Finding your own artistic style can feel overwhelming when you're just starting out. I remember how long I wrestled with this, feeling like my drawings were either too stiff or too similar to artists I admired.
If you're wondering how to find your artistic style, the real secret is that it's not something you invent out of thin air—it's something you grow into through a mix of drawing from observation, merging ideas from your imagination, and creating so much that technique stops feeling like a barrier.
In this post, I want to walk you through what has worked for me and what I would focus on if I were starting fresh today. I'll break it down into actionable steps you can take right now, even if you feel stuck or unsure.
Key Points
- Draw a lot from observation, focusing on big shapes and imperfections.
- Merge reality with imagination to spark new ideas.
- Focus on mileage over perfection—your technique will grow naturally.
How to Find Your Artistic Style by Drawing From Observation
One of the most important things I did when figuring out how to find my artistic style was drawing from real life. Observational drawing taught me to see—not just guess. I'd sit in parks, coffee shops, or on hiking trails, sketching whatever was in front of me. I wasn't worried about making it “perfect.” I focused on finding the big shapes first, and then adding the smaller ones, letting imperfections show through in an expressive way.
I recommend starting with something simple: set a timer for 10 minutes and draw the scene in front of you without lifting your pencil too much. Focus only on the largest shapes first—not the details. This mirrors the process I used when learning nature journaling and urban sketching.
It wasn't about creating beautiful art; it was about learning how to see properly. Over time, I found that this habit gave my drawings a looser, more confident look. Drawing from life forces you to accept what you see, not what you think you know, which is a key part of developing an authentic style.
Drawing Imperfections is a Good Thing
Too often we think mistakes are bad. But actually, the little quirks and mistakes you make become the seeds of your personal style. I talk about this more in drawing is imperfect.
Here's what helped me embrace this: I started purposefully drawing fast. Not messy on purpose, but fast enough that I had to let the natural wobble of my hand come through. I'd do 5-minute sketches of coffee mugs, trees, or even people walking by. That speed forced me to focus on expression rather than accuracy—and that's where a lot of my style really took root.
Try this: pick an everyday object, like your shoe, and sketch it in under 3 minutes. See what natural tendencies emerge in your linework. Those little quirks are not mistakes—they're clues to your voice.
Merging Observation With Imagination
Once you're comfortable sketching what you see, the next step is to loosen up and start combining ideas. This could be as simple as drawing a crow with the antlers of a deer, or sketching a landscape but changing the trees into giant mushrooms. It doesn't have to be complicated or “deep” to be valuable.
At first, this felt intimidating to me because I thought imagination meant inventing worlds from scratch. But it can be as simple as combining two things that don't normally go together. I practiced this through playful exercises like sketching my cat with wings or turning a cactus into a castle.
A lot of what I explore in illustrative journaling comes from blending observed life with imagination. You don't have to wait until you're “good enough” to start doing this—imagination grows with use.
Simple Exercises to Mix Reality and Imagination
Here are a few exercises I still use today:
- Mashups: Take two random objects (like a toaster and a flower) and combine them into one sketch.
- Fantasy Adjustments: Sketch a real street scene but replace all the cars with animals.
- Imaginative Studies: Sketch a real bird, then redesign it with fantastical colors or extra features.
If you need help getting started with ideas, check out some random themes to draw or topics for drawing.
Drawing So Much That Technique Fades Into the Background
In the beginning, I spent a lot of time worrying if my shading was “right” or if my proportions were “correct.” I would get stuck reworking one drawing for hours and end up feeling frustrated. Over time, I realized the artists I admired most didn't obsess over perfection—they were just incredibly practiced.
The more you draw, the more your brain and hand sync up. Techniques like shading, perspective, and composition start to happen automatically because your muscle memory takes over.
This is why I believe in challenges like drawing boot camp, September drawing, and December drawing. Setting a goal to draw every day, even just for 20 minutes, gave me an insane boost in confidence and skill.
Mileage Over Perfection
Here’s a simple way to think about it: you can't draw 500 bad sketches and not get better. It's mathematically impossible. Your brain learns patterns through repetition.
If you're feeling stuck, create a small drawing goal: one page per day for 30 days. It doesn't matter what you draw—it could be studies from life, sketches from imagination, or themed exercises from simple daily drawing prompts.
The key is to keep moving forward and not spend too long judging any single piece.
Letting Go of Perfectionism
If you wait until every drawing is “good enough,” you’ll never reach the place where your style can emerge naturally. Embrace messy work. I even have a whole guide on messy drawings because I believe so strongly in this.
One practical trick that helped me was working in cheap sketchbooks. When I invested in fancy paper too soon, I got precious about every page. Using inexpensive notebooks gave me the freedom to make mistakes, explore weird ideas, and develop naturally.
If you're not sure where to start, I recommend beginning with simple, accessible ideas that can loosen you up and help you discover what feels natural. When I was figuring things out, I would often flip through sketchbooks filled with easy ideas for drawing. These were low-pressure prompts like drawing my shoes, a cup of coffee, or a tree outside my window. Working on small, approachable subjects let me focus more on the way I enjoyed drawing—whether that was loose, detailed, fast, or slow—instead of worrying about creating masterpieces.
Another thing that helped was filling my sketchbook with a variety of subjects, which I got better at by exploring things to fill your sketchbook with. By giving myself permission to draw anything and everything, I started to notice recurring themes and shapes that felt exciting to me. These were early hints of my developing style.
For those looking for more structured prompts, especially students or anyone who likes a bit of guidance, drawing themes for students can be really useful. Having a theme for the day or the week gave me just enough direction to stay focused without feeling restricted.
Helpful Resources for Finding Your Style
If you want to dive deeper, here are a few guides and ideas that helped shape my thinking over the years:
- How to find your style of drawing helped me realize that style isn't something you chase—it's something that follows naturally from consistent practice.
- Creative in drawing offered me ways to push past boring exercises and find joy in the creative process.
- Sketchbook tips for beginners gave me permission to treat my sketchbook like a lab, not a portfolio.
- Sketching scenes taught me how to build full compositions without stressing over every detail.
- Drawing with ballpoint pen techniques freed me from overthinking lines and made me embrace commitment in my marks.
- Analytical drawing introduced me to seeing structure first, which improved my confidence with form.
- Drawing is imperfect reminded me that the “flaws” in my work were actually my fingerprint.
You can also check out these online sketching courses if you want a more guided way to strengthen your foundations while nurturing your emerging style.
No matter where you are in your drawing journey, just remember: your artistic style isn't a destination—it's the natural result of showing up, observing, imagining, and drawing your heart out.