I'm just curious since I see so many people metioning that a majority of us, if not all of us have an actual "style." So what I'm curious about is, what defines "style" in your minds?Is it something that comes with experience in life?Drawing?Or is it just something that comes naturally that as soon as you put your pencil on paper (only an example of many possibilities) it's your "own style"?

*Please comment before reading the following of my opinion, so there isn't any biased opinions if you choose to reply*

-Personally, I think it's rare for people still young as most of us here to even have a definite style with little experience compared to the masters.And an important part of this is that you want a distinguishable style that you can enjoy drawing and is recognized.I know my art professor said that even he does not have a definite sense of style yet and that it comes with broad experiences in the art field.Although some of you here I see look like they have a certain sense of style developing, I don't think there are quite as many people here with actual style as some of you may be thinking.

Edit: And just another thought here but, you guys really shouldn't rush into finding a style of your own.The best results will probably come with time and experience.

I didn't read this whole thing, Gig, sorry but... my style personally is... anything goes... depending on the mood.

Well, I kinda meant more like how you draw an image out, rather than what your images are about...

http://cellosoft.com/2draw/view/35441/ <--- I believe we've had this discussion before.

To me style is just the way you look at things. However you draw something, it's your interpretation of it. You can interprete it in different ways, depending on what kind of feeling you want the image to portray. I like to pretend I don't have a style, I try to draw things in a lot of different styles, because I enjoy so many styles just differently. It's frustrating because I can see it in my head but it rarely turns out that way on paper.

I don't like it when an artist has a set style, and that's it. That's all they draw. Ever. Do they remember how they even got to that style? What their drawings looked like before they developed it? Their style could have gone in so many directions but instead they limit themselves, I feel.

Well, nuff rantin, now I will read your opinion. :D

Hmm....somehow I missed that post.Should I delete this post?

I guess in the most convenient terms and the broadest definition, the majority of my stuff would probably fall under something along the lines of four parts loose, one part effort with a dab of detail and a side of I don't give a shit.

same rule applies where I'm concerned

Hum......style.......my style is......ummmm...........I'm not really sure, that's a good question.

Its just the way people colour or use colours to create a drawing and stuff like that to me :S

I think some people honestly have there own style here. MOST people that go here just try to copy a style and go on with it forever. I was once that way, but I think i've grown out of having someone else style, atleast on 2draw. Most people that can't answer the question or aren't sure mostly don't have there own style. Personally, I think anime is all a copy from one thing. Realism is the total opposite. (in my own opinion) Though by saying, masters (assuming there older) People haven't always drawn on the computer, so once programs came out there were hundreds of new styles such as photo manipulating, 3d, and graphical pieces. I think this concept can also be defined in poetry.

I think a style is where it looks generally the same. Like.. you draw the eyes and the nose and the face the same way.. and you shade and color the same way, etc.. I don't know.. @__@ I can't really explain it. But I know what I mean.

Yes, you're correct in some aspects. For instance, painting, the style of brush stroke. For pencil drawing, the way you make detail, shading/lighing, and style..

I think that almost everyone has a unique style. From advanced artists to not advanced artists. If you are a creative, imaginative kid, you probably started drawing things that you had never seen. I am pretty sure I have had a 'style' since I first picked up a pen, because I just tried to draw what I imagined inside my head. Even though, in the end, there are only so many different mediums and techniques to use, you can usually tell who drew what. You can see the difference between Picasso and Van Gough. You can see the difference between Crimson King and Derrrick Ewing. All four of these people have unique styles. And so do many more.

Some kids don't have a style. becasue you're right, it's all copied. These are the kids who never learned to cultivate their imaginations becasue instead of playing with regular toys, they grew up with the tv on and the toys with lights and whistles that take all the imagination out of it. When they say they have made up a character for their 'manga,' it looks anything but original.

It's fun to be fluent in drawing techniques, but it isn't necessary to be able to do so. For me, drawing is the best way to express imaginative ideas, and sometimes I wish I had more ability to draw realism, but drawing realism doesn't really interest me. Instead, I choose to practice and improve upon whatever it is I feel like drawing. In fact, I only decide what I am going to draw ahead of time less than one percent of the time. I just like to let it go and see what comes out.

The point of all this, I guess, is that real imagination equals creativity and originality. Influence by great or other artists will make a difference, but doesn't always supercede the original 'style' of an artist.

Again my opinion:

Well, the thing with realism is, I think it's basically the starting point in art.Why do beginning art courses (college courses) start with realism and defining shapes?Because you have to have a very sharp visual and technical skill of drawing reality to draw anything well.Really, it's basically the foundation of art.I mean even the craziest most chaotic looking drawings are probably unconciously inspired by something.So even if it may be of disinterest to you, it can help you in manipulating this so called "foundation" into your very own style.Of course it's everyone's choice to gain the experience, but it will help you in becoming a successful artist.And some of you may not know this, but Picasso is a great realism artist as well...

