What is a generic art style?

[JRHoch]

It's is funny and true, manga styles in general are very similar, largely because the facial features vary very little.

[Luminosophy]

I was once told I have "generic" lineart, whatever that means lol. I agree a lot with claiborneart, style is something that's constantly refined and mastered over a person's lifetime so that it eventually evolves towards something inherently specific to that individual. But, that's also not the route everyone takes depending on the purpose of their artwork, as some make it their career to work within styles that draw mass appeal. Either for their own products or a company's promotional material.

I think there's another factor at play here though. It's just going to work out that no matter how good you get, how true to yourself you try to be, we can't control how other people perceive our work. They'll think us this way, that and the other, and there's nothing that can really be done to change that other than just recognizing that give and take. If some like our work, others just won't. I have my own biases and what I might consider 'generic' another would consider to be their unique mark on the world. That's the thing about perspectives, you're going to be fighting tooth and nail to prove who's is rooted in fact.

But if someone just straight up told me my stuff is generic (like they did do), I'd brush it off. What use does a vague statement like that have as a kind of feedback? "It's generic, don't be generic." I can't please an opinion, I wouldn't even know how to begin.

[kritsu60]

I know. Can’t please everyone I guess. I was also told (just now) that I also had a terrible synopsis. Heck I even was told that my mind is like a 16 year old- barely any story Development. Which, hey, this story was planned last year. So of course there will be flaws. And I was taught that I should start now, and improve later. Or improve as I move on. Sure I would spend time drawing something I don’t normally draw.

[gempompadour]

So your friend draws as well? Did they explain their comment any further? Could it be envy maybe? Like they want to gently put you down a bit without outright insulting you. Because to me generic implies your art style is common and not necessarily bad.

[kritsu60]

Hm... it could be. Yeah, he/she does draw. I am in a video call right now and I am listening to my friends criticizing me. Which, sure, constructive criticism helps. But not downright insulting criticism. If it is a thing...

[Swamp]

I think there is also two other main factors that get a style called generic

1. Lack of familiarity. If somebody mostly looks at one type of art, they'll do great at noticing subtle details within that style, but other genres blur together.
   The same thing happens with music. Is all punk rock the same? All rap? All pop? Of course not, but when you don't listen to it often, the surface elements stand out too much to notice the variations in style.

2. They might be noticing another problem entirely.
   In my opinion, if something often seems 'generic' what the person often means is inexpressive. The problem they're seeing may not actually be art style but character design, expression rendering, or panel layout.

In my opinion, the point of comic art is to tell your story. Your art doesn't need to be The Most Unique, and, in fact, that might distract from your story.
Seeing comments, it does sound like there might also be some art kid meanness coming out...

[kritsu60]

Indeed... I don’t want to be mean to him/her, it’s just that I don’t really feel very good talking to him/her but I am doing my best to stay strong.

[gempompadour]

Yeah, that doesn't sound like fun at all. Constructive criticism is never simply about finding flaws in things, it's also about finding things where you're good at and strengthening them more. Too many people think that being brutally honest (or downright mean) will motivate everyone.

It takes talent to both accept criticism and to give it; hope your friends are aware of that.

[inkycharland]

It's okay to be better than people. It's a scale. You'll be better than some, but not as good as others. The real skill is being gracious and being able to parse out what information is needed.

I try to handle all comments on my art with these 3 rules:
1. Some people will love my work. Some will hate it. Regardless of the comment, I should always be gracious to anyone taking the time to appreciate my work.
2. My work is never above an accurate and true criticism. A novice can catch an error a pro can miss.
3. Criticism is worth knowing how to give and how to receive it. But more importantly, it's worth knowing WHEN to give criticism and when to listen to it.

It has taken me years to learn how to handle compliments and criticism. It's an important part of being an artist and it needs to be talked about more.

[kritsu60]

I know. I am like in a place where I am not even sure if I should trust them at this point because all I am getting is “not to be mean but” or “your story is not fully developed” and, “you don’t act like a 21 year old if you don’t have a good story.” Um....? Some Japanese artists started when they are 15 (or something like that. Ultimate Muscle artist being one of them) look at them now. In reality, it doesn’t matter what age you are. What matters is what we as artists produce. And if we are comfortable with what we make, then keep going!

[Kiweevil]

I'd like to see the art of the individual who called yours generic honestly

[inkycharland]

Yeah. It's always weird for me to "pick on" the manga style. I love manga. I really do. But it's just so overdone. I mostly worry that it's hurting young artists. I worry they get locked into it, and don't learn the fundamental of drawing. Or understand the fundamentals of visual storytelling.

I mean they can, but I feel like they end up working backwards and that can be really hard on a person.

[kritsu60]

So..... uh.... now, again, I don’t want to dis. But he/she isn’t who I thought they were when they told me the “truth.” Now, honestly he/she seemed to be a nice guy/girl. But as I talk to them... yeah... I don’t want to harm him/her, but it’s just kinda weird how they are acting like this now.

[gempompadour]

Exactly! We do our own thing and try to improve. It's your story and art, and if it feels like they're just picking on you and not actually trying to help just ignore them. You've won an award and are creating a comic, that's enough for now.

[Luminosophy]

The way I see it is that that individual will decide for themselves when and if they want to take it seriously. Those that do will be capable of seeking out resources and third party opinions on their own since we live in the age of the internet. I'm just more worried about the harm they do to themselves psychologically and emotionally when they get so caught up in wanting their social media numbers to reflect a hamster wheel grinding on a comfort zone.

I wish that that could be more of a focus when discussions regarding profitability come up rather than just "strategies to market". Buuut, that's a whole other tangent and I think I derailed enough lol.

[kritsu60]

Indeed! I learned that it is not healthy to take it all in. I should be able to have a say, but this person is kinda, how to put this, too full of him/herself? Idk their motive.

[Kiweevil]

See to me, without being mean but being an honest critic, their art really suffers from same face syndrome. It's a very common issue for developing artists who haven't explored their artistic capabilities for long enough. In my honest opinion, it is a bit unjust to call yours generic. But of course that is my opinion, because art is a very subjective thing. Everyone has room for improvement no matter how God-tier they appear to be. Don't let them drag you down, just focus on improving for your own happiness, not because someone gave you a rather unconstructive remark.

[kritsu60]

Right! Thank you! Yeah, it’s not only draining me, it’s kinda passion-killing. The friend also told me that I wasn’t “serious” about my characters and how I named them. Which I was totally confused again. But oh well. They don’t have to understand.

[gempompadour]

Are they like this with you all the time or just when it comes to drawing? Because if they are, you might want to either talk honestly with them or take a break from them for a while.

[kritsu60]

I mean, it seems it because when I share my creativity, they say “looks cool” or “I like it but...” no matter what I do. I mean, the games I play with them with character creation, this one person says “be serious man, tell me that you aren’t being serious with these characters” or something like that. Hell, I am working on a crossover story with my siblings and honestly I have been working on that a lot. So.... it’s no wonder why my story isn’t “well developed yet. Anyways, before I even share my crossover story, I am writing my (and my families) character’s backstory to get people to understand where they are coming from. It’s kinda an introduction. I don’t mean to be secretive. I am just doing my best not to spoil anything. I told them a little bit of my ambitions. But they went on and said, it seems like it’s not worked on well. When, I have told them this is what I have so far, without spilling the beans.