If you have a question that hasn’t been answered but you think it may fit on this page, don’t hesitate to Ask Me Anything!
Better question, why don’t you? Since heritage cannot be faked and the best art comes from being true to oneself, I see no way I could be anywhere else and create at my highest level. But I’m probably just deceiving myself – the truth probably has something to do with a Jayhawk and Allen Fieldhouse.
This has been the most difficult thing for me to do – ever. I believe the reason it’s so hard for every artist to find “their style” initially is because “style” is merely a substitute word for “me”. Finding out who you are as a person is not confined to artists – it’s every profession, every creed.
I asked myself these questions to find my style:
Do I want to be ethical or rip somebody else’s already awesome style off? Hint: yes to ethics, no to rip-off. I love a lot of other people’s work, you should too. You can copy other people’s style for personal learning exercises, I did it a lot in college. What I believe you’ll always conclude though is that their style is in fact not you and if you trust your instincts you’ll stop your copying exercise right there in the privacy of your studio.
What is it I’m really good at or want to be good at? This should be multiple answers, for me it’s color, texture and pattern. I also love hand-drawn type. Even though it’s seen a boon in popularity, I’ve been drawing type for as long as I can remember.
How can I combine these interests together? This is where the wheels of individuality start turning. Putting the puzzle pieces of your interests together in a complete package. There might be (read: definitely will be) others out there with very similar interests. Once you get this far along the journey, though, it no longer matters. Why?
Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. This one nearly killed me. Artists are pushed beyond belief to be “original”. But being original is as elusive as Big Foot and Nessie. Being yourself is being original, so you’re already there. For those of us living in the 21st century, we have a bounty of great art to look back upon. I believe only the biggest of ego’s feign to believe they’ll do something completely new and original if “originality” is the target they are aiming for. My advice – don’t aim for originality, aim just being good at your craft and greatness, maybe even originality, will come in time.
What subject am I interested in? It doesn’t have to be one, but you should narrow it down. For instance, maybe you shouldn’t want to be a technical medical illustrator and a fashion illustrator?
The final question – how bad do I want this? This is the key and killer in one. I’ve faced more rejection than I ever thought possible. You won’t even hear the word “No” most of the time, usually it’s silence. You’ll doubt your skills, your vision, your talents, everything. If you want it, move forward. If you come to the conclusion that it’s not for you, don’t feel bad. Walk away with what you’ve learned and apply it to a different field, say graphic design. If you can’t seem to comfortably settle on one style consider working at an ad agency that frequently uses illustration. They often require a more jack-of-all-trades approach.
I’m terribly secretive when it comes to work habits. It’s not because I’ve found the secret key to illustration awesomeness and I must keep it all to myself to achieve wealth and happiness beyond Charlie Sheen’s greatest imagination, rather it’s because each and every artist must find their own path. Now this isn’t some “new age” hocus pokus, but a key truth to individuality in art. We all use the exact same tools. How come we don’t all make the same images then? Execution. There is no right or wrong.
I could give step-by-step “How To’s” only for the person executing them to fail miserably. Is it because I’m a terrible illustrator? Is it because the person working through the tutorial has no potential? Absolutely not! What works for me will not work for everyone else.
Also, as artists, our own habits and tricks are what make us unique. I hopefully do things uniquely. Though I may see someone else doing hand-type similarly to how I do, or making use of color/texture like I do, no one uses the exact same combinations in full. Individuality is what separates us all.
That said, I do like showing “Process” posts where I show an evolution of a piece. Post like that don’t give away keys to the kingdom, they just let the viewer peak in through a portal in the front door.
I was taking care of my 88 year old great-grandmother at the time. I felt like that’s where I was supposed to be after college graduation. Both of my great-grandparents were very influential figures in my life while I was growing up so when I saw she was in need I didn’t feel right chasing after my own whims and aspirations.
While I was there every afternoon, I read through her Calorie King book so I knew how to manage her diabetes. It was while I was thumbing through it I had the thought that Delaware looked like a dead fish. I wanted the idea to have a cohesive concept so I started trying to connect the dots, filling in foods for each state (regardless of state export).
It ended up taking me 2 full years. There was a first version where I started finding myself as an artist, then there are the second versions where I felt the idea could benefit from a little polish and commercialization.
Most definitely! I’m always interested in hearing stories of up-and-coming artists and designers who are at the start of their journey. Personal stories really help to. It helps humanize the e-mail/jpg barrage. Feel free to send any links my way, just be patient. It takes me a long time to get through them all. If you don’t hear back from me in 4 weeks, re-send a friendly reminder!
For now, use this form to get in touch: Contact.