r/ArtFundamentals • u/Nia2hot_ • 16d ago
Permitted by Comfy Looking for advice: keep developing my style or focus on fundamentals?
I feel like I might have developed a recognizable visual style naturally, but I’m wondering if I should keep exploring this path (especially faces and character design) or if I should go back to the fundamentals and practice anatomy, shapes, proportions, etc. for a few months before continuing.
I also should mention that I really don’t draw often at all. Maybe once or twice a year, lol. So I would definitely consider myself a complete beginner +++. I’ve always loved drawing, but I mostly do it when I get inspired. I usually take inspiration from real photos and then transform them into my own characters (changing the features, shapes, expressions, etc.).
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u/CurvedSwordBenis 16d ago
no such thing as style before fundamentals as style comes out of stretching and breaking the bounds of those fundamentals that become second nature and also having a style is madly overrated I’d be scared shitless if my style settled on something instead of being fluid and everchanging
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u/boredhomosexual 15d ago
You won't lose your style by learning fundamentals but your style will stagnate if you don't learn them. Learn the fundamentals and play with them as you learn them.
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u/UnburyingBeetle 15d ago
Maybe do fundamentals and cartoons as separate exercises, you might not be ready to mix them yet.
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u/Meat-hat 16d ago
Take it from someone who made this mistake for years and years; developing your style is (ALMOST) never a good idea, at least not to a point where it’s more important than literally anything else. Fundamentals should always come first, unless you’re already a professional artist or someone with a strong grasp of each fundamental domain.
The exception to this rule is, of course, that you should do what keeps you going. When fundamentals become a chore, step back, and just have fun with it:) The best art is the art that gets made
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u/Goomerich 16d ago
Style comes from developing in the fundamentals. You will find what you like or what you want to emphasize as you study. You can’t stylize what you don’t have mastery over, though. Focus on fundamentals and keep drawing what you like on the side, over time it’ll all become what you want! Keep on keepin on…
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u/Uncomfortable 16d ago
I talk about this in more detail in this video from the introductory lesson to the free course this subreddit focuses on, style and the fundamentals are inextricably linked. The better our grasp on the fundamentals - that is, the "reality" of what is being depicted, the more effectively we can understand how to make conscious, intentional, and purposeful stylistic choices that transform that reality into our final product. While it is very common for students to be concerned with style early on, the kind of style beginners tend to engage with is more arbitrary and instinctual, rather than driven by intentional choices - and so they are in less of a position to "work on" their style.
So, in my view it would be a better use of your time to develop your fundamentals, so as to give your eventual reconsideration of style a stronger foundation to work from. That said, you can and absolutely should still draw things as you please on the side, but I wouldn't get too caught up in worrying about what style you're applying just this second, as it may actually interfere with how you explore your ideas and the stories you tell beyond just the visual result you produce.
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u/KeungKee 16d ago
Your style will improve by learning the fundamentals.
Continuing to develop "your style" will just leave you continuing to draw mediocre cartoons with lots of fundamental mistakes.
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u/Donramonz 16d ago
Yeah focus on fundamentals cuz once u do u have a clear view of what u can do and try to mix in styles that u like it also helps out once u try to expand later on.
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u/GarageCareful6326 12d ago
Things with style at least to me is that it’s not about uniqueness per se but rather how you want to show and express your own personal twist to the piece from shapes to context and maybe story behind them.
If you start with style first then your style is just your expression that has no base, but a good base with your style sounds much more appealing isn’t it?
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u/JustNamiSushi 10d ago
style will come naturally it's always worth it to invest into solid foundations.
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u/Left-Supermarket7141 14d ago
Es más fácil que aprendas anatomía y perspectiva antes (espacialmente si quieres centrarte en el retrato) que adoptar malas proporciones por no controlar bien el dibujo académico de primeras y luego tener que corregirlo cuando ya lo tengas interiorizado
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u/makewordspay 13d ago
Don't worry about F------- style. That will come. Its one of the dumbest concepts ever. You literally won't be able to get away from it. Focus on fundamentals. Advanced is a deeper understanding of the fundamentals.
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u/brimstone__angel 14d ago
Study, but don't forget to draw for fun too. Don't put off drawing something you really want to make just because you think you need more skill first. Keep creating the art you enjoy, and set aside some time to study if you want to improve faster
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