I've got a bit of a spiel about style, and how it relates to the "fundamentals" - which is, in a lot of ways, what you're asking about in regards to style vs. realism. You'll find it in its original context here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtFundamentals/comments/gpxkca/the_battle_with_style_vs_fundamentals/frpzxn1 but I'll paste it below as well.---There's no battle between style and fundamentals. It's not an uncommon way people look at things, but it's not accurate. Instead, it's better to look at the concept of style as being a filter or a coloured lens through which one is looking at the world. The fundamentals are the world itself, specifically taking things that are three dimensional and capturing them - not hyper-accurately, but at least in a believable, tangible way - on the page. The fundamentals are about selling the illusion that what you're looking at in a drawing isreal.Style is a series of choices an artist applies to their work. You can think of it as a recipe, or an algorithm. In that sense, it's not unlike how an instagram filter works. You've got an input (the actual thing being depicted), it goes through a series of choices, and out comes the final, stylized work.So when it comes to creating a style of your own, what you're doing is developing your own recipe, your own clear set of rules and choices that will govern the works you wish to produce in this style. The first thing you need to learn, therefore, is what are the recipes that others use? And really, what is a recipe? How do I apply it?You can do this by doing master studies - that is, studies that involve looking at another artist's work, and attempting to reproduce itspecificallyfocusing on the stylistic choices they've made. You know how one might go about capturing something real at its most basic and most un-stylized (assuming you've got pretty solid fundamentals, which you should if you're worrying about style), and so you need to analyze how the artist got from that point to their end result, and decompile their algorithm. Find out what choices and rules they followed to achieve that cohesive look.Do this a lot. Do master studies of works you admire, do master studies of works that are in the totally opposite direction you'd like to go yourself. As you do so, you'll find little pieces, individual rules that will appeal to you, and as you gather these pieces, you'll be able to start experimenting on how those rules and choices can fit together into their own styles.These things will develop slowly - just like a chef testing out a new dish, they'll try things out, make tweaks, let things sit, scrap them entirely, and try again. And gradually you'll come to a style that has been tailored and engineered to suit what you want now.And you'll probably keep working on it even beyond that, eventually your tastes will change, and you'll find yourself desiring a new style altogether. And this is how you'll go about it again.But if you don't feel like you have a solid grasp on your fundamentals, on capturing things as they are (again, not hyper-realistic which is a style in and of itself), then you may want to strengthen those building blocks. That isn't to say you can't do master studies now, but that it helps a great deal when analyzing another artist's choices to have a good grasp on the raw material.---So in this sense, understanding, say, how human faces are actually structured in 3D space will help immensely when it comes to understanding *why* other artists - say, manga, or cartoonists - choose to represent their faces in a particular fashion. It helps us understand why they're making the choices they are, and so in turn it allows us to better understand the choices we make. When we just attempt to create style without this bedrock, our choices become more arbitrary and less grounded.That said, if your art teacher is suggesting that you stop drawing whatever stylistic stuff you're drawing now - ungrounded and arbitrary as it may be - I staunchly disagree with that. I think there is a lot of benefit in balancing both areas, to draw the things you love most on one side, just for its own sake without stressing over whether or not it comes out well, or as you intend, and studying the fundamentals, reality, whatever you want to call it on the other side. Setting out separate periods of time for each will help you maintain balance. It's very easy to just delve completely into studies, and to lose one's sense of direction as a result.
FAQs
Proko - is realism necessary before any stylization? ›
In saying that, if by 'realism' the teacher means to learn things like understanding form, perspective, anatomy, etc, then yes you should definitely learn these as you will be far more successful in stylizing later if you understand how things are constructed.
Should you start with realism? ›Realism is a necessary stepping-off point for your education. You need to learn realism to learn how to paint. If you don't want to draw things that are in the real world and instead draw from your imagination, you still have to be able to represent what you intend.
What is the difference between stylization and realism? ›Realism aims to recreate the real world in meticulous visual detail, pursuing ever-greater photorealism and immersion. Stylization offers more interpretive and expressive aesthetics using techniques like cel-shading, hand-drawn textures, and caricature. This article will dive deep into realistic vs.
Why is realism important in art? ›This style emerged in Europe during the mid-19th century as a reaction against the established norms of bourgeois art at the time, and is considered the beginning of modern art. Realism showcased ordinary people and everyday scenes with thoughtful consideration of light and color.
Does my art have to be realistic? ›Abstract Art Requires Realism
But, this doesn't mean that you need to solely use realism later on. As an example, if you want to create something completely abstract you're going to have an idea in your head of what you want. Let's say you're making a painting. That idea is going to be made up of the components.
The Realist movement began in the mid-19th century as a reaction to Romanticism and History painting.
Is it better to be a realist or an optimist? ›Optimism and realism are both essential to a happy and successful life. Having an optimistic outlook means you tend to see the world as a positive place and that good things are likely to happen to you. On the other hand, having a realistic outlook means you don't ignore problems or pretend they don't exist.
Why is stylization important in art? ›Stylization plays an active and effective role in the creation of figurative-semantic, figurative-symbolic works. Thanks to the method, the image begins to contain special effects of artistic expression.
What is stylization? ›: to conform to a conventional style. specifically : to represent or design according to a style or stylistic pattern rather than according to nature or tradition. stylization.
What are the 4 characteristics of realism? ›- Rejected Romantic ideals.
- Represented subjects “as they were”
- Focused on everyday people, settings, and situations.
- Responded to a new national emphasis on workers.
What is the main goal of realism? ›
Realism aims to interpret the actualities of any aspect of life, free from subjective prejudice, idealism, or romantic color. It is in direct opposition to concerns of the unusual, the basis of Romanticism. Stresses the real over the fantastic.
What is the main point of realism? ›Realism (including neorealism) focuses on abiding patterns of interaction in an international system lacking a centralized political authority. That condition of anarchy means that the logic of international politics often differs from that of domestic politics, which is regulated by a sovereign power.
What is the opposite of realism art? ›Realism and abstraction could be seen as polar opposites, but perhaps they are more like two ends of a continuum of visual expression, like hot and cold.
What do you call art that isn't realistic? ›However, abstract art depicts something real in an abstract way, while nonrepresentational art doesn't depict a subject at all.
Why can't I draw realism? ›Lack of structural understanding
A general structural knowledge can help you to add dimension. See and understand everything as 3D while drawing. In such a way, all your realistic drawing will have dimension and will not look flat. For portraits, study the anatomy.
In saying that, if by 'realism' the teacher means to learn things like understanding form, perspective, anatomy, etc, then yes you should definitely learn these as you will be far more successful in stylizing later if you understand how things are constructed.
Should you learn realism before anime? ›There is no pre-existing rule when you first begin. If you start with realism, you begin to discover some patterns and eventually cement them as "rules." If you start with anime, you begin to see similar patterns in professional artists and those will begin to look like "rules."
How do I start practicing realism? ›To get realistic results when drawing with pencils, start by drawing the form accurately. Then, brightness values are the key. Meaning, how dark or light each area is. In addition, pay attention to edges and transitions.
Is realism harder than veteran? ›Realism is the highest difficulty level in the games and is only available once the player has beaten the campaign on any difficulty. Realism functions identically to the Veteran difficulty, carrying the same damage and weapon mechanics.