How to Find Your Art Style: A Guide to Understanding What You Actually Like
Not sure what kind of art you like? You're not alone. You might find yourself scrolling through galleries, Pinterest boards or online art shops thinking “I like that... but I don't really know why.” Or perhaps you've been told you need to find your “art style” before you can choose artwork for your home, but you have no idea where to begin.
The good news is that you don't need to have an established art style - and you certainly don't need to choose one from a long list of algorithm-friendly aesthetics.
Instead, you can learn to recognise your own visual preferences.
Your taste is already there, the trick is learning how to see it.
What does it mean to have an “art style”?
When people talk about their “art style”, they can actually mean several different things.
Sometimes they mean the type of art they like: “I'm really into Impressionism.” Or it could be an aesthetic: “I like colourful, eclectic interiors.”
And sometimes they simply mean that they know what they like when they see it, even if they can't quite define why they like it.
These aren't quite the same thing.
You don't have to identify yourself as a particular type of art lover, a “modern art person”, a “traditional art person”, a “minimalist”, or anything else, to have a recognisable or coherent taste. In fact, trying to put yourself into one category can sometimes make choosing art harder.
Your taste might be much more interesting than a single label.
You might love the quiet colours of one landscape, the composition of an abstract painting, the texture of an old print and the slightly strange atmosphere of a figurative work.
What connects them might not be immediately obvious, and that's where visual language comes in.
Don't ask “Do I like this?” - ask “What do I like about this?”
This is probably the most useful change you can make when trying to understand your art taste. Instead of looking at an artwork and deciding simply yes or no, try to work out what is creating your response.
Start by looking at a few different elements.
1. Colour
Colour is often one of the first things we respond to, even when we don't consciously realise it.
Do you tend to gravitate towards:
- soft, muted colours?
- rich, saturated colour?
- earthy or natural tones?
- monochrome?
- unexpected colour combinations?
- warm colours?
- cool colours?
- dramatic contrasts?
You might discover that the subject matter of a painting isn't actually what attracts you. It could be the particular palette, the way it delightfully clashes with something you already own or enhances it.
2. Composition
Look at how the elements of an artwork are arranged.
Do you prefer images that feel:
- calm and balanced?
- busy and layered?
- symmetrical?
- sparse?
- tightly composed?
- expansive?
- chaotic?
- highly structured?
Two artworks can depict exactly the same subject and feel completely different because of their composition.
Pay attention to which one you instinctively prefer.
3. Line and shape
Line can have a surprisingly strong effect on how an artwork feels.
Do you respond to:
- soft, organic lines?
- sharp geometric forms?
- expressive brushstrokes?
- architectural lines?
- delicate detail?
- bold, graphic shapes?
You don't have to know the technical vocabulary for this. Just notice what your eye seems to enjoy following.
4. Texture and material
Particularly when looking at original or older works, the physical qualities of an artwork can be part of its appeal.
Perhaps you love:
- visible brushstrokes
- rough or imperfect surfaces
- layers of paint
- paper texture
- the signs of age in a vintage print
- highly polished, smooth surfaces
- collage or mixed media
Sometimes what we love about an artwork isn't just what it depicts, but how it exists as an object.
5. Subject matter
Of course, what an artwork actually depicts matters too.
You might consistently be drawn towards:
- landscapes
- portraits
- interiors
- still lifes
- architecture
- animals
- flowers
- abstract forms
- everyday life
- historical subjects
But don't stop here.
If you say “I love landscapes”, ask yourself what kind of landscapes?
Is it the scenery itself, or the atmosphere? The colours? The sense of space? The nostalgia? The solitude?
This is where your taste starts becoming much more specific.
6. Mood
This is one of the most overlooked parts of visual taste.
How does an artwork make you feel?
Do you tend to prefer art that feels:
- peaceful?
- joyful?
- nostalgic?
- mysterious?
- melancholic?
- romantic?
- dramatic?
- playful?
- strange?
- unsettling?
You might discover that the common thread between the artworks you love isn't their subject or period at all.
It's their mood.
Try a visual taste experiment
Here's a simple exercise you can try today.
Find 10–20 artworks that you instinctively like.
Don't overthink it.
Don't choose them because they're famous. Don't choose them because you think you should like them. And don't worry about whether they “go together”.
Choose the ones that make you stop scrolling.
Then put them together and look at them as a group.
Ask yourself:
What keeps appearing?
Look at:
- colour
- composition
- line
- texture
- subject
- scale
- mood
- material
- period
- anything else you notice
You might be surprised by what you find.
A useful trick: compare two artworks
If you're struggling to identify your preferences, put two artworks side by side.
Ask yourself:
If I could only keep one, which would I choose?
Then ask:
Why?
Keep doing this with different pairs.
You don't need to have the right answer. You're training yourself to notice your own reactions.
Over time, you'll start to build a much clearer picture of your visual preferences.
You don't have to like “good” art
This one is important.
Art history has given us an enormous canon of artists and artworks that we're told are important, influential or culturally significant.
But historical importance and personal preference aren't the same thing.
You can recognise that a particular artwork is incredibly significant and still not want it hanging in your home. You can also love something that isn't considered particularly important by art historians.
In fact, learning to separate “this is important” from “I like this” can be incredibly freeing. Your personal taste doesn't need academic approval and doesn't need to be high brow, you don't need to be able to justify every artwork you love.
Sometimes “I just really like it” is a perfectly good reason to have it.
So, how do you find your art style?
If you're still wondering where to start, here's the short version:
1. Look at lots of art.
The more visual information you encounter, the more opportunities you have to notice what attracts you.
2. Choose instinctively.
Pay attention to what makes you stop and look before you start analysing it.
3. Ask why.
Don't stop at “I like it.” Ask what specifically is creating that response.
4. Break the artwork down.
Consider colour, composition, line, texture, subject, material and mood.
5. Look for patterns.
Your taste is often hiding in the similarities between things that initially seem unrelated.
6. Don't force yourself into a category.
Your taste doesn't have to be “minimalist”, “traditional”, “modern” or anything else.
You might already know what you like — you just don't have the words for it.
This is the part that I think gets missed when we talk about “finding your style”.
Most people don't have a complete absence of taste.
They have an absence of vocabulary.
They know when something catches their eye. They know when an artwork makes them feel something. They may even have a Pinterest board full of things they love.
What they struggle with is explaining why.
And once you can articulate those preferences, choosing art becomes much easier.
Want to understand your own visual taste?
If you've ever wished someone could look at the things you love and help you work out what connects them, that's exactly the problem I wanted to solve with The Wiggly Easel's Art Edit.
Rather than telling you what you should buy, the guide helps you develop a visual language for your own preferences — so you can understand what you're drawn to and make more confident choices for yourself.
Because ultimately, I don't think you need someone else to tell you what good art is. You need the confidence and vocabulary to recognise what is good for you.
(Excerpts from a completed Art Edit)