The Issue of 'Style'

I'm trying to figure out what my overall style is--if I have one. I've been learning a lot about the illustration business, and having a distinctive style to one's body of work is of much import.

I've also been looking at a lot of different artists. My current instructor (www.caitlinkuhwald.com) tells us to find illustrators that we can imagine working/looking like. Not directly copying--but you know, finding someone who's style you can aspire to and learn from.

I've thought and thought about this... Probably my favorite illustrators are Leo and Diane Dillon (who doesn't like them?). My composition teacher told us that the artists you like say something about how you work. I think this is true--I have a tendency towards similar compositions as the Dillons--very straight, frontal, with some divisions of the space, particularly in foreground/background.

But our compositions are not necessarily where the magic happens. The Dillons and I love faces. Our faces are almost always the focus of the piece. One thing, though--I don't tend to idealize my faces as much. Depending if I have reference or not, I tend to veer more towards establishing a likeness and individuality than having a generalized face. I love portraiture...

We also love objects. While I can't flatter myself that I'm as whimsical with my objects as my idols, I still like to include objects, and spend some time rendering them. Drapery/Clothing, I can render as well, but like the Dillons, I will sometimes block it out as either shaded color or pattern.

I don't have the same skill set as the Dillons, I know. I need to practice and practice. Still, it is freeing to have them to look up to, since I can see that it is possible to combine highly-rendered portions with flatness. And it's okay to be 'tableaux', as I have been called by my first illustration teacher, Barron Storey. And it's okay to have an earthy pallete... And I can most definitely learn from the Dillon's whimsy and put in some more liberated graphic motifs.

So, if anyone who has looked at my gallery has any suggestions--as to who else I might look like, or what common aesthetics can be found in my work, I'd love to hear it. Sometimes the artist herself is too intertwined to see what is happening on a larger scale.