Could using Nicolaides, "The Natrual Way to Draw" Dissolve my own style?

[nikita5]

I've been drawing on my own for about a year new, and I've accomplished more than what I ever thought possible. I pride myself on mixing a sort of a comic style of realism (close to somthing along the lines of Danger Girl). Even though I'm happy with what I can produce, coming out with quality images that do not comproise my vision can be very time conusming. I tend to love clean, sleek lineart, and the way I need to do some of the exercies in Nicolaides' book feels like nails on a chalkboard when I do them.

One particular review at Amazon.com, seemed like it may have some truth to it, and I wanted everyone's opinion before I continue further into the second schedule of the book. Here's the quote from the review I'm refering to.

"Now I don't tell this anecdote to disparage Nicolades, because many people have truly become the artist they always wanted to be through this book. Flip through the book and ask yourself, after all the work you will go through, do the examples in the book represent the way you would like to be able to draw. Know that you when you are through you will not be drawing like a Norman Rockwell or in a classical, comic or animation style if that is your desire. These methods will not translate as these styles require different disciplines. Do you want to be an artist where your work will be looked at as an internal expression? Do you put a priority on how your work expresses an esoteric truth over a literal one? If the answer is yes then by all means go for this book. If you desire to draw illustrations that capture accurate or sleek stylized likenesses and express yourself with subtle light and shadow or beautiful linework you may find yourself happier with a book or class that teaches with more classical methods. To put it more simply, when people think of you as an artist, do you want them to think of you wearing a french beret at an easel or a baseball cap at a drawing table? You can learn greatly from this book. This book offers you a long arduous trip. Do make sure it is taking you to the destination you desire. If you are not sure, or you aspire to be an animation clean-up or in-between artist then perhaps should look into the easier Betty Edwards, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain series." She borrows exercises directly from this book and it might be a good guage to see if this method suits your personality"

Thanks again to anyone that takes the time to read through this long post, and help me to best sort things out.

[jester]

Don't worry on style yet, but on learning all the basics. Nicolaides is great, but he's not the only one to learn from. Check out Loomis, Bridgeman and many many more (also on this excellent forum: Jason Manley, KChen, Android, Daarken, just to name a few). Look, draw, learn. Style will come - and it can't be "diluted" by someone's teaching methods. To try something completely different from your usual way of drawing/painting broadens your mind. When you've mastered it and don't like it, drop it and try something else.

Just my 2c

Jester

[platypusStar]

I find that many artists (mostly young students) concern themselves too much with "losing their style". I see many of my fellow students fight what is being taught in fear of loosing their "style". There's nothing wrong with wanting or searching for a style, but I personally feel many young artists expend way too much energy on keeping or finding their "style".

The art instructor at my school gave us a list of books to read and work out of for extra credit over the summer, and this book by Nicolaides is one of them. The intent of using these books (at least our instructor's intent) is to help us draw without a visual aid. We spent a year working from live models and objects, and this next September we will be working from the imagination.

I personally have not reveiwed the Nicolaides book, but am looking at "Drawing from observation" by Brian Curtis, which is supposes to help with retaining and understanding objects.

I wouldn't worry about losing or having your personal style change. Many books out there are just there to help you see more than one way of looking at something, then translating it on paper, canvas, etc. You can take from it what you want, and leave what you want. Breaking out of your comfort zone when it comes to learning art, especially drawing is a sure sign of growing and learning something.

Syle is nothing more than an artitists personal and intentional choices on various elements of whatever piece (drawing, painting, music, writing, etc.) they are working on. Try to be versatile with art, don't limit yourself in what you can do.

[sic1]

I like to think of my own style bits and pieces of what I like from other Artists. I don't know if taht's quite the definition taht fits, I'm still very new, but I do know from looking at just a few artists what I like about them. After a few months of studying bridgman, surely I see some of his lines show through into my work... but I also see a lot of my own (usually it's crap). I'll worry about the style later.. the basics are important, as Jester said.

[BadMange]

You really should take a look through the book, because it's mostly exercises and proposes a schedule of 4+ hrs of drawing each day. Don't worry about losing your style, because by going through the exercises you'll be practicing the only way you know how to draw, which is your "style." I'm still not clear as to why you think you'd lose your style following the book's lessons though. Nicolades doesn't tell you to "draw this way, draw that way."

"Back in the day" of the Renaissance, apprentice painters had to make tons of master paintings, copying every little detail in the style of the original before they were allowed to move on to painting on their own. And these painters still had their own style show through their work. Take a look at the Middle Class and their master copies. Do you think that they would make copies of any paintings if it didn't help them get better in their own style? Nope!

-Bad Mange