Q: I've been a doodler and cartoon sketcher all my life, but I've never really had my own style. In middle school, I mimicked anime. In high school, I mimicked Penny Arcade's style. Now after college, I mimic whatever style I feel like at the time. What this means though is that while I can draw anything from looking at a reference (whether it be realistic or cartoon-like), I've never been able to develop my own style of drawing or been able to capture the images I have in my head. I've always needed some reference point to draw from. Do you guys have any advice for how an artist can develop their own style? Is it just a matter of practicing without looking at a reference? What are your thoughts?
A: There are two questions here. The first is about deveopling a personal style and the second is about the use of reference. Let's discuss them in order.
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Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 9:50AM