Is there a specific age for a specific art style? Maybe an expiration date for some? Or is it just entirely dependent on the crowd?
Hey hi hello ducklings, it is I, the damehelsing.
So, as stated before, I’m here to talk about art, the “time periods” of art styles and the expiration dates.
In recent years it’s a lot of cute and simple art styles that get a lot of praise (at least what I see in my feed) - think Steven Universe. Now just because I said that it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s simple to draw, so please don’t take it as me saying that anyone could do that, because cute like that is definitely not something I’ve ever managed, same with people who say “anyone can do anime” nah bish – I can’t draw anime. Also super vibrant art, like use of neon colors, gets a lot of attention. And this isn’t bad, I am more than happy that people get attention on their art, I think everyone deserves to get attention for their hard work. To a point. And I say to a point because if you are SPAMMING YOUR WORKS, I am more likely to keep quiet.
Now, things that I feel like have fallen out and seem to have reached an expiration date is art styles like what is often seen in DC/Marvel comics. Specifically early 2000’s, and maybe that’s why? It’s from early 2000’s?
Anyway, for my own personal experience, (also I have NO CLUE what my art style is considered, so I wouldn’t even be able to tell what style it is and why it has or hasn’t fallen out in the current times, and every art style is indeed unique but there is normally a category we can insert people into) – I have been in quite a few Discord groups, I have been part of forums, and I feel like I can safely say that when I posted something, specifically my art, there would mostly be crickets, if there weren’t crickets then it’s because I shared it in a close group chat of like 3 friends at most. There was one discord group I used to be a part of, all friends or mutuals of said friend, etc, that I would try to occasionally post my art, because that group did have an art chat, so I posted something I was working super hard on and fuckin’ crickets, my dude, then this one person (not someone I was close with) posts something like a few hours later than I and it’s like 
this person, I would say their art style is like… Disney cute. I don’t know how else to describe it, so yeah they absolutely deserve to get some love, but why is it that some artists do and some artists don’t? What was I doing wrong that didn’t warrant at least some sort of compliment?
I actually did leave this group because I was like “’Kay, guess I just don’t exist” because that’s what it felt like. And it wasn't just with art, it was EVERYTHING. That was just the final straw.
All artists put in some amount of hard work, some worker harder than others and some manage to be a Rapunzel Barbie and can do an amazing work on one sweep of of their stylus/pencil/paint brush/etc.
So – why is it that some people just don’t get at least some sort of recognition? I stated in an old article of mine that it’s really all about luck, but what is the excuse for a closed group? People who are “friends”? People who are BOUND to see your work at some point? I know there are some people who just have nothing to say, but do you really have nothing to say? Does it remove 5 years off of your life to type “That looks awesome” or “nice job” or even show some sort of interest by asking your fellow artist how long it took them or what their inspiration was for the piece?
I might sound salty and that’s because I am, I don’t care, I’ll admit that I’m salty, because this has happened repeatedly to me. I get way more attention on twitter than I do in friend groups and… it’s kind of sad. And it kind of sucks, because most of the time, the opinions of your friends and family, matter more and when you’re quiet about what someone is trying to show you, it sounds like you don’t care about what your fellow artist did or the time they spent into said piece. Or the fact that you mean so much to them, they WANT to show you what they’ve done.
Anyway, I don’t think I’ve got much to add, all I can think is that 1. the art style is just not “in” with the times or 2. wrong crowd for what you’re doing, I guess.
What is your opinion on the matter? Have you witnessed works that were “in” and then fell “out”?
Have you ever personally been in a group where it just seemed like it was the wrong crowd for your art?
Let me know! LET US VENT OUR ART FRUSTRATIONS TOGETHER.
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ART: wrong time or wrong crowd?
damehelsing at 12:00AM, Aug. 1, 2021
7 likes!
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jerrie at 6:33PM, Aug. 2, 2021
I've learned to accept that my style... is my style. like Ozoneocean has said, you'll go crazy, trying to keep up with whats popular. I drove myself crazy, trying to copy what I see folks liking. I even contemplated quitting, because my art style wasn't good enough. Now I say...screw it. I try now to post what I like and hope a few folks like it enough, to read it.
