Artist Insight

Demystifying style and how to use adaptive style elements to expand your creative toolbox

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For many illustrators, the search for a personal style can be disheartening; the idea that a consistent and recognizable style is a prerequisite to becoming a successful illustrator is a stubborn one. But what if we didn’t have to look at style as that perfect uniform filter coloring our portfolio, but rather as a versatile tool to expand our creative possibilities?

According to a recent survey by Ben the Illustrator, 74 percent of the responding illustrators are dealing with mental struggles. Stressing over your style shouldn’t be adding to that. In this article, I hope to share my insights on the matter and show examples of how that search for style can become a liberating process instead of a limiting one.

IN PURSUIT OF MY STYLE

When I was starting out as an illustrator, I struggled with the feeling that because my work didn’t have a singular consistent style I wouldn’t become successful. I’m the kind of illustrator who loves to do a bit of everything: I enjoy illustrating sensitive or poetic topics as much as I do lightening up the pages of a dry financial article.

Because I tend to adjust my use of color and techniques to better fit the topic at hand, this left me with a body of work that was diverse in topic and style and didn’t look at all like those perfectly curated portfolios you’d come across on Instagram or Behance. I constantly felt inadequate and frustrated, going back and forth between either focusing on only one type of work or forcing one consistent style on each individual subject. As a result, I was limiting my expression. Chasing a unique style to become a better illustrator actually sabotaged my progress.