Musing about Artistic Styles and Thumbprints

[IndigoShirtProd]

Thanks @Lady_T_Musings I used to hate drawing hair when I was younger, I never realized that it's now become a point of focus. And I used to really love graffiti art as a kid, guess it carried through after all these years!

If I had to comment on your style, I'd say I'm fond of the roundness and the emphasis on curves, and also how you experiment with color! It's all very nice!

[SagaHolmgaard]

Aw, thank you! Very kind words!

[CursedBeasts]

I feel like my art style isn't that special, and i'm fine with it. I like drawing beefy characters and monsters and werewolves. Things with big claws and teeth. I straight up can't draw conventionally attractive characters tho lmao.

Which i think is ok because there's more than enough conventionally attractive characters around. I don't particularly look to be some kinda change but if people see themselves in \ receive joy from my characters, then its great! I try to have different body types and faces for my characters, but I've yet to learn to draw fatter \ larger characters more confidently.

I think Bestia has grown more muscular \ bigger over the time I have been drawing the comic.

2018 Bestia

2020-21 Bestia

i love drawing big hair too!

ALso I think my main inspirations are comics and animation, particularly Lion King and DCAU series that came out in the 90s. As for comics, I think i draw inspiration from Jack Kirby and Mike Mignola, as well as the general Western comic art style. There's also a minor inspiration from anime and manga, mostly in the fact that I think anime fights are super cool and dynamic, and I like the little humorous gags that are present even in more serious anime (like the exaggerated expressions).

There's also a bit more of a personal inspiration. My desire to draw comics kinda came from following a very prolific Lion King artist back on Deviantart. She had this absolutely huge amount of world building for her fan-comics. Sadly, i think she took it all down partly because the TLK fandom is kinda toxic and there's a lot of art theft, and also on a brighter side, she took it down because she was converting the world building into an original story.

Another inspiration was the comic Noblesse that I used to read a lot back in 2013.

[Lady_T_Musings]

Art becomes special when we decided it is and it's a unique creation that varies from one artist to another, so that alone makes it special in my book. I enjoy how your preferences are depicted in your style as they are not conventional, and that's pretty baller too as variety is the spice of life

First observations: More than meets the eye. As you stated about your characters not looking very conventional and as they aren't what most would say pretty, they come from a place where they are treasured and it makes me feel like many of your characters would actually be cool to hang with in more casual settings. I also would want to do their hair as it all looks so luxurious and taken care of!

Second thoughts: Your creature folk designs are unique and yet they still have characteristics that make them recognizable to your hand with the sculpted facial features and eyes full of soul.

Technical stuff: Black is a very dominant color in your work and makes for a very graphic style of rendering. Not only that but you favor more defined edges, bold lines, and flat but bold colors. This makes your work appear very bold and daring. Your scenes also have a cinematic feel to them as well.

Closing thoughts on style: I love the inclusion of your inspirations bc I felt a familiar feeling when looking at your work and from your inspirations I can see the roots of where you started and then branched out to be your own thing. Words I think of when I look at your work are otherworldly, determination, graphic, heart, and longing.

[nathanKmcwilliams]

For me, the concept of style is more about how an artist puts together forms,shapes, color,and lines. That's where the uniqueness comes out.
Everything else is medium. What people call style, like lineless, or acrylic paint. At least that's how I perceive it.

I've done a little bit of a few different 'mediums' but my 'style' remains the same, and that's how I draw characters.

For Example...

Pixel Art

Lineless

Colored Lined Art

Monochrome

Now that I've shown off some stuff, you can probably see that the way I draw characters is very recognizable. I point to my many artistic inspirations as how I've come to draw characters in the way I do.

I gravitate towards artists that make a lot of dynamic movements. In particular I like cartoony art more than anything else. I would post a full list, but I'd be here typing for about an hour or so.
But for now, I'll drop 3 names of artists that I admire as inspirations.

Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes)
Eiichiro Oda (One Piece)
Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo)

I equally pull from both Western and Eastern comic artists/cartoonists for inspiration. I don't believe in limiting myself to one or the other.

[CursedBeasts]

I love your comments \ replies so much!

they come from a place where they are treasured and it makes me feel like many of your characters would actually be cool to hang with in more casual settings

Yea they kinda developed into People. Maye they're kinda woobified compared to their canon counterparts (Bestia and the other Dread Masters are actually canon characters within that game, but there they didn't have much development beyond "edgy sith villains") but i like them. They spark joy. Bestia loves dogs and animals in general. Styrak (her husband) is kind of quiet and prefers his research to social contact but if you let him infodump about it he will be very happy.

Your scenes also have a cinematic feel to them as well.

I kinda occasionally think in little animations, but sadly I don't yet have the skill (or patience) to actually create them, so comics are the next best thing. Like, if i had a magical ability to bring that story to life in any medium that I could choose, I would have chosen animation, either 2D or 3D (probably the former, maybe with elements of the latter)

Your creature folk designs are unique and yet they still have characteristics that make them recognizable to your hand with the sculpted facial features and eyes full of soul.

Huh this reminds me of something a counselor at my school told me, long long ago. She said my monster characters had kind eyes, even though one of them was literally my interpretation of Sauron from Lord of the Rings (i used to draw him as a sort of a lion man as I didn't know how to draw human faces yet)

[Lady_T_Musings]

Style is a mixture of many things that range from the way lines are formed, shapes are made, and even the techniques used to create said work. I don't mind when folks include medium as some people only work in one medium and it becomes indicative of their style, but yes there is a difference when you get down to the technical nitty-gritty of it all

First observations: My eyes are drawn to the motion of your work first. Your pieces have an energetic motion about them and that's pretty cool as it feels like you are thinking in terms of movement over static poses.

