Alrighty. So, first, I'll start with a little disclaimer: originality, personal styles, copying and plagiarism are some very touchy issues. There are about as many definitions for those as artists, and nobody agrees on them. Some people care, some don't. What I'm going to write about here is what I consider to be the sensible line to hold, but you're entirely free to disagree with me whole-heartedly. Also, this journal is not primarily about art theft, "style theft" and all those things - but of course these are things I will have to tackle, considering the subject. Please, this is NOT a place for accusations of theft or name-calling of any kind. Thank you!


So let's get started. The first thing that you should think about when it comes to originality is : why do you want to be original? Ok, I can already hear people screaming "You heretic! That is no question to be asked! As an artist, you must thrive to be original!". Well, I think it's a question worth asking nonetheless, because... well, if you don't know why you want to be original, it's kind of hard to find how to be so. Originality is not something you achieve because you're guilt-tripped into it (or at least, it should not be).

So why do you want to be original? And should it really be a big deal to you?
I can see many situations where originality is... not such a huge deal. For example:
- your main interest in art is to draw your OCs for your RPG game with your friends, these are for your personal use only, you draw for the fun of it and have no intention to make a career.
- your interest is to draw the most accurate and liveliest portraits possible from photographs.
- you're a graphist and your interest is to do trendy, likeable designs that your clients will enjoy and that will sell well.
Just a few examples. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that these are not creative, or that they are incompatible with originality (because they're not). I'm just saying that these are cases where honestly? Well, if your art is not instantly recognizable and distinctive, it's not such a big deal, because the achievement and purpose are elsewhere.
Now, if you're going for things like illustrations, fine arts, fantasy art and such, and most importantly, if you are planning to make a career in one of those fields... well, originality is something very important. It's what makes you distinctive, interesting and unique.

Originality is basically being able to show what you have inside: who you are, what you like, what your little inner world is. And that's what people are interested in. Honestly, nobody is interested in seeing you draw somebody else's inside (... probably both literally and figuratively, by the way). This is why originality and personal styles are important. It's not because it's bad to copy on your classmate. It's not because you're not an artist unless you are original. It's just because, as an artist, you have something interesting and unique to show to the world. So the whole point is to be able to take that out of yourself, and turn it into art. Which makes imitating others kind of pointless (not to mention not very interesting for you as an artist).

So, how do you do that? Ahah, as you can guess... it's easier said than done.

First and foremost... well, hardly anybody is ever 100% original. We all have influences, we all have references that we have accumulated since childhood, and that is absolutely NOT something to be ashamed about. All artists feed themselves from the works of other artists, but also from their cultural background and references. That's natural, and that's good. Your influences and references make you who you are. Now, the important thing is to digest them, and turn them into something new.
So, nobody is original from the start. We all start by reproducing things we've seen, and most of us go a long way into imitating others to an extend before "finding" our personal styles. Not being original is not a "bad" thing - at least it's not "let's hang you on the public place"-bad. It's normal and natural while you're looking for your artistic identity.

Now, don't get me wrong. While I don't think it's "bad" or "wrong" for a developping artist to imitate to an extend, this doesn't mean that:
- it's fair and dandy to plagiarize other artists, i.e. copy a fair amount of one of their works and call it your own. Lack of originality is not an excuse for your lack of creativity. Uh-uh, no.
- it's something you can get away with all your life and pretend that you're still "developping".
Being fair and honest to yourself and to others is something very important if you want to improve as an artist. So while it's ok not to be original, it's not ok not to even try. Right?

So, finding your personal style means mixing all those influences together to make something new out of it, something that truly is YOU. Which is definitely not easy.
Those of you who know me probably already have a hunch of what I'm going to say now... well, the key point to being original is to work hard. You don't "find" your personal style by stumbling upon it on the street. You work it out. Originality is like most other skills: it's something that you acquire by working on it, by trying and failing and trying again. It's not something that happens magically someday, it's the result of all your life as an artist.

Now, there are a few tips I can give you to become more original. First, don't look for "your personal style" as though it was a fixed thing. Your "personal style" is something that will evolve for all your life, it comes and goes and changes with you. What you should try is to do original things, things that are distinctive and different from your references. Ask yourself: what are the things I like best about my art? And develop these, take them further, make them the core of your style. What are the things I dislike about my art? Experiment on these, try to find different ways to work on them. What parts are truly mine, what parts are strongly influenced by others? And most importantly... what do I want to do with my artwork? How much of myself do I really show?
Answering those questions now and then should help you precise in which direction you want to go.

Also, you should be careful of a few traps you don't want to fall in.
- You can't please everyone. Being original necessarily implies making choices and decisions that some people will not agree with. That's ok. There is no originality without picking a side and holding it.
- Originality is not repetition. It's a common trap and we all fall for it to an extend... so keep it in mind. Doing the same thing all over again with some variations around a major theme, until you have done it so many times that people associate it with you, is not "style" or "originality".
- Style cannot hide lack of skills. How many times have we heard "It's not bad anatomy, it's my style!!"? Well, no. Bad anatomy, bad skills remain bad skills no matter how you call them. If you have to mention that it's your style, then it means that you failed somewhere. Maybe it *was* your intention, but your intention didn't carry through, so you fail. Style and technical skills usually evolve hand-in-hand: it's hard to have a distinctive style if your skills are poor. As your skills become better, it becomes easier to develop your originality. Also, style is a skill like any other and can be criticized, so "it's my style" is not an answer. Listen to critiques, and take out what is important in them in order to improve.

So, take-home-message-in-a-nutshell: originality is something you want to achieve, but don't feel too guilty if you are not there yet. You will get there! You just need is to work hard, and define where you want to go. Remember: people want to know your inner world, your imagination, your ideas. They're not interested in seeing you through the glasses of somebody else... they want to see you. And that's where you'll be best anyway in the end.


Ok, that was long...! I think I've pretty much covered it all. Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for Artips #3 : Ideas, composition, and all the work that goes into a drawing before your pencil touches the paper.