Look Back to See Your Artistic Style!
We often search for something new: new art techniques, new ideas, new approaches. When I pulled out a worn-out cardboard box filled with my old drawings and paintings, they all felt very familiar at first. I saw only the obvious: a skill level, a theme or technique. But when I stopped looking at the pieces individually and started grouping them, new insights occurred.
1) Look for Repeating Elements and Themes
In 1988, when I was 19 years old, I made a watercolor painting called “Self-Portrait as an Artist.” Soon after that, I went to study computer engineering, and art didn’t seem so important anymore. But now, when working full-time in art, I love to compare these two paintings. There are 27 years between them, but they still relate to each other. It is interesting to see how my understanding of being an artist has changed. The importance of ideas, visions, and expression has grown, and the ego and stereotyped appearance have shrunk. I see similarities too: color choices, dynamic lines and dramatic atmosphere, foundational elements of my artistic style.
If you are hoping to find a new style, it is easy to miss that most of the elements are already there, just a little bit of fine-tuning is needed!
2) Combine Past Ideas
In 2007 I began studying industrial design. One of the courses taught us to draw various materials like glass, wood and plastic. After seven years I realized that I could use that kind of imitations for more expressive art too. I could play with the proportions and compositions. I also understood that I could use the things learned in the past, more widely and more freely. Instead of having only some ideas and simplifying those, I can have hundreds of ideas and combine most of them!
If you don’t know what to create next, combine what you have done before to a single artwork!
3) Embrace Your Roots
In 1985 I made this watercolor painting and remembered my family liking it. For me, it was important that this image came out of my imagination, it wasn’t made by following a photo or anything. It was born surprisingly easily, and I felt a bit puzzled: “So quick, and everybody likes it!”
In 2014 I worked with a similar theme and again, with watercolors. This painting contained more emotion than the old one. This painting was about leaving back a certain phase in life and entering a new one. However, when I look at both of them now, I think about my country, Finland, and its nature. This country is a land of forests and lakes and for Finnish, it is natural to use them as symbols in self-expression too. I can’t escape my roots and the older I become; I don’t even want to.
When you look back at your work, what kind of themes and changes do you see? Could you create collections showing art that tells your personal stories and your journey to your current artistic style? See also the post about stretching your artistic style!
Subscribe to my weekly emails – Get a free mini-course!
Inspirational Adjectives for Your Art
This art journal page is called “Introvert.” I made it while thinking about how much I enjoy spending time alone. My love for sharing and interacting are not the only things that make me; I am also an introvert who needs time to ponder and visualize what’s going on in my inner world. I find it often difficult to express myself in writing, so I like to create an image first and then write down the thoughts. Usually, my thoughts have moved forward and become clearer after processing them visually.
My Inspirational Adjectives
When I begin creating and while I am creating, I often get inspired by single adjectives. The same words continue to fascinate me, at least for a while, before I have found new ones. These words challenge me to both start and finish the artwork.
These are my current adjectives: “imaginative”, “forward-thinking”, “avant-garde”, “visionary”, “historical”, “futuristic”. I am especially fascinated by the words that are somewhat opposites like “historical-futuristic” or which describe a new kind of idea like “forward-thinking – imaginative”. While creating the page, I introduced the word “introvert” and got inspired by the word pair “visionary – introvert”. Brown watercolor felt just the right choice to express those words!
I continued with the black pen, not worrying about what to draw. Namely, it’s difficult to express “visionary” without first having something to look at!
It was a warm summer day, so I took my colored pencils outside and started coloring carelessly.
After a while, I added some watercolors with a thinner brush.
How to Choose Your Words?
Some people think that art is a set thing. But pre-named styles and standards don’t define it adequately. On a general level, yes. But when creating art, your uniqueness should be your standard. Thus your adjectives should be set so that you respond to them emotionally. They should make you feel not only excited but also a little bit scared. For example instead of “caring” you might choose “sensitive” or “connected”. Think about your personality and what you value. Don’t take the first words that come to your mind. Seek for specific words that define the adjectives more accurately.
Express Your Adjectives!
Start seeing and enhancing your words, your personality, and your values in what you create. Whatever your piece looks like when you are in the middle of the creative process, think about those adjectives and find ways to express them.
