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Style Speaks For You
by Mark FearingHow do you define an illustrator's style? Is it simply the media they use? Is it what they like to draw and paint? Is it the shapes they use to compose characters, or the colors they choose?
It is all of those elements plus a unique point of view.
Style speaks to every aspect of what an illustrator offers. That is why having a cohesive and resolved style is an important aspect of being a professional illustrator. An illustrator's style represents an illustrator's ideas—especially early in your career when your portfolio is made up of self-selected work.
Writers talk about developing a unique Voice. A writer's Voice is more than just the mechanics of writing, though use of grammar and sentence structure can be defining aspects. Voice is to writers what style is to illustrators. It is a unique quality or a point of view that distinguishes a writer. It is conveyed in what they write and how they write it.In the same way, an illustrator's style is more than just the materials he or she uses. Style suggests what fascinates and motivates an illustrator. Who can't recall the graphic design, rich colors, and idiosyncratic characters of Stinky Cheese Man by Lane Smith, or the contemplative yet fanciful elegance of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, or the modern, whimsical kings, queens, and beasts of a Lisbeth Zwerger book.
An illustrator's style is a unification of all the aspects of the visual picture-making process. Idea in harmony with color, form, and content. Having a resolved style suggests clarity of vision and a mature grasp of what elements of life motivate you to draw, paint, and create.
Mae West, the early motion pictures star, once said about her world famous status, "It isn't what I say, but how I say it. It isn't what I do, but how I do it."
Bring a unique attitude, an original voice and a fresh point of view with you. Everything has already been said and been drawn, but not by you!
Illustrators can do exercises to develop their style. First, look clearly at what subjects inspire you. Is it action adventure, classic fairy tales, twisted humor, or sentimental stories? Do you like drawing bears and horses in nature, or grumpy toads wearing bow ties? Do you like to toil over your drawings and work out all the details first, or madly go at it with brush in hand and see what happens? Maybe you like working digitally where it is never too late to change your mind!
The answers to these questions are a good place to start when picking subject matter to work on and finding materials that support your unique vision. Look to others for inspiration, not replication. Editors and Art Directors already have a David Shannon to call to get that "David Shannon look." Cultivate your own approach.
Then stand out in the competitive and rapidly changing world of picture book illustration.
You can see more examples of Mark's style at www.markfearing.com.
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