I agree with quintessence, this has all been discussed before and fairly recently.
Isn't this taking up important bandwidth??
I don't know, maybe its not.....marcello??

Well first, I never got a response after asking about whether I should delete it.Second, Marcello once told me that deleting a picture still takes up the same bandwidth as a posted picture, so I assume it's the same with a thread.Third, people are actually responding and bringing up different points so I don't see what's wrong with it being up (better to keep it up and discuss, than throw away where it collects dust if it takes up the same amount of room either way).Fourth, people are always deleting pictures, so one forum post is not a huge threat to 2draw collapsing on us sooner.I dunno what the big deal is.

So, style.... is it programmed responces based on experience? I think so.. like anything else.

style is you. it's how your arm moves, it's how your fingers grasp, it's how your brain thinks and makes connections/recognizes patterns. that's what style is.

It's fun to be fluent in drawing techniques, but it isn't necessary to be able to do so. For me, drawing is the best way to express imaginative ideas, and sometimes I wish I had more ability to draw realism, but drawing realism doesn't really interest me. Instead, I choose to practice and improve upon whatever it is I feel like drawing. In fact, I only decide what I am going to draw ahead of time less than one percent of the time. I just like to let it go and see what comes out.

I'm with ya mate! Amen.

What is style? How do you define style? It's just in you. So what if you still can't do anime, realism, (hey art also has sculpting or designing a picture using only orange peels, geez), or do any figure that doesn't look like anything? When you were 5 years old (or whatever age you started drawing), you could only do so much stick figures but you wouldn't be doing those things anymore once you're 50 now, would you? Duh.

Why fuss about style? There are people who do Art because they want to express themselves... through Art. It's not just because 'ohhh they know they're good at it, it's the only thing they're good at' but because they enjoy it.

Although some of you here I see look like they have a certain sense of style developing, I don't think there are quite as many people here with actual style as some of you may be thinking.

Well, didn't you say it is all based on experiences? If style changes throughout the years, then the style NOW would be different from the style in the future. Therefore, you can't exactly say that some people here still haven't had an actual style. And what style? It all depends on the person. Unless they know if they want to express themselves through art because I see some people who only draw because they're bored--like "OK, I'll draw, whatever." There are many new people in here who are not only new to the site but new to drawing online, and even new to drawing (though I do think using pencil and paper is a better start). Basically, all I'm saying is that some people haven't found a style yet.

As for me, well, truth of the matter is, I don't have one yet either. But so what. As long as I keep doing art 'til I live to be 80 then that's when I'll go "Oh yay, now I have a style." lol

How I see it is, that the word style is something you develop on and pretty much the end result of mastering whatever it is you're after.It's what defines your work as an artist and not everyone has.To me, it's like doing something completely new and fresh and doesn't become questionable when comparing two pieces to distiguish the artists.Say you put one of our pictures from 2draw into a 100 other drawings.Could you really tell which of the 100 drawings was his/her drawing?And out of the majority, I doubt this would be possible to do.It is also something to enjoy, but doesn't mean you have to have a style to enjoy it.Do you think an art professor would go through most of the work here and say all of us have a definite style?I highly doubt it, if it were any qualified art professors.As far an imagination goes, that is part of the style you develop, but not all of it.It's your technical execution as well.Here's an example, like I just started guitar recently and I can kinda make up some simple songs but does that mean I already have a style distinguishable from all those crazy top-notch guitarists?I haven't even experienced it enough to understand enough to where I can really get things down.But I still enjoy it anyways.I'm just saying.And don't forget, I said it's my opinion.I can share my view, you can share yours, and you can either take it and explain what you think about it or leave it.I'm not forcing anyone to comment here ya know.

-I think what my main point here is, is that because you attempt realism or anything for that matter, and just because you don't succeed, you shouldn't cover it up by calling it your "style."

Btw, changing subjects here for a sec but anyone miss laurael....?*sigh*....

I think what my main point here is, is that because you attempt realism or anything for that matter, and just because you don't succeed, you shouldn't cover it up by calling it your "style."

OK. That's fine with me. I think you and I were on the same boat on that idea. TheCrimsonKing (he also did this similar topic earlier) mentioned about a "peak" and so I agree with you on most of what you said there. Yes, it not only requires broad imagination but "your technical execution" is important too. And again, like you said, you don't have to have a style to enjoy it. I think every person has their own idea of what "style" should be in Art. I don't think there's any right or wrong answer to this. And you know, you're absolutely right. I think I got a better understanding now after reading your post.

OK so now, I'm pretty much in agreement to your post. And thanks for sharing that little tidbit about yourself (btw, I like learning guitar too).

The part that is highlighted above I also agree with. Some people on here don't have any artistic ability at all, or a small artistic ability, kind of like someone starting out on guitar. But there are a lot of people on here who are good at what they do, and they do it a lot, and I am 100 percent sure I could pick their art out of a hundred other drawings. In fact, isn't that what we do at 2draw? When I 'browse latest' I don't need to look at a name for the art that interests me, I can usually tell right away if its someone who's art I've seen a couple of times. I think that you agree with that.