“Introvert” instantly brought black color to my mind. “Visionary” made me look for circles like eyes. As there’s something mystique in the combination of those adjectives, I set a quite dark and little bit dramatic color scheme.
When you focus on things that excite and scare you, your art becomes more meaningful. It can bring new kinds of thoughts and ideas not only for you but also for others. Everybody doesn’t need to know your adjectives. Art can often be interpreted in many ways. But your creativity is most powerful when it’s focused, and few inspirational words can bring that focus!
Subscribe to my weekly emails – Get a free mini-course!
Are You an Inspiration Seeker, Imitator, Mess Maker or Minimalist?
During the past years I have had the priviledge to get to know many beginning and more seasoned artists. Every person is unique, but there are also common nominators. Based on my experience of teaching art and being artist myself, I created this presentation about four common problems and four common profiles.
When watching the presentation, you might have noticed that I let my minimalist part create it!
>> Inspirational Drawing – Reserve your spot!
My Journey as an Artist
This week I also have a longer video for you. Connie Solera from Dirty Footprints Studio interviewed me on live video! You will get to know few life changing events that gave direction to my art and hear a great discussion between Connie and me about the process of creating art. Watch the interview!
>> 21 Secrets Spring 2015 online workshop, my class included – Buy now!
Why Paint Intuitively?
I have created this artwork using my intuitive painting methods. I had a busy week with many deadlines. Now, on Friday, when I stared at the blank watercolor paper, I felt that working in fast pace had disconnected me from my feelings. But then, this has happened many times before, so I just followed my tricks to get the painting on its way.
In most cases and especially when life gets busy, I choose to work intuitively, meaning that I do not plan the end result. My idea of fully experiencing art is to plan the process, but not sketch or otherwise pre-imagine the end result. I recommend this approach to everyone – at least once in a while. Why?
1) For once, you will let your creativity decide.
For many, this is rare: setting rationality aside. While living a busy life and organizing everyday chores, it is not so easy to suddenly start performing creatively. If your creativity never gets to decide, it might not have anything to say anymore.
When you paint intuitively, you can do against all those dont’s and won’ts that you keep hearing when your rationality is speaking. I find this kind of disobedience and freedom refreshing. It also brings balance to life.
2) You will use colors more creatively.
I often hear people saying that they need to learn more about colors. I used to wonder what it would be – color theories? In the end, there’s not so much to learn to get some results, even if you studied the master of colors Josef Albers and his color theory. But after working with colors and teaching the use colors, I get it: many people use too little variation in color. Color areas look more alive when they are not even. They can also contain controversial and muddy tones; it just makes the bright tones pop.
When you start painting intuitively and do not aim for a certain result, you will more likely get colors mixed together. At the certain point, like me when making this artwork, you might want to decide what your painting represents of. But then your grass will not be green, and your sky will not be blue. (Actually, here it’s vice versa!) Furthermore, there will be much more to look at than big even color areas or evenly spread, individual, same-sized elements that our rational side is so fond of.
3) You will find a fast route to your own style.
After you have practiced working intuitively, you will begin to see similarities in your work. You will get to know the little things your creative side loves. From those, you can start building your own style! Many people think that if they gather images that they are especially fond of, that will make them find their style. But 100 Pinterest boards is nothing compared to practicing intuitive painting. Why?
Because your style is not defined by the things that you love at the moment. First, our desires are often affected by trends and general aesthetics, among other things. Second, we easily admire things that might have some resemblance to our style but tend to take it too literally. For example, I admire very simple graphic patterns. Still, my style is far from that. Someday, it might develop to that. But at the moment, the essence of my art is somewhere else. It might be my love for textiles that trigger the appeal for those graphic shapes.
Paint intuitively, paint naturally!
In the perspective of intuitive (meaning natural), it would be totally wrong to rationally copy the images and then be disappointed not being that good. When you paint starting from your inner world, you will find your own unique ways to self-expression. You will also be able to develop your style in line with the continuous changes that happen in your life.
The intuitive approach also makes painting fun and exciting. In the end, that’s what using creativity is essentially about!
Experiment by using a step-by-step process!
>> Buy Watercolor 101 for Intuitive Painting