Think more abstract.
Combining realistic appearance with different styles can be tricky if you have been drawing only one style. After all, each style has a unique approach related to it. They all treat shape from different point of views and things that one style values important, might not even have any meaning in others. Key thing is, that whatever style you would like to throw in the mix succesfully, requires you to at least understand and share the point of view of that spesific style. We tend to have a tunnel vision, and overestimate our artistic abilities based on technique and skill. If you can copy and achieve photograph-like realism in your work, does not mean anything for impressionistic or abstract approach. Both art movements often approach the subject from the perspective of how it makes us feel as we observe the work. Describing a scene without words, based on your brush strokes, composition, colors and shapes, they explore the meaning visually. Sometimes with more complications and sometimes in a very blank and simple ways. Creating looseness and somewhat random patterns or textures with different tools, might seem like a mess that requires no skills, but let´s think about it for a second from a different point of view.
As an example, the portrait I made of Dave Grohl.
I wanted to create a surrounding with chaotic noise to exaggerate the scene. He is shouting or singing very loud, I wanted everything to support it, I wanted the viewer to feel the energy that Dave has. If I wanted a brushstroke to appear there, I pulled it with one fast careless stroke, I can´t control the excact detail of how the bristles act on the paper, but I can control how much charcoal the brush has. I can control the direction and size of the stroke. Even though the outcome is random brush mark, it was a decision how it will appear there. Or the random splatters all around. I can´t control how every small splatter will appear there, but I can control the direction and speed of them. Another decision. If I wanted to have the charcoal run down almost like paint, I can´t control the exact width, or how much it removes charcoal from there and the excact shape it runs down, but I can control where it happens.
How much random mess is involved anymore, when it is your decisions what appears in there and how you composed them to serve a purpose.
Another example I would like to share is the portrait of Delila Paz.
She is the lead singer of band The last internationale. I wanted the image to appear something that resembles a poster that is a bit torn on a wall, with a color scheme that creates appearance of protest. That was the main goal, so alot of the foundation was created by painting knife and brush to have the edges appear randomly broken.
To combine and mix different elements, will become much more succesfull when you are familiar and able to share the point of view of a spesific style. You need to think of them as separated parts, since that´s what they are. Copying things and just throwing them in there without a reason will leave your work hollow, and prevents you from developing and evolving your own artistic choices. Imagine you are leading an orchestra, what instruments are involved and what is their role in the composition.
Treating different elements differently already in the beginning will enable much smoother process.Try it out, you might be amazed how different choices you will make once you think of them with a purpose. And if it feels interesting you might want to read my POV: shapes with different meanings.
Sincerely
Mikko
