Ever since freshmen year at college, I have been wrestling with my drawings and myself. As weird as it really is, my biggest struggle hasn’t necessarily been creating art (though sometimes that is the hardest thing for me to do), it has been trying to grasp the idea of finding what my artistic style is.
Since day one of art classes I have taken during my time here, professors have been pressing us to figure out our own unique style. The emphasis, according to one professor I have had, should be on discovering the way you draw and the way you create. “It separates you from everyone else and you need to find it now to really hone in on it by the time you graduate. The goal is to have someone who barely knows you say, “Oh, yes. So and so drew that.” Think of it like how we know a Glen Keane drawing and an Eric Goldberg drawing. You must be that unique in order to succeed.”
For the longest time, I have struggled with this concept of defining my art style. And it wasn’t until last week when I had a sudden epiphany did I truly understand what my professors were trying to tell me. Though, despite all of this, I once again have more questions than answers.
In college we are told to be unique art students, with our own unique art style. But for those in animation, how can we truly be unique in a project that requires us to conform and draw like everyone else? How can we have our own unique style when we are told to duplicate?
Taking Art to the Next Level 