Style, style, style

I've been hung up on my style lately.

I've been in one of those low spots that an artist (or anybody, I'm sure) gets into once in a while about the value of their work, wondering if there's any market value or future in the stuff I scribble, wondering what's next for the stuff I draw when I draw.

I need to remember a few things. First, I like what I draw, and I enjoy the process. Second, there are enough people who like my stuff for me to have made a little tiny bit of money so far. Third, I can't get hung up on the fact that my art doesn't look like anybody else's in the field of what I'm working on.

Stephen Silver made some similar remarks recently in his blog. All indications are that Silver is not only one of the top character designers anywhere, but a pretty balanced, introspective, and cool guy.

Yesterday I was looking around out there and stumbled upon Squindo. This guy has some terrific stuff, has done some album covers, lots of art, commissions, and appears to make a living at the art gig using a variety of media--mostly traditional. At first glance his work reminded me of Keith Weesner, but a closer comparison of the two revealed only similar subject matter and media. Both like to paint on wood, though Squindo uses stains of varying tones to acheive some interesting effects.

My stuff is nothing like either of these guys. They have a harder edged feel, and I'm talking about the flavor of the characters more than the technique of their brushes. Some of this I attibute to the designs of the characters, which often seems to have a lot of sharp edges and angular shapes. I also point to the palettes they employ, which often show more desaturated tones and contrasty images. Their spaces and forms are are well defined and use shadows to accentuate the often darker feel to their images.

As Stephen Silver said this week, "Don't waste your time looking at what the competition is doing, create something new. Look at your goals, your interests, your abilities, not the goals, interests, and abilities of others. Do it for yourself!"