How To Develop Your Style

Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!

When you love drawing, and do it every day, you'll a lot of sketchbooks. Today I am showing you my sketchbook from March and April. Some of the pages (done in Paris), may look familiar - that's because I've shared them a while ago, but this sketchbook has been filled wit lots of other adventures after that trip.

Over the years I’ve been teaching, I can’t count how many times  I’ve been asked, “How do you develop a drawing style of your own?” The answer is: you already have a style, even though you may not realize it. It’s your very own, just like your  handwriting, and you’d probably pick it out  from among thousands of others in the blink  of an eye. Your style changes over time as long  as you stay curious, and keep experimenting and playing. This is how you make discoveries, gain more skills, and learn new techniques. All of this influences your style.

If you’re curious about a particular technique or drawing tool, don’t hesitate – just dive right in. Observe how others do or use it, and most importantly, try it yourself. A lot.

Learning is all about practice, practice, practice. By doing so, you will develop greater confidence in your drawing skills. Fill your sketchbook with things that suit you. If you draw things that are familiar to you, that surround you, that relate to a particular interest, or that you’re curious about, the pages you fill will add up to become a story about your life. That could include the dirty dishes you drew for fun just  so you could postpone doing them. Or the shoes you kicked off, the laundry hanging out to dry, or a car parked in your street. 

Remember: Everything is interesting when you draw it.

Sketchbook shown in this video: Hahnemühle Watercolor Book 21x15 cm

P.S. My book "Life is better when you draw (it)" is almost ready for you to purchase, check the latest here: https://www.koosjekoene.com/book