Observation
I see an overall style that I have always had but never accepted as my style. It is a cartoon-y style where I sketch, scan or photograph something then go around it with lines on the computer or iPad then colour it in with flat colour. I was really hoping to develop this style as I find it very restrictive.
Identification
I had done nearly all my illustrations in this style in the past. It is the main reason I wanted to do a course in illustration so that I could learn and develop new skills to add to and adapt this style. I think textures can add so much interest to illustrations and it is the element that draws me into any children’s book, the way the textures have been applied.
Reflection
I don’t really like my style if I’m honest but I can see ways that I can vastly improve the naïve drawings I currently turn to in any tight spot. I am keen to keep on learning and developing so that hopefully I can hone my skills and apply them to new illustrations in the future.
Iteration
The main elements are the cartoon-y feel to my drawings. The basic style and the flat colours. I was actually always drawing Tintin and Garfield the cat as a youngster which both are cartoons and both have very flat colours. It is obvious to me now that my style is based around this kind of illustration.
Translation
I am thinking about this and am finding it quite difficult to say how my illustrations translate between projects and settlings. I think on one hand, if I can produce the same style but more loosely so that the forms are more representative there would be more projects where they could be used.
‘What we like does not equal what we draw.’ Quote by Dr Amy Goodwin. I am beginning to see this as quite true. I spend hours on the internet looking at hundreds of illustrations that I really like and they are not at all in the style that I draw in. It is a weird sensation to think that we cannot draw what we want, or at least in the style we want. That is something that seems to be pre-determined somehow.