<p>The best way to learn to work in the style of the artists that inspire you is mimicry. Instead of &quot;just doodling&quot; start making copies of the work of the artists you like. This is 100% ok as long as don't try to take credit for their work, in fact it is a long tradition in the Fine Arts.</p>
<p>You could begin by tracing drawings to get a feel for how they are composed. Then move on to reproducing the drawings by eye. By doing this you will learn what makes those drawing work on a technical level. However, you need to refine your own drawing skills as well so you have the confidence and experience to build off of.</p>
<p>To get the foundation start taking drawing and composition courses at your local art school or college. They usually have <strong>continuing education</strong> programs that offer a range of courses. Can be pricey but consider it an investment... if you wind up with the skills of your inspirations it will certainly be worth it.</p>
<p>Meanwhile look at reference materials on illustration, composition, etc. there are plenty of good books to get you started. Just absorb as much material as you can get your hands/eyes on. There are classics on the subject that have been around for decades for good reason, seek those out. They will have basic exercises that will give you control over line and tone. The illustrations you show also are using watercolor washes, so practice those as well.</p>
<p>Finally, get out and practice. Get a sketch book, some drawing pencils with soft leads or a good art pen so your line will have some expression, and go draw some landscapes. You will discover so much this way and combined with the study of the illustrators as above will lead you to your own effective style.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-26T14:51:38.837Z
2024-03-01T00:03:31.393Z
2024-03-01T00:03:31.393Z
rebusB
<p>A different approach to <a href="https://crafts.stackexchange.com/a/13096/6388">rebusB's answer</a>:</p>
<p>You mention how &quot;<em>right now I'm just doodling or making very rough sketches, not thinking too hard about what to draw, just to get myself comfortable with sitting down and drawing again</em>&quot;. This is an excellent starting point: making it a habit to draw and enjoy doing it. Get a feel for how you naturally draw first: how you interpret what you see and express yourself. At this stage I recommend drawing with pencils, if you're not already doing it.</p>
<p>If you have a sketch you particularly enjoy for some reason (good composition, right mood, interesting shapes or linework, &amp;c.), you can collect some reproductions of Skutnik's works for reference, take a fineliner, and try to approach his way of working as you trace your sketches.<br />
If you don't want to lose your sketch or simply want to have the possibility to try it again, you can initially copy or even trace your sketch.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/fmpqZ.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/fmpqZ.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a><br />
<sup>Mateusz Skutnik. <em>Submachine</em>. 2021 (<a href="https://www.mateuszskutnik.com/archive/submachine-watercolor-2021-01/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a>)</sup></p>
<p>Note that there is barely any shading, and what shading there is exists to make the subject pop out from the background. His linework has a certain carelessness to it, it's done in freehand (no tight straight lines), with no real attention to direction, structure, and perspective.</p>
<p>What it has in common with Lachmann is that everything looks organic. This is partially due to the aforementioned way of treating structure, but in his case also because of the use of subdued and natural colours.</p>
<p>Based on a quick glance of some of this works, I believe Lachmann mixes digital reproductions of physical media with renders to create an alienating hybrid of real and unreal.</p>
<p>Once you get acquainted with working, and thus seeing, this way, you can (and probably will) start making it your own through repetition. <em>Imitate, Assimilate, Innovate</em>.</p>
<p>Once you feel you're hitting another obstacle, you can of course ask a new question here :), but you might also want to start educating yourself about the anatomy you mention, or composition, colour theories, shading, &amp;c. What's important is that you keep enjoying it.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-02T13:35:22.710Z
2024-03-02T13:35:22.710Z
Joachim
<p>Basically I used to doodle a lot when I was younger and decided to get back into it. I managed to find a comic and game artist that EXACTLY matches what I want my drawings to look like, and my goal is to one day reach his level.</p>
<p>His name is Mateusz Skutnik. I’d really love to be able to draw like him but focus more on landscapes and less on subjects/creatures. Another great artist that I’ve always found inspiration from is Adolf Lachman for his work on the games Machinarium and Samorost 3, and also the landscape sketches of Peter Draws.</p>
<p>I’m struggling to know where to start? What are some good resources for what I’m looking for?</p>
<p>Alphonso Dunn’s urban sketching videos seem like a good starting point, but his style is more on the realism side, any other good recommendations?</p>
<p>I’m assuming that a good roadmap to start with is the one from the wiki and I’ll just skip the things about anatomy, but how do I tailor it towards a style that is more reminiscent of the artists I mentioned? The latter question has been the source of my frustration with drawing for quite a long time.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-19T21:40:53.093Z
Hi Yezen, welcome to Arts & Crafts! Asking for resources is off-topic here, because we want to form a self-contained resource of information. We also tend to focus on very concrete problems, so: what have you tried yourself? What do your sketches look like currently? What aspect would you like to tackle first (e.g. creating linework similar to that of Skutnik, or the colour palettes of Lachman)?
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-20T10:32:52.013Z
I see, apologies I did not know how the community worked. Right now Im just doodling or making very rough sketches, not thinking too hard about what to draw, just to get myself comfortable with sitting down and drawing again(the main reason why i stopped drawing as a kid is because i was a perfectionist and was critiquing my art every step of the way until i got frustrated). My main goal is to achieve Skutnik’s line work.
Yezen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-26T14:57:49.713Z
I may be old school but I find video lessons to be one of the worst ways of learning something like this. You need to be able to absorb the info at your pace, not the pace of the videographer.
rebusB
<drawing><technique-identification><ink><comics>
How can I adopt a specific style in illustration?
Yezen
# How can I adopt a specific style in illustration?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-02-19)

Basically I used to doodle a lot when I was younger and decided to get back into it. I managed to find a comic and game artist that EXACTLY matches what I want my drawings to look like, and my goal is to one day reach his level.

