My Art Style

It's so hard to define one's artistic motif, but it's one of the most important parts of an artist's career. Or any career, for that matter. With the popularity of the big companies such as Disney, Cartoon Network, and Dreamworks, it becomes a common thing for artists to cater their design skills to that one big dream job. They often let go of what makes them special in favor of flocking together with the familiar. I, too, found myself falling into this pattern. During my years in art school, I tried so hard to tweak my art so that it would match the big name companies that all our teachers kept babbling on about, claiming them as the goals we should all be reaching for. I saw so many of my peers stressing themselves out because their work, although fantastic in its own right, looked nothing to the level of the animated films they ached to have been a part of. It was a very uncomfortable environment. I had always loved my drawings, but it seemed as if they would never be good enough unless they looked so much like all the things that had already been done. As if being in the business of animation was limited to five measly locations in California. The end result of this type of environment was, however, not having produced Disney quality students ready for their dream job. It instead weakened the hearts and confidence of many fantastic artists who seemed unable to view themselves as good enough for the industry, and I have had enough of that.

My art style is in no way Disney-esque or Cartoon Network quality. My work is that of Christopher Atkins and none other. If I were to give it a title, it would be 'comicky.' I am a cartoonist who absolutely loves and grew up on comic books, and my art exists in an interesting middle-ground between the two. It took me way too long to be proud and acknowledge this, but today I look at all my work with a great, big smile. My drawings make me happy. My unique style is inspired by things I personally connect with, rather than emulative of what too much of our society deems 'successful' animation. I do still have moments of doubt, though, due to experiences like the one mentioned earlier. The drawing above took me some time to accept, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I could add more details or introduce more shading, but the cartoonist in me loves a level of simplicity in each of my drawings. I love the way it turned out and am more than happy to post it here.

Be proud of your artwork. Accept who you are. If we were all meant to be the same, the world would be a very different place.