PaulEberhardt at 5:12AM, Aug. 2, 2021
Getting a lot of recognition and being good at what you do are two very different and separate things - that's the way it has always been. The fact that they sometimes overlap doesn't change this a bit.
Ozoneocean at 2:28AM, Aug. 2, 2021
You'd go crazy keeping up with the current popular styles. Just get better at the one you use yourself. Despite my best wishes my own art style keeps getting more and more cartoony haha! I don't really like art styles that look too mainstream just because you see too many examples of stuff that's all the same and that gets dull fast.
skyangel at 1:31AM, Aug. 2, 2021
Great article! Back in the early days of my comic when the art was so rough that I cringed at pressing the upload button I used to get people leaving incredibly supportive comments about how nice the art was which really kept me going but after 10 years and what I feel is a huge advance in personal development readers are far more likely to point out my typos or artistic flaws so at times it does feel surreal, especially like you say when you feel you turned out an exceptional piece of art, but maybe dpat57 has a point! :)
damehelsing at 5:08PM, Aug. 1, 2021
@hushicho, absolutely, wonderfully said, thank you :)
hushicho at 2:59PM, Aug. 1, 2021
Artists definitely need encouragement, and there's nothing wrong with expecting it. We work hard. Creators should be supported and encouraged. If someone is the kind of person who fixates on whether or not an artist's style is reminiscent of whatever happens to be the flavor of the minute, they're not someone whose opinion should really be given much gravitas at all. As creators, we definitely need to get away from the attitude that we should always embrace everyone else's opinions of our work, no matter how uninformed. Take constructive feedback, and everything else can go pound sand. Artists express themselves in whatever style they find speaks to them. That's something that needs to be understood.
hushicho at 2:51PM, Aug. 1, 2021
Unfortunately, most of the time it's the professional art community, and the art schools, and all of these standardized, mainstream, co-opted machines like Marvel and DC, for example, that promote the attitudes that cause so much of this shallow attitude towards art. People barely spend seconds on panels that take some of us hours to do. A work we bled for gets barely a murmur. And the whole society around us feels entitled to ignore people at best, or decide they're super valid critics -- and we're supposed to smile and embrace their often useless "critique" -- who understand something they haven't even taken the time to read a page of.
damehelsing at 10:24AM, Aug. 1, 2021
@dpat, it is possible that maybe the other artists need more encouragement. @Andreas, the cute style has been a thing since about 2014/2015. I don't think it's the dark times that have anything to do with that, but I wouldn't doubt it if that's why people would prefer to shift towards a more happier art style. @Bravo, I've seen people use your sort of medium before to create comics and videos, mostly videos than comics, I am surprised it's not a wee bit more popular but at the same time I understand why it isn't.
bravo1102 at 1:47AM, Aug. 1, 2021
At least you draw. Try being the person in the group who doesn't. The person who pretty much created their own medium.
Andreas_Helixfinger at 1:39AM, Aug. 1, 2021
Also, I'm sure I'll get to reading your comics soon enough Damehelsing, so that you'll be seeing me shoot my jokes and quirky remarks in the comment sections like I do with all webcomics I read.
Andreas_Helixfinger at 1:35AM, Aug. 1, 2021
I don't know. Maybe it's because people are so conditioned by the mainstream to always be drawn to the artstyles that are exact or similar to those particular styles, considering those styles to be "safe" or "comfortable" or "the norm" if you will. Or maybe its because the times have become so dark and difficult to grasp that people are now clinging to cuteness and neon bright colors, desperate to have their minds wiped from all the negativity that is being pumped into them everyday by the news media. I don't know. I just know that like my artstyle, which I guess is kind of a mix between Looney Toons and Heavy Metal Magazine (Or something, I don't know how to describe my style) and I like to stick with it and grow with it. By the way, I've contacted Kyo over at Comic Fury and he's cool with me creating a shameless ad thread for The Duck Anthology. Tryin' to be yo' DD Anthology pimp over there^^
dpat57 at 12:27AM, Aug. 1, 2021
Yes that must be frustrating. Although maybe, just maybe, your style is so effing cool and good-looking that people just don't know what to say that wouldn't make them seem like they're a fawning suck-up. Maybe other artists they see need more encouragement, to their mind? Just a theory... which I air because your style is so effing cool and good-looking. Ohgod I'm a fawning suck-up now.