His name is Mateusz Skutnik. I’d really love to be able to draw like him but focus more on landscapes and less on subjects/creatures. Another great artist that I’ve always found inspiration from is Adolf Lachman for his work on the games Machinarium and Samorost 3, and also the landscape sketches of Peter Draws.

I’m struggling to know where to start? What are some good resources for what I’m looking for?

Alphonso Dunn’s urban sketching videos seem like a good starting point, but his style is more on the realism side, any other good recommendations?

I’m assuming that a good roadmap to start with is the one from the wiki and I’ll just skip the things about anatomy, but how do I tailor it towards a style that is more reminiscent of the artists I mentioned? The latter question has been the source of my frustration with drawing for quite a long time.

**Tags:** drawing, technique-identification, ink, comics

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hi username_0, welcome to Arts & Crafts! Asking for resources is off-topic here, because we want to form a self-contained resource of information. We also tend to focus on very concrete problems, so: what have you tried yourself? What do your sketches look like currently? What aspect would you like to tackle first (e.g. creating linework similar to that of Skutnik, or the colour palettes of Lachman)?  
> **username_0**: I see, apologies I did not know how the community worked. Right now Im just doodling or making very rough sketches, not thinking too hard about what to draw, just to get myself comfortable with sitting down and drawing again(the main reason why i stopped drawing as a kid is because i was a perfectionist and was critiquing my art every step of the way until i got frustrated). My main goal is to achieve Skutnik’s line work.  
> **username_2**: I may be old school but I find video lessons to be one of the worst ways of learning something like this. You need to be able to absorb the info at your pace, not the pace of the videographer.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-02-26. Score: 1

The best way to learn to work in the style of the artists that inspire you is mimicry. Instead of "just doodling" start making copies of the work of the artists you like. This is 100% ok as long as don't try to take credit for their work, in fact it is a long tradition in the Fine Arts.

You could begin by tracing drawings to get a feel for how they are composed. Then move on to reproducing the drawings by eye. By doing this you will learn what makes those drawing work on a technical level. However, you need to refine your own drawing skills as well so you have the confidence and experience to build off of.

To get the foundation start taking drawing and composition courses at your local art school or college. They usually have **continuing education** programs that offer a range of courses. Can be pricey but consider it an investment... if you wind up with the skills of your inspirations it will certainly be worth it.

Meanwhile look at reference materials on illustration, composition, etc. there are plenty of good books to get you started. Just absorb as much material as you can get your hands/eyes on. There are classics on the subject that have been around for decades for good reason, seek those out. They will have basic exercises that will give you control over line and tone. The illustrations you show also are using watercolor washes, so practice those as well.

Finally, get out and practice. Get a sketch book, some drawing pencils with soft leads or a good art pen so your line will have some expression, and go draw some landscapes. You will discover so much this way and combined with the study of the illustrators as above will lead you to your own effective style.


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-03-02. Score: 0

A different approach to [username_2's answer](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/a/13096/6388):

You mention how "*right now I'm just doodling or making very rough sketches, not thinking too hard about what to draw, just to get myself comfortable with sitting down and drawing again*". This is an excellent starting point: making it a habit to draw and enjoy doing it. Get a feel for how you naturally draw first: how you interpret what you see and express yourself. At this stage I recommend drawing with pencils, if you're not already doing it.

If you have a sketch you particularly enjoy for some reason (good composition, right mood, interesting shapes or linework, &c.), you can collect some reproductions of Skutnik's works for reference, take a fineliner, and try to approach his way of working as you trace your sketches.  
If you don't want to lose your sketch or simply want to have the possibility to try it again, you can initially copy or even trace your sketch.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/fmpqZ.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/fmpqZ.jpg)  
Mateusz Skutnik. *Submachine*. 2021 ([source](https://www.mateuszskutnik.com/archive/submachine-watercolor-2021-01/))

Note that there is barely any shading, and what shading there is exists to make the subject pop out from the background. His linework has a certain carelessness to it, it's done in freehand (no tight straight lines), with no real attention to direction, structure, and perspective.

What it has in common with Lachmann is that everything looks organic. This is partially due to the aforementioned way of treating structure, but in his case also because of the use of subdued and natural colours.

Based on a quick glance of some of this works, I believe Lachmann mixes digital reproductions of physical media with renders to create an alienating hybrid of real and unreal.

Once you get acquainted with working, and thus seeing, this way, you can (and probably will) start making it your own through repetition. *Imitate, Assimilate, Innovate*.

Once you feel you're hitting another obstacle, you can of course ask a new question here :), but you might also want to start educating yourself about the anatomy you mention, or composition, colour theories, shading, &c. What's important is that you keep enjoying it.


---

