Ok…read that one more time. This wonderful quote by Ernst Haas, encapsulates my philosophy on style. So many of us, as we begin our creative journey, wonder “What is my style?” or “How do I get a style?” or we demand of our inner artists – “Figure out what my style is!” I have had artists convey to me a desperate need to seek this out, to discover the secret of style! I’ll share with you what I share with anyone who asks.

The secret to discovering your style is to discover yourself. Period.

Well…that sounds well and good but how the heck do we do that? I mean self discovery is a lifelong process right? Yup. It is. So we are discovering our style for our entire lives? Yup. Bingo. You see, in my opinion, style evolves as we evolve. Style unfolds and permeates our work as we unfold.

Let’s break this down a bit…

STYLE & INFLUENCE

Typically, you don’t start off with a distinctive style. You are new to creating. You are open. You are childlike and full of excitement, trepidation and awe at all the colors, paints, mediums, papers, markers, pens etc. Right? We all know this beautiful stage of initiation. You hoard art supplies, getting your hands on as much as you can. You start to take classes or obsessively watch YouTube videos. You watch eagerly as others create, observing their every move. You want the exact brush they use. You NEED the exact color blue. That special paper. You gather your supplies and your courage. You find your favorite artists and teachers. You obsessively create Pinterest boards or scroll through their Instagram feeds. You feel inspired! Lit from within at the possibility of creating your own artwork!

Finally you sit down, all your materials laid out like a surgeon. Your blank page stares back at you. You begin to make those first hesitant marks…you might be following along with a lesson or a book or just going for it, free form BUT you have been touched by your teachers or the artists you have admired. You most likely will see their influence in those first pieces. We learn by imitation. Just like a child will mimic the sounds you make to say their first words. As new artists, we copy. It’s just a fact. When the great artists of history were being trained they worked under other Masters and they often were tasked with creating studies. They would sit in the Louvre and paint for hours copying the Masters that came before them.

So, if you are feeling guilty or shameful about being so strongly influenced by your teachers and other artists – I tell you now – Don’t. Own your influences! When you create a study from one of your influencers, tell people who it is you are studying. Tag them if appropriate. Thank them for helping you learn. Know, that as you grow other art will influence you. Other artists will spark ideas within you. Art always comes from Art.

Eventually, as you discover more about how and why you create, your influencers will blend and meld with your own touch. Your style will bloom from the fertile ground of all you’ve learned from and all you’ve unearthed within yourself.

STYLE & EXPERIENCE

You want to find your style? Ok great…well, get ready to work your tail off. Style evolves as we show up and create consistently. As you learn techniques and enhance your skills you discover your relationship with different mediums. The way you apply the paint with your brush will be unlike anyone else. The way you interact with the clay before you will be your unique language of touch. Your pencil marks, clumsy at first, will become honed and natural with practice. With experience comes ease. With ease, more of yourself can spill into your work. With experience comes trust and confidence, cultivating these helps you express your truest self. Your truest self is your style.

Gaining artistic experience requires you to open your eyes. See the world through your artist’ eyes. It means seeing for the first time – color, light, form, emotion, beauty, pain. Art requires you to open your mind and your heart. It demands you to step into vulnerability. It insists on you looking within yourself and embracing ALL that resides there. Remember…your style is WHO you are. The answers are inside.

So show up and practice and toil if your truest desire is to make art. Push through the difficulty, the frustration, the fear, for on the other side of this is a world of color, expression, healing, joy and love. Art is worth every amount of struggle. Push on my friends. We are on this journey together.

As we approach a more solid understanding of our own style we may feel drawn to the idea of creating a “body of work”. This is a natural progression and one that can further our style’s strength and illuminate its more subtle characteristics.

In the past, I have worked with a few students to help facilitate this process and I wanted to share these actionable steps with you.

Get a dedicated journal or sketchbook for this process.

1. Print out the pieces of art you created recently (in the last 6-12 months that brought you the MOST joy)

2. Identify and write down what about these pieces made you so happy… e.g. the realism, or lack of, the color palette, the style, the techniques. Write down five things for each piece.

3. Now see if there is a pattern or connection here….are they mostly realistic or are they mostly florals? etc…

4. Write down the unifying aspects…..e.g. Limited Color palette, florals, realistic (try and find 3-4 unifying aspects)

5. Commit to creating a series with these aspects. Make your series say 4-10 pieces…you can vary the size and even the medium somewhat but stay within the core aspects you defined. Write down a DEADLINE for when the pieces need to be done then stick to it.

6. CREATE your series!!! Focus only on the series while you are creating it. Don’t do other lessons or projects during this time. Limit your time online looking at other people’s art. You need time to spend alone and without interference or noise (social media) Don’t post the pieces online until you have completed the series, this is not the time for validation or seeking approval, this will only confuse you. This is a time to honor your individual process.

7. When you are done. Lay the pieces out before you. Get that journal out ready to make some notes. Notice which piece is your favorite or which is the strongest. Why? Which feels the weakest. Why? What piece did you love creating the most. Why? Which challenged you or brought up frustration or blockage? Why? How was the overall experience of creating a series? What have you learned from the process? What will you do differently next time?

