, styles, and palettes. There are almost no rules! Well, other than creating at least one animal per page.
Artists are encouraged to have a distinct style that is recognizable. So when I feel like I'm all over the map and having an artistic split personality, I remind myself that the whole point of the sketchbook project is to experiment and be playful. I do enjoy taking favorite pieces and reworking them into a more finished series after the fact. I've had so many ideas that came from experiments in my sketchbook! And yes, I could do the work on my own without sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, and my website, but posting it every time holds me accountable to the project in a way that I wouldn't be if I didn't share the pages. So if you are considering a sketchbook project, I definitely encourage you to do it! I've learned so much and had so much fun!
But back to consistency. Even though I try so many different things, I like to think there are some links between all of the different pages. There are favorite themes and favorite colors that pop up a lot. There's a sort of style that hopefully travels from image to image just because each was made by the same person. It's really interesting to think about the themes and styles that are consistent throughout your work. Knowing what those are helps you decide what you want to spend more time on. Plenty of artists tend to focus really tightly and create similar imagery over and over again. That is too restrictive to me. But I have the opposite problem and could experiment wildly without gaining much focus at all. If you have MY problem, try this:
Write down all of the things you most like to draw. Write down your favorite colors, media, & techniques. Write down the things and ideas that inspire you. And pull from that list over and over again! Part of gaining maturity for any artist is knowing what you are good at, what you like, and gently pushing at the outer edges of those things to introduce variety. I'd love to hear your list if you make one!
Here is my list:
Graphic
Colorful
Peaceful
Happy
Balanced
Nature
Plants
Animals
Birds
Printmaking
Paint
Pattern
Blue
Black Line
Sky
Stars
Story
It's an interesting phenomenon that we as artists often feel "all over the place" with our styles. But when I see your art in your different styles, I still see YOU! And maybe it's because of all the traits you identified that are common threads. Hm, I'll try me: girls, whimsy, colorful, detailed, glowy sometimes. Um, that's all I have! :)
ReplyDeleteWell, your art may be glowy only sometimes, but you are ALWAYS glowy!! ❤️
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