Should I fix my illustration style?

"Should I fix my illustration style?"

I always tell my students that they can choose any drawing style they like.

You can draw cartoony, realistic, stylized, or even abstract. There are no strict rules about how your art should look.

But one question comes up again and again:

Should you stick to one style?

I’ve been asked this a few times by students, and honestly, I’ve asked myself the same question over and over during the past several years.

It turns out this has been a common concern among artists for a long time. If you look for answers online, you’ll find many different opinions—and sometimes they completely contradict each other.

Some people say:

• Don’t worry about style. From other people’s point of view, it doesn’t matter that much.

• You should stick to one recognizable style so people can easily identify your work.
  

These answers can be confusing. And even if other people say they don’t care, I still care.

For me, it matters because I lose motivation if I’m not satisfied with what I’m making.

Another challenge is that I’m not very good at sticking to one thing for a long time. I enjoy contrast and variety. If I stay in the same genre or style for too long, I start to get bored.

Sometimes I wish I were the kind of person who could love one thing forever—but that’s just not who I am.

In my illustration practice, the only thing I’ve consistently stuck with so far is the technique: stippling.

Aside from that, my style continues to evolve.

After drawing for more than 10 years—and working as a professional illustrator for over five years (illustration is now one of my main sources of income)—I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this question.

The path to becoming an illustrator isn’t easy. But at the very least, I want to enjoy the journey.

So let’s go back to the main question:

Should you stick to one illustration style?

The honest answer is: it depends on where you are in your artistic journey.

In this post, I want to talk about three different stages:

• Beginners who are learning and enjoying illustration(← We are here in this class!)

• Intermediate artists who may want to turn illustration into a career someday(← Some of you might be here already!)

• Advanced artists who want to work as professional illustrators(← I’m here too, still learning and trying to grow!)
  

Let’s think about how you can keep drawing with curiosity, motivation, and satisfaction at each stage.

<Beginners> Don’t Need to Worry About Style!

If you’re just starting to learn illustration, you don’t need to worry about finding or fixing a specific style.

In fact, I would recommend the opposite: don’t fix your style yet.

At this stage, the most important thing is simply to enjoy drawing.

Try different things. Experiment. Play around.

You might try:

• copying drawings you like as practice

• using different pen sizes or tools

• experimenting with colors

• doodling your favorite characters

• sketching random ideas just for fun
  

The goal right now is simple: just enjoy the process of drawing.

Many beginners worry about “finding their style” too early. But style usually develops naturally over time as you draw more and more.

Rika Sato, <Freestyle Drawing assignment>

Even professional artists change their styles throughout their careers. A famous example is Pablo Picasso. If you look at his work from different periods, the styles are dramatically different.

That’s completely normal.

If you try to lock yourself into one drawing style from the very beginning, it can actually make learning feel boring and restrictive. It may also prevent you from discovering new techniques or ideas that you might really enjoy.

So at this stage, don’t worry about defining your style.

Instead, draw in whatever way feels most comfortable and exciting to you at the moment.

Your style will grow naturally as you continue drawing.

<Intermediate> Intermediate Illustrators Should Decide the Direction of Their Style

Once you become more comfortable with drawing and have some experience creating illustrations, it becomes helpful to start thinking about the direction of your style.

At this stage, you don’t have to completely fix your style yet. But you should begin asking yourself questions like:

• “I want to be an illustrator who draws soft and beautiful images.”

• “I want to create cool, flashy comic-book style illustrations.”
  

In other words, you start thinking about what kind of artist you want to become.

One common struggle at the intermediate stage is the gap between “the style I want to draw” and “the style I can currently draw.”

You may try to create work inspired by a style you love, but the final result ends up having a completely different atmosphere. This happens to almost everyone.

The solution is actually quite simple: keep drawing with the style you can currently achieve while continuing to aim toward the style you admire.

Your style might feel inconsistent or unstable for a while—and that’s completely okay.

As you keep practicing, something interesting starts to happen: the style you like and the style you can draw slowly begin to merge.

Over time, they blend together and naturally create a new style that is uniquely yours.

At this stage, it’s also important to start thinking about individuality and audience.

For example, when I work on commissioned illustrations, I often think about the balance between:

• what people want, and

• what I personally want to draw.
  

Finding this balance can be difficult. But it becomes easier with experience and by working on different projects. You can only discover what people respond to in your work after you understand what you like and how you naturally draw. And that understanding comes from continuing to draw the things you enjoy.

Over the years, my own illustration style has changed many times. The things I like have also changed as I’ve gotten older—and I think that’s completely natural.

When I was younger, I was strongly drawn to bold and striking imagery. Now I find myself more interested in subtle and delicate expressions.

I still like bold visuals, but these days I tend to express them in a more delicate and nuanced way.

Your tastes will change, your skills will grow, and your style will continue evolving—and that’s a healthy part of being an artist.

<Advanced> Advanced Illustrators Should Brand Their Style

When you reach the stage where your illustrations can become professional work, you enter the final phase: refining and branding your style.

At this level, having a recognizable visual identity becomes very important.

When your illustration style is consistent and well-defined, it becomes easier for people to recognize your work and say, “This illustration is by that artist!”

However, this stage can bring a new kind of challenge.

You may begin to notice a gap between the style you developed during the intermediate stage and the type of work that is most well received by the public or by clients.

At this point, it becomes important to think about your audience and target market.

If your work is not connecting with clients or audiences, it can be difficult to turn illustration into a stable source of income. It can also affect your motivation and confidence as an artist.

Of course, the ideal situation is when the style you love to draw is also the style that people respond to most strongly. But in reality, that doesn’t always happen.

When there is a gap, one possible solution is to develop additional variations of your style for professional work. You can incorporate elements that are widely appealing while still maintaining your own artistic voice, and then present those variations clearly in your portfolio.

In other words, you intentionally design and brand a style that works well for clients.

This is something I’m currently working on myself.

Last year, I joined an illustration agency, and this was one of the most important pieces of advice they gave me. Since then, I’ve been rebuilding my portfolio with this idea in mind—developing styles that are both true to my work and appealing to the kinds of projects I want to receive.

Even at the advanced level, the process of refining your style never truly stops. We continue learning, adjusting, and evolving as artists.

If you plan to work professionally as an illustrator, you may sometimes need to compromise and adjust your style slightly.

In some cases, making your work a bit more generalized or accessible can help it connect with a wider audience or fit better with the needs of a project.

This doesn’t mean giving up your identity as an artist. Instead, it means being flexible enough to adapt your style when necessary.

It can also be helpful to pay attention to trends and make small adjustments over time. Minor changes to your patterns or visual approach can sometimes make your work more appealing to a broader audience.

Another useful strategy is to listen to feedback from people who genuinely enjoy your work. Ask them what they like about your illustrations. Try to analyze which elements of your style resonate with them—whether it’s your textures, compositions, characters, or atmosphere.

Understanding what people respond to in your work can help you refine and strengthen your style while still staying true to yourself.

Conclusion

Your art style can become the face of your work—it’s a huge part of how people perceive your illustrations.

That said, the direction of your style can always evolve if you approach it consciously and intentionally. It doesn’t have to be fixed overnight.

In this class, most of you are still in the stage of exploring and discovering your own style.

So for now, the most important thing is to enjoy drawing, experiment freely, and create as many illustrations as you can. Over time, your unique style will naturally emerge—one that reflects both your skills and your artistic personality.

Keep drawing, keep exploring, and trust the process. Your own style will find you.