What worked well for you?

Since our Master artist is Alphonse Mucha, I wanted to include a little more about the Art Nouveau movement and style characteristics – 

Art Nouveau is an international style of art, architecture and applied art. The style was most popular between 1890 and 1910. It was a reaction against the academic art and eclecticism of 19th century architecture and decoration. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and flowers. Other characteristics of Art Nouveau were a sense of dynamic movement, often expressed with asymmetry or whiplash like lines.

One major objective of Art Nouveau was to break down the traditional distinction between fine arts (especially painting and sculpture) and applied arts. It was most widely used in interior design, graphic arts, furniture, glass art, textiles, ceramics, jewelry and metal work.

As an art style, Art Nouveau has affinities with the Pre-Raphaelites and the Symbolist styles, and artists like Aubrey Beardsley, Alphonse Mucha, Edward Burne-Jones, Gustav Klimt and Jan Toorop could be classed in more than one of these styles. Unlike Symbolist painting, however, Art Nouveau has a distinctive appearance; and, unlike the artisan-oriented Arts and Crafts movement, Art Nouveau artists readily used new materials, machined surfaces, and abstraction in the service of pure design.

The graphic arts flourished in the Art Nouveau period, thanks to new technologies of printing, particularly colour lithography, which allowed the mass production of colour posters. Art was no longer confined to galleries, museums and salons; it could be found on Paris walls, and in illustrated art magazines, which circulated throughout Europe and to the United States. The most popular theme of Art Nouveau posters was women; women symbolizing glamour, modernity and beauty, often surrounded by flowers.

Key stylistic features –

• Curvilinear lines 
• Elements of nature often floral
• Feminine figure or figures
• Flowing movement
• Varied line weights (from thin to thick)
• Attention to detail
• Intertwining forms
• Soft colors

What Your Art Signature Says About You

BY: LYNNE FURRER

You may not know it, but your signature is the most personal thing about your art. How you sign, where you sign, if you sign, and whether your signature changes in your art journey are fascinating windows into the artist’s soul.

GROWTH AND IDENTITY

Changing your signature as you grow in your art journey is not uncommon. As beginner artists we typically follow what our art teacher does and where she tells us to do it. Aren’t we so surprised we created something worth looking at that we aren’t really haggling over a signature? It’s just another step we learn to do. When the art teacher tells us to sign our full name, we ask “where”? She points to the lower left corner and we write our full name like signing a bank check.

As we build art confidence, we pay more attention to our signatures. We look around and see what others are doing. We try out ways of signing in our journals and doodle pads.

Johann Vermeer changed his signature many times. His given name, Johann, was a popular name used by many other artists of the time. Nicknames and different spellings of Johann were prevalent. To stand out, Vermeer chose a patronym which is a combination of his name and his ancestors. Later he chose just Vermeer, but painted it at least 26 different ways. We can see he was searching for a way to identify his art so everyone would know it was his. You can read more about Vermeer’s signature below…

Finding your preferred signature is just like finding your style in art. It’s an exploration, a journey or trying something to see if it fits. As you explore new art mediums, painting styles, take classes, all that experience culminates into what you like and don’t like. Give your signature that same consideration. Why? Because your signature is a part of your art; it’s a major part. It sends a message to the viewer that your art is complete and you’re happy with sending that message to the world. Here’s one of my first watercolors where I had already discarded my full name in favor of using only my first name. This was my first 3 months learning watercolor and intuitively writing my full name was onerous and not working. But this signature is unclear and I struggled with claiming ownership. I used this signature for a while, but I also signed my full name on the back of each piece of art.

When we first look at a painting, we are immediately drawn to the area of most contrast. If your signature is highly contrasted with the background or is in a different style than your art (refined vs. loose for example), people will look at your signature first. Do you want them to see your name before exploring your art? Ask yourself if that’s what you really want.

Where you place your signature also matters. In the western world, eye movement studies show that a viewer will look at the right corner before looking elsewhere. Do you sign in the lower right corner? It’s not a wrong choice, but is it the right choice for you?

When you finish with your art, when you feel it’s “done”, you’ve probably not yet signed your art. So, adding your signature is like adding another element to an already finished painting! Whatever you choose to do at this point could alter the balance and/or the composition of an already finished painting. Has this ever occurred to you? If so, this might be something for you to investigate further.

What about how you sign your art? Is it bold? Lots of flourishing letters? Does it match the style of your art? If you painted a beautiful ancient building that’s very refined, very detailed, would you sign in a flowery script? Ask yourself if the style of your signature complements or contrasts with the style of your art.

If you’re contemplating your signature a little differently now and might want to make a change, I highly recommend doodling ideas in a sketchbook or anywhere that’s handy! And check out signatures of other artists as inspiration. There is a website that has collected artists signatures from around the world.

Remember that your signature is the most important element on your art. It tells us so much about you as an artist. Enjoy your journey and never stop exploring!