Find Your Visual Style in 5 Prompts

1. Find Your Visual Style in 5 Prompts - Intro: Welcome to this short class on finding your visual style. This class is for artists and illustrators who feel like they don't have a clear style or who struggle to describe their work when someone asks, What's your style like? By the end, you will have two concrete results, a short style statement that describes your visual approach in plain language, a list of three to five keywords that capture the feel of your work. This is not about locking yourself into one style forever. The goal is to look at what you already create, identify the patterns, and give yourself language to talk about it clearly. The class works through five simple prompts. Each one has you noticed something about your work, the subjects you return to, the colors and shapes you use, your line quality, and your influences. At the end, you will combine everything into one short statement. The class is designed to be practical. You will pause after each prompt. Look at your recent work and write quick notes. Bring a notebook or open a document so you can capture your answers. For the class project, you will share your style statement, your three to five keywords, and optionally one to three images that represent your style. Let's start with the first two prompts, themes and subjects. 2. Prompts 1 & 2: Themes and Subjects: This lesson, you will answer two quick prompts about the themes and subjects in your work. Prompt one. What subjects do you draw or paint most often? Think about the things that appear again and again in your work. Are they Pepin, plants, animals, objects, interiors, fantasy creatures, landscapes, food, abstract shapes? Take a minute and list everything you draw regularly. Do not overthink it. Just write what comes to mind. For example, you might write portraits, flowers, cats, coffee cups, cityscapes, or magical forests. From two, what topics or moods do you return to? This is less about the literal subject and more about the feeling or theme. Do your pieces tend to your cozy, melancholy, playful, surreal, calm, energetic, nostalgic, mysterious? Or maybe you notice recurring topics like solitude, connection, nature, everyday moments, dreams, adventure, or quiet reflection. Again, write a quick list. Do not judge or edit the yet. Just notice what shows up. Now, look at both lists together. Circle or highlight three to five things that feel the most you. These are the subjects and moods that make your work recognizable to you and to others. Pause the video now and write your answers. Next, we will be looking at colors and shapes. 3. Prompt 3: Colors & Shapes: This lesson, you will look at the colors and shapes in your work. Prompt three, what colors and shapes show up most often in your work? Start with color. Open your portfolio, your Instagram, or folder of recent work. Look at ten to 15 pieces and notice the colors. Are your colors usually bright, neuted, earthy, pastel, monochrome, high contrast, warm or cool? Do you gravitate towards specific palettes, for example, lots of pinks and oranges, blues and greens, Neutrals with one accent color or bold primaries. Write three to five observations about your color use. Keep it simple. For example, I use lots of warm, earthy tones. My colors are soft and pastel. I love high contrast, bright colors against dark backgrounds. I stick to a limited palette, usually three to four colors per piece. Now look at shapes. Are your shapes sharp and angular, soft and round, geometric, organic, loose and sketchy, or clean and precise? Do you use a lot of patterns, repeating elements or simplified forms? Write two to three observations about your shapes. For example, my shapes are soft and rounded. I use bold geometric forms. My shapes are loose and hand drawn, never perfectly clean. When you are done, you should have a short list of color traits and shape traits. Pick the two to three most consistent ones from each category. Pause the video and write your notes now. 4. Prompts 4 & 5: Line, Texture, and Influences: Now you will answer two more prompts. One about line and texture, and one about your influences. Prompt four. What is your line quality and texture like? Look at your work again and pay attention to the lines and surfaces. Are your lines thick or thin, clean and smooth or rough and sketchy? Do you use a lot of detail or do you keep things simple? What about texture? Is your work flat and graphic, or do you add texture with brushes, grain, crosshatching, or other techniques? Write a few quick observations. For example, I use thin detailed linework. My lines are bold and graphic. I love adding grainy textures to give a vintage feel. My work is mostly flat with clean edges. Prompt five. What artists media or genres inspire you, and what do you like about them? Think about two to three artists, illustrators, designers, movies, books, or art movements that influence your work. For each one, write one short sentence about what you love or what puts you in. For example, I loved colors and flat shapes in mid century modern design. I'm inspired by studio Ghibli films because of the way they show quiet everyday moments. I admire the detailed linework and whimsy in botanical illustrations from the 1800s. These influences often point to the qualities you are drawn to and want to include in your own work. Post the video now and write your line and texture traits, two to three influences and what you love about them. In the final lesson, we will write your style statement. It 5. Write Your Style Statement : Now you will take everything you wrote and turn it into a short style statement. Your style statement is just one to three sentences that describe your visual approach in plain language. It helps you talk about your work clearly when someone asks, what's your style? Here is a simple formula you can use. My work focuses on subjects or themes with color traits and shape or line traits, creating a mood feel. Let's break it down. My work focuses on subjects or themes. Use your answers from Lesson two, for example, whimsical characters, everyday objects, nature and plants, portraits of women with color traits. Use your color observations from lesson three. For example, soft pested palettes, bold, high contrast colors, warm, earthy tones, and shape or line traits. Use your shape, line, or texture nodes from lessons three and four. For example, cream, geometric shapes, loose, sketchy linework, soft rounded forms with gramy textures. Creating a mood feel. Use one of your mood words from lesson two, for example, playful, calm, and contemplative, nostalgic, whimsical. And how that might look in a full sentence. My work focuses on everyday objects and plants with muted, earthy color palettes and loose hand drawn linework, creating a calm and nostalgic feel. Or I create character illustrations with bright, playful colors and soft rounded shapes, giving my work a warm and approachable vibe. You can also write it in a slightly different way if the formula does not feel natural. The key is to combine what you draw, how it looks visually, what feeling it creates. After you write your style statement, pull out three to five single keywords that capture your style. Look back at all your notes and circle the words that feel most true. For example, playful, textured, warm, whimsical, hand drawn. These keywords are useful for bios captions and quick descriptions. Your class project is to share your style statement, one to three sentences, your three to five keywords. Optionally, upload one to three images from your work that represent your style. Pause the video now, write your style statement and pick your keywords, then pose this as your class project here on Skillshare. Congratulations, and thank you for taking this class. Remember, your style will keep evolving and you can repeat these prompts anytime to check in and update your language. This course is only one of a few. Please check out my other courses by visiting my profile here on Skillshare. Please give me a follow so you'll be notified when a new class becomes available. Thank you.