E22: Here's What No One Tells You About Art Style...

This is The Twenty Second Episode of the Visual Scholar Podcast - With Tim Mcburnie.
In this Episode It's time to start talking about Style! ...One of the most sought after yet slippery topics. I have a few episodes planned that delve into this area of art and personal development. This first one is really focused on the things that people typically don't mention when they give advice about style...
I try to get some altitude above the normal conversation, and my experience working across different industries has given me some interesting insights into why people make their art look a particular way!
Below is in Automagically generated summary so you can check out the content and also to help with search functionality!
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Have you ever wondered why your art looks the way it does? Why some styles resonate more than others? In today's artistic journey, we dive deep into the enigma of 'Art Style'-a topic that's not just about the mistakes we make or the personality we infuse into our work. It's more profound, more technical, and surprisingly, more accessible than you might think.
Back in the early days of my career, grappling with the concept of 'style' was like navigating a labyrinth without a map. I often felt lost, thinking if my work represented who I was as an artist. It took me years to realize that style isn't just a by-product of our habits or mere personality traits. It's a reflection of our responses to technical limitations and creative challenges.
Here are three pivotal insights about art style that reshaped my understanding and might redefine yours too:
Style as a Response to Technical Limitations: Throughout history, artists have continuously adapted and innovated in response to the materials and reproduction techniques available to them. From cave paintings to digital art, each style evolution marks an artist's creative response to technical constraints. Understanding this can radically change how we view and adopt different styles.
The Power of Creative Limitation: Limitation breeds creativity. This timeless truth is evident in how art styles have evolved. Embracing limitations can lead to some of the most unique and compelling artistic expressions. Whether it's the simplicity of line and color in lithographic prints or the dynamic boldness of comic book art, each style carries a unique strength born from restriction.
Matching Style with Intent: A style should be more than just an aesthetic choice; it should align with your artistic intentions. If you're drawing a horror comic, for instance, the style must be conducive to evoking fear and suspense. The style should amplify your message, not just decorate it.
As artists, our journey is not just about mastering techniques but understanding the 'why' behind each style we choose. It's about finding that unique voice that resonates with our vision and the stories we want to tell.
This podcast episode peels back the layers of what constitutes an art style. We delve into historical perspectives, practical advice, and philosophical musings to help you understand and harness the power of style in your artistic endeavours.
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This Podcast is designed to help you demystify the world of Art, Productivity, and Creativity. So you can get better faster, and enjoy your Art Journey. We discuss Drawing, Painting, Illustration and Entertainment Design. Along with Productivity and Career Advice.
The Visual Scholar Podcast is designed to help you demystify the world of Art, Productivity, and Creativity. So you can get better faster, and enjoy your Art Journey.
We discuss Drawing, Painting, Illustration and Entertainment Design. Along with Productivity and Career Advice.
Find Visual Scholar as an Audio Podcast Here:
Apple: podcasts.apple...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6VbdwbiZqy8nqb90ruKQCX?si=21b9c1d02c85419f
Show homepage on The Drawing Codex:
www.thedrawingcodex.com/podcasts/the-visual-scholar
Learn more about Tim Mcburnie:
Learn Drawing and Illustration at The Drawing Codex: www.thedrawingcodex.com
Check out The Drawing Codex UA-cam Channel:
/ @thedrawingcodex
Portfolio: www.timmcburnie.com
www.artstation.com/tim-mcburnie
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timmcburnie

[@cloudybeforerain7134]

Well, this undid a few knots in my thinking. Thanks, Tim.

[@omegapainter]

This confirmed a lot of my thinking I used in creating an animation project. The story was very naive, a T-rex making muffins and his oven not working, and so I decided to have an animation style to match, one that looks like it was done by crayon or colored pencil, but still maintained a level of quality so that the imagery was clear. But I didn't think that cost would be such a strong limitation to influence a style as you explained for pulp print and superhero comics. It makes me wonder if there are some cost limitations I could explore and use to kickstart that necessity and invention of a style. Thanks for your videos!

[@lostley]

Great episode Tim. The historical and technical ideas behind style are something I hadn't thought much on before and as I'm trying to improve as an artist i've found both of your channels to be incredibly helpful. Thanks for all the hard work!

[@TJ-fv9vs]

Thanks so much for your deeply inspiring videos! A lot of your own work seems to involve placing imaginative characters in imaginative environments. This is a topic that also heavily interests me, because I like game design art in fantasy or science fiction settings for example. Do you have some advice for us about how to tackle shading and rendering for such scenes, because we don't easily have direct reference for such non-existing circumstances? For example, I have read about making "maquettes" from cardboard or in 3D software to study how light hits and bounces of the simplified forms in the imaginary scene, and subsequently where shadows are formed. Is this a technique that you perhaps sometimes use? Maybe it's an idea for a future video? 😃

[@RiaanMarais]

Thanks, Tim
I have never thought of the link between style and the technical limitations as the source of it. Excellent explanation.

[@lakasilum]

tim getting cerebral on us again,. just got the drawing codex a while back, love your work!

[@Tim-Mcburnie]

Haha yes :) This one got way more cerebral than I anticipated! Thanks!