What is a generic art style?

[kritsu60]

I was told that my art style is generic... others say my art is fine. I swear- not to be mean, but I was told “no offense but- your art style is generic.” Which made me really down cause this is my style that I adapted. I feel like I am going nowhere if I listen to these sour people. It’s kinda frustrating though after the hard work I have done with my manga (which I think I may be reducing some pages in the full publication.) Anyways, I don’t like to discuss my problems on the internet, however it is really getting to me, then I guess I should discuss it and talk in a better tone. Sorry if I sound vague, I just woke up, and I figured that I get this out of my chest.

[sarrowsmith10]

I'm not really sure what generic is? I know there are some super big artists that people tend to follow in their style.. like Sailor Moon, Naruto, etc. And then in the western world Jim Lee's work on superheroes.. I'm not sure if its "generic" since art is so expressive.

Once at a convention, an artist I really admired, told me to loose the anime influence because it was hurting my art and creativity. I was pretty baffled by it, since I didn't really watch anime. And I never really saw anime-flavored art as a bad thing. It really bothered me for a long time. When I went to an anime convention, the hardcore manga readers told me my comic was too "western" looking to be appealing to them. So I was pretty baffled by that! By the end of the year I just decided I didn't care what sort of style my art leaned towards, I was just going to be myself and be happy with my work.

Try not to take too much stock in people's comments on "style" its way too subjective to be useful.

[claiborneart]

I think of a generic art style as one where the artist hasn't yet developed a strong 'language' of their own for how they draw. But if you look at a piece by someone with a strong style like Van Gogh, Ralph McQuarrie, or Louie Zong you can go "yep, that's one of theirs".

Sometimes it's a particular type of generic ('anime', 'western/superhero', noir, etc.), or it's the kind of generic where the artist clearly has spent a lot of time studying the fundamentals of art (very good to do), but maybe hasn't let themselves spend time messing around with how they use that skillset.

Having a 'generic art style' isn't inherently bad; for things like commissions being known as someone who specializes in a certain style is often an advantage. And if you're at a more intermediate experience level, you'll probably naturally gain your own style over time.

[kritsu60]

Thank you! Indeed, I shouldn’t let people get to me, and I should be able to do what I want. I understand if I do have something that needs to be changed, I will change it. But to change the art style isn’t something I cannot help. It’s what I was born with.

[Hodge]

sigh . . . "Style" is one of those words people discuss a lot in online art communities but its just goes full circle every time.

I suppose generic means there is lacking in the foundations or maybe just weird gaps in the knowledge shown in the art. Its one of those reasons people emphasize studying from real life, it can be really easy to "steal" or just naturally absorb stylistic shorthand from other artists without really understanding it. A mature art style knows all the information behind every mark, but if someone uses those marks without the underlying information its pretty apparent.

But thats just a guess, its all too vague really.

[kritsu60]

I am just so confused by what my friend said. I won an art award (like it matters but I told my friend my achievement) and I was very comfortable with what I did. But then, he/she straight up told me that my art is “generic.” Interesting to say.

[kritsu60]

Right. It may change as I keep drawing. And I am not afraid of change. It’s just the feeling of doubt I got (and kinda a slap in the face not to be harsh with words,) when my friend basically said that I wonder what my art style will look like next year, but then tells me that it is “generic.”

[sekabead]

Style... That's very obscure thing to discuss imo, even in other disciplines. Singing "style", coding "style", playing "style", "architect "style", etc etc etc. Maybe swimming is one of the few that's "style" actually not obscure

But I remember someone gave me an advice long time ago, "Never stick to one style. It's not bad, but it's limiting your way". Well... I think that's quite golden.

[kritsu60]

I’ll definitely take it to heart!

[LCT_m_a_d]

Firstly,
congratz on the award. It does matter in my opinion.

Secondly,
generic, cliche, typical are not necessarily bad things and are a good thing in fact for early phase of development. They work because they are easily relatable and reliable to people. And the people in my opinion matters more than the artwork itself.

[JRHoch]

A generic style is a style that looks very similar to many other styles. A common style. Many popular Webtoon comics are generic. They've created a certain "branded" look.

[kritsu60]

Thank you ️

Indeed. Which my art style will possibly change as I move on to another story. I do my best to draw other things too.

[kritsu60]

Indeed. Which kinda bothers me because I want variety. But it can/cannot be changed. Not sure...

[Hodge]

Ah well its easier to make some vague comment with a negative connotation than to be specific about what you may dislike in a work of art. Even more so if its just an ego thing (on the part of your friend).

But if the comment bothered you on a deeper level, you can always use it as fuel to continue working on your art~ If you get really popular or the like people will throw all sorts of criticism at you, some of it is useful and constructive, others not so much. Its important to be able to take ownership of your own work, while also trying to see it from other people's perspectives.

As some people already said, a "generic" art style is often a deliberate decision and not really "bad" or anything. The problem is if you feel like you're stuck with you art style or not in control, then it makes it difficult to take ownership of your own art because not even you understand why you made the stylistic decisions you did.

[kritsu60]

Right. I mean, not trying to be mean but the Artwork my friend showed me said that it was a Jojo reference and are made out of musical reference. Now, not trying to dis or anything, but the person’s art looked like mine when I was young.

[JRHoch]

Why not provide a link to your work? Sometimes there are minor things you can do to make things less generic.

[kritsu60]

Right. And I know what to improve on (some areas as far as I know), other times I need someone else to show me what I need to improve on. And that’s the importance of constructive criticism.

[inkycharland]

I want to jump in here. Mostly because I like to stir the pot. I find concern about style on this site funny. I mean basically it's all some variation on a typical manga style. (Yes, this is a broad generalization. And no, it's not really a bad thing.) As an artist with a traditional format and a "western-style" who's is in the minority, I can't help but find it funny.

In regards to your style, style is a byproduct. It's a result of your work. I literally give style zero consideration. If a criticism you receive involves style you can assume that that person has nothing valuable to criticize. It's a generic way of saying, I don't like how this looks. (Which is a preference, not a criticism.) I know. I know. It's hard to hear and still sucks. A real criticism involves analysis. Don't let it get to you.

Others have said it, but style is flexible and fluid. It shouldn't define you. You define it.

Also, this is the place to come to vent about these things. I imagine a lot of artists have had similar experiences. I know I have. Bad critics come with the job. Keep up the work and you'll be fine. Good luck.

(If you want real/fair criticism, link some stuff and I'll give you some pointers and resources to help you improve. )

[kritsu60]

Thank you very much! I’ll definitely pull up the link of an art piece I did recently. yeah, I just thought it was again, interesting for someone who isn’t really as skilled as me to tell me that mine is generic. Now, I am not saying I am better. But like someone else said, it could be an ego thing. I understand if someone doesn’t like my style of art. That’s fine.

[vothnthorvaldson]

To me, it's 'generic' rather than just 'influenced by a popular style', if I may mix up with other (generic) artists' works because nothing personal (either in the style in its whole, or in some signature aspect) jumps to my eyes.
For example, many premium comics advertised on tapas look so similar to me that I assumed for a while they were all made by the same artist, or by a team of artists in the same studio.
But sometimes just a few details can make an illustration so personal that I would immediately recognize the artist, even if their style as a whole is pretty generic. Eg. I can't remember the title, but I saw a comic in a style influenced by Korean comics, with VERY generic lineart, but the colouring was unusual for the style (dark and moody, unsaturated; but in a very muted way. Heavy skies over Irish sea kind of mood). Weird combination, impossible to forget. Lineart alone was offputting for me.