How to Develop Your Own Art Style

I’m a self-taught artist who loves sharing tips and tutorials for painting with watercolor and gouache, and using the Procreate app on the iPad.

Get easy tips to develop your own art style. These fun experiments will help you discover your art creation process.

watercolor and gouache painting of watermelon slices in sketchbook

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I need to start this post with a caveat: Your style will continue to evolve as you practice. So, even if you figure out your style today, it may look different in the future.

Don’t get hung up on it. Just keep creating.

These tips work for traditional or digital art. Try different digital brushes to try new styles.

How to Develop Your Own Art Style

When you’re starting out, developing your art style can be difficult. Here are some tips to get started.

Choose 3 Words that Describe Your Art

I recently saw a viral TikTok series about describing your fashion style in 3 words and realized that it can apply to pretty much every aspect of your life.

Most likely, the first word will come pretty easily to you; the 2nd word will feel a little generic, but you may struggle with the 3rd word. The 3rd word can be your aspirational word.

Another way to narrow it down is to think about words that DON’T describe your art style.

Here are a few words to get you started:

Playful
Realistic
Whimsical
Edgy
Colorful
Muted
Monochromatic
Dreamy
Magical
Moody
Serious
Cute
Abstract
Nature-based
Textured
Multi-media

My own art is playful, cute, and colorful. It’s NOT serious or realistic.

Look for Inspiration

If you’re having trouble coming up with those three words, it’s time to look for inspiration.

Make a board on Pinterest (it can be private if you want) and find art you like and feel is a style you want to go in. (This is not about copying other people’s artwork. You’re trying to learn from it.)

Pin as many images as possible. Ideally, you need at least 20, but I recommend saving way more. Pin images that evoke feelings and even color palettes that you like.

When you’re done, look at them as a whole and try to figure out what they have in common. Is it the color palettes, the linework, the subject matter, the art media used, or other elements?

Do you feel like they represent you as a person and, in turn, your art?

What do you like about these images? What can you incorporate into your own art?

Experiment

Experimenting is the best part of art. I love spending several hours playing with different art supplies and color schemes.

Different Media

Try painting the same subject in different media and media combinations. Pick something that you’re comfortable drawing and painting.

Try to stick to similar colors so that a bad color scheme doesn’t influence your opinion.

paintings of strawberries in different media

Here are some questions to ask yourself.

What media do you like the best?
Which media is the most fun to use?
What are you comfortable with?
What do you want to get better at?

Are there media types that you don’t like? What do you not like about them?

Experiment with different media combinations, such as adding ink and colored pencils to watercolor paintings.

By the way, it’s okay to like more than one thing. You will find other ways to unify your art.

Different Styles

Try out different styles for your art. You can use one subject again to try it out.

Styles can include realism, cartoonish, anime, illustrative, or even abstract.

Different Subjects

It’s also fun to try out different subjects.

I used to really love florals, but then I decided to try drawing and painting birds. From there, I discovered that I really love drawing animals, even if they are a bit silly-looking.