I guess our only point of contention is just how many people are at that level. Apparantly, you don't believe that you have advanced beyond realism to 'style?' Well, I don't think it's a matter of mastering realism first at all. Are you saying I suck because I can't draw realism?!!! Hehe. I am not interpreting your 'point' as an attack on me, but I will use myself as an example, because I know what I'm thinking when I draw. In school, we have to draw realism; that's true. I agree that it's important depending on what you hope to accomplish through art. However, South Park has a distinguished 'style,' though many would say it sucks, it has obviously worked for them. I have chosen not to pursue realism very hard because I don't really enjoy drawing it. I can't really express my creativity. Through art, my aspirations are to either make animated episodes, or to make children's books. Do I need to go and master realism before I can competently draw the types of things I draw? Surely, it couldn't hurt, I'm sure I could make big strides towards it, but my time might be better used to practice techniques that apply to my STYLE! Yeah, baby, I think I have a style. Even though it has changed a lot over time, and I still have a lot of work to do if I want to make digital art (which to me, is just for fun), there is something there that makes me different from all the other artists. Guess what else? I'm not even close to the best artist on this site, let alone 'out there.' If you believe what I say, then a lot more people out there have styles too.

BTW, put at least one space after your punctuation marks! You're supposed to use two!

Apparantly, you don't believe that you have advanced beyond realism to 'style?' Well, I don't think it's a matter of mastering realism first at all. Are you saying I suck because I can't draw realism?!!!

Dude, whoever said REALISM is ALL THAT????? If someone stated that as a fact, I'd throw a big huge history book at them or something. lol No offense (to you realism pros) but I don't find it at all that great either. Maybe just in this site. I've seen so many advanced pieces that dwells on realism and it's TECHNICALLY great, wow. I used to think that realism was great but it was great to start with. I thought that if I wanted to be good at something I had to keep practicing at it and I also had to look at other kinds of work, but not to compare my work to theirs but to give me an idea of what it is I'm comfortable with doing. After exploring all the different kinds of art, I realised that I had to develop my own ideas too.

HOWEVER... Just because you can attempt on creating an exact copy of a real thing, and that it proves you have that kind of skill, does not make it a master piece in Art. (yes, bring in the tomatoes, people) The point that I was trying to make was that style doesn't come from what 'kind' of Art you do, it's about how well you express yourself in Art and it doesn't just take 10 years (unless if you're a prodigy like Akiane) to figure out your "style." But the thing is, you can't be certain that you've found your style, let's say "digital art" when you know that it had "changed a lot over time." Basically, what I'm saying is that (I guess my lines are getting redundant) once you've had years of experience, you'll soon discover it. I don't think I've found mine, 'cause I'm only 18 and well, I still have much to learn about these things. You can do digital art and that's great--duh, it's still Art! Just remember, Art is a think-outside-the-box thing. lol Like music.

I don't necessarily think realism is "all that." It's more like as an artist, you're expected to have at least a decent grasp of it, so that all you draw doesn't turn out from lack of understanding shapes and forms of reality (highlights on a face would be one of those major pointers). And realism isn't all about getting a copy of something on paper. I dunno if people realize it, but it teaches your eyes to observe well (being one of the most beneficial things you get out of it anyway). You learn how to estimate and approximate settings of what goes where, from what shape and in what form. I wouldn't say they are masterpieces, but they ARE good practice for sure. I think that realism masters on this site do know this....and if they don't, then they better find out ^^;...

first of all excuse my english, if the ideas don´t go clear :) [don´t speak english]
The research experiments and theories about drawing, says that draw in realistic way it´s a PHASE, that you have to pass aprox. at the age of 10 or 12 and it has 3 relevant aspects; 1) you learn to see better and deeply.(fortunately it is transfered to the observer too)..... 2) you acquire a kind of self confidence in your creative capacities. (plenty examples of this can be found over the comments of the people here).....and 3) because of the before two aspects, you learn how to get a different way of thinking to get creative and intuitious among the ways you solve problems.(all kind)
So, i think it´s a really good practice and ending as well. But not "mandatory" to anybody to be able to draw or make art pieces.

Like Christy says there HUGE history books with excellent examples about it, Jackson Pollock, Joseph Bueys....Francis Bacon never get a class, he only needed a view to the picasso´s work and begin to work in his own art, all the cinetics, all the abstracts, and so on and on and on....just a addition to the thread. :)

About the style thing, i think it´s like a photograph...i mean when you name a style you are naming only a certain space and time about something, in my humble opinion, people around the artists made up the style, it´s the way they see your work that received the name not the work itself.

I think everythng is a style O.o; i just thought then, but anime can get copied a LOT however i just make my pictures up in my head, i usually draw fantasy things on paper because im a better drawer on paper lol