Second thoughts: I totally feel the adventure fantasy in your works from your subject matter to preference for outdoor scenes. When looking at your characters I see cute, but with an edge to them. Your color choices have more subtle shifts for highlights and bold flats that make me think of retro games.

Technical stuff: I defiantly feel a lot of comic book and Saturday morning cartoon inspiration when I look at your work. The poses used to symbolize heroic stances or the ones used to show off villainy all feel familiar and yet different as you have taken and put your own spin on it. The contours of your focal points are outlined in a way that draws attention from anything in the background and makes the eye focus on what's happening over where anyone in the scene is.

Closing thoughts on style: Some words that come to mind when I look at your work are action, video games, fantasy, and humor.

[Lady_T_Musings]

I'm glad <3!

I totally feel you there. Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands and make your own unique thing with the lore you want that's inspired from the source material that theft you wanting more.

Yeah I wish I had the time to learn how to animate and then animate. Though when you really want to do something one has a way of making time, so who knows down the line, but I'm good right now.

<3 That's also baller that you learned creature faces before human faces!

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Yeah you pretty much nailed it!
I spent a long time avoiding drawing static objects like buildings and interior elements, so my characters are the ones that I put the most focus into.

And my overall storytelling does have an action fantasy cartoon kind of feeling. (Not surprising as my favorite shows and comics growing up were exactly that type of feel.) However, I try to grow those up a little bit and add a little more impact and grittiness.
Going along with that definitely shows in posing. I do have very clear lines between villain and hero. Body language is a huge part of those older adventure fantasy cartoons. I never really thought of it before though, so I suppose that's a subconscious tic to include that concept.

And of course, my colors...I'm very much in love with the 80s and 90s color scheme wise. So Sega Genesis games like Sonic and Earthworm Jim have the kinds of color palettes I like to use.
(Also stuff like this with hyper saturated colors just look so great to me. Plus Dinos are always cool... XD)

[surenlicious]

I have two art summaries from the last two years to help me out here, but I am curious to see what people might think too. In 2019 I know I loved sticking to the green palette, its my favorite colour haha.

2020 is the year I had massive growth. I had a pastel phase here and had fun unveiling more of my skill (I've actually held back for a while good lord)

And this year, it's all about my vibrant roots, put up some sunglasses though.

[Lady_T_Musings]

The queen of prismatic light manipulation descends!

First observations: My eyes are drawn to the swirling colors that create your forms and the dancing lights draw you in to get a better view of the form you've created.

Second thoughts: Your characters command attention and the fact that many of them are royalty and/or have a power that makes them forces to be reckoned with is made apparent by their fantastical colors, posture, and how you compose your scenes with acute attention to hierarchy as you don't often have to question who has the authority.

Technical stuff: Your characters command attention and this is achieved through a variety of ways. You have created a very unique combination for how you do this in your work through the use of colors that grab attention and refuse to be subdued. Your choice in color is vibrant with a magical light that provides a source of whimsy and otherworldliness to your works of art. The use of color in your linework adds a softness to the touch vibe, but the sharpness of your eyes and facial features makes one think twice before approaching your characters. Even without the use of black, you are able to convey contrast in a way that is complementing and distinguishing enough to tell your colors are crafting a form. It's also fascinating how your use of green doesn't make me think of nature or anything sickly, but of wealth, and power.

Closing thoughts on style: Words that come to mind when I look at your work are Statuesque, poised, dancing, magical, inner strength, ethereal, and nobility

[Macarenaoftime]

I think my style it's pretty angular and sketchy or even painterly. I like a lot strong polygonal shapes and I have a strong influence of studio ghibli's movies and my own culture.

Basically, I like:

Grandmother aesthetic

[surenlicious]

Good lord darling, the way you refresh my creativity and cleanse my skin and just amazing beyond words. Having people like you is truly such a blessing to me, you truly revitalize my will to create. Thank you so much for appreciating my work, you are wonderful beyond words.

[Lady_T_Musings]

GO FORTH AND CREATE A PLENTY!!

[Lady_T_Musings]

I totally see what you are talking about throughout your work

First observations: I'm drawn by your ability to create an atmosphere in your work. Looking at your scenes makes me think of indie movies that can tell a story through a quiet moment and that's pretty neat.

Second thoughts: Your work has a sense of place and feels familiar to the heart and yet just out of reach. There is a quiet that permeates our work, but it's a comforting one that is filled with the subtle sounds of life like wind blowing or a clock ticking.

Technical stuff: Your lines have a natural flow to them that creates forms that appear comfortable in the contours they are created to live within. your color choices are more earthy and natural and this makes your work appear more grounded in reality, but when you add shading, that's where a lot of the whimsy (but not all) comes in as the decision to shade with shapes adds a very unique appearance to your lines that are defined yet loose at the same time. The other part that adds to the whimsy and indie feel of your work is how you frame your pieces in regards to the scenery. Your backgrounds aren't just in the back and can take center stage to be an integral part of the mood you are setting and that's pretty neat.

Closing thoughts on style: homey, comfort, atmospheric, familiar, natural, and whimsy.

[Macarenaoftime]

Thank you a lot for your analysis and kind words!

I've been always in a love-hate relationship with my inability to make something look clean and professional so your words are pretty inspiring.

[Lady_T_Musings]

I'm glad then !