Hi everyone, this is first post on the forums, I know it's not super Hypno related, but I was just hoping to get some people's opinions on the issue.

I was going to leave a comment on a recent post, saying I really liked their art style, and that it reminded me of someone else's whose work and style I also like; but I ultimately decided against it, because I wasn't sure whether or not they would see it as complimentary or insulting. I swear that years ago I saw somewhere that you shouldn't tell an artist their style resembles someone else's, but that memory is vague and I'm not sure where I saw it.

I can see the sentiment being taken both ways, but the way I could see it interpreted as insulting is that the artist might see it as taking away some of the uniqueness of the artist's work, downplaying their own efforts to make a style for themselves, or reducing them to a poor man's imitation of another more popular, or successful, artist.

So, let me know what you think, because now, and in the future, I don't want to go committing a faux pas and make someone who put time and effort into their work upset, especially not when I'm trying to pay someone a compliment.

Thank you.

Hi O u O) /

I'll answer the best I can, as an artist who's heard a lot about one own's style, but I'd rather say now that I don't intend to answer in the name of every artist. It's going to be a general idea, but the thing is, artist being a lot of different people and all that, some might react in an unexpected way.

I think what determines weither or not it's rude is the way you say it. Some people, by comparing the styles, will just go " that's copy pasted " or " it's just like -" and so on. I mean, it's no news that people consider copying very badly and can actually say that as something meant to be rude. (which means this type of sentence can be confusing for the artist too).

With that said, if you start of with " I really like your style" I'm pretty sure it's hard to misunderstand that, so no problem here. Worst case scenario, you're comparing it to something said artist doesn't like, but since it's obvious that you mean it as a compliment, then I don't think it's rude.
Also, best case scenario you can end up making the artist discover something they might like a lot (I've known things that became references of mine like that), plus compliments are always nice, so I'd say go for it ;)

I can go in further detail with examples and such if you wish, but I think that should do (without being too much text)

Short answer : As long as you make it clear that you mean it as a compliment, You can safely think it will be well recieved ^v^)

All artists have references, and I think it's rather foolinsh to consider one's artsyle completely unique. Our drawing looks like what we love and that's okay.

Well, I'll tell you, I have more than a few artist friends, and while none of them would call it "offensive" ...all of them hate it. They don't like being compared to other people like that, they just want their work evaluated in its own right, you know? That said, if you ARE saying it in a complimentary way, even the people who don't like it won't be MAD or anything. Some just prefer that you tell them what you like specifically without bringing anyone else into it.

Obviously though, I can't speak for everyone. Just the 3 or 4 artists I know who have commented on this type of thing before.

They already know.

As an artist personally, I hate it ^^; even when I know it's a compliment, I'd rather remind them of a feeling another artist's piece gave them than being outright compared to them, even if that artist was one of my idols like Alphonse Mucha or Monet.

Of course as BrainWaves said I won't be mad at the person for liking it and complimenting me in that way, and some artists might not mind at all... but it would make me re evaluate my style choices and most likely push me from anything resembling that other artist.

I've got a fragile ego that way ;-; I'm sure that other (beginning) artists are the same...

So basically what Snow said. Ye.

You know, I find it hilariously fitting that you were the first person to answer this thread, since the piece of art that got me to post it was one of yours.

And on that note, I really do like your art style.

And thanks to everyone else who answered, I appreciate it.

Hehe, yeah the idea that this was the case did crossed my mind. X)



Aw thanks ! ^v^)

Also, I'm rather curious to know what my style reminds you of ?

Well, since you're interested. Jhonan Vasquez, more his comic work then the stuff he did on Invader Zim. You've both got that kind of sketchy, thin lined and angular aesthetic.

It will depend a lot on two things: Who you are commenting on, and to whom you are comparing them. It depends less one one other thing: How well you can describe that reminds you of the other artist's work.

Who you make the remark to will be very important, especially in this modern post-enlightenment post-romantic culture, where artists are often looked upon as self-inspired (by themselves and society). The romantic ideal of the artist as a creator is often at odds with the nature of creating, but that does not mean that every artist seeks to be entirely unique. Illustrators in particular often strive for a level of degree where, regardless of having a unique style, they are capable of emulating other styles, but mny still pursue their own style.

To whom you compare an artist can also be important for this, and this is largely because of who the artist is. In the same way that it might be offensive to compare the achievements of Donald Trump to those of Bill Gates (business), Joe Rogan (television) or Barack Obama (politics), comparing an artist to another contemporary or peer might be seen as a way to denigrate one or the other. The artist you make the comparison to may see the artist to whom you have compared them as a rival or an inspiration, and you can't always tell unless you know the artist.

Finally, being able to describe it beyond "resembling Artist Y" can put a huge spin on it. For example, an artist who dislikes the style of Steven Universe may nonetheless like the aesthetic of the linework, and want to emulate that aesthetic without looking like Steven Universe, or they may want to keep the general approach to shapes but with a different style of linework. As we see in the comments here, being able to describe what part of an artist's work reminds you of another artist is a valuable skill, and may help to defuse negative responses to the initial "your work looks like Artist Y's work."

For myself, I want my coloring work to resemble, as best possible, the color work of whatever artist made my linework, but I am trying for my original work to use realistic anatomy with fantastic characters (namely furries), and hoping for something closer to a Disney aesthetic than a Ghibli aesthetic -- but I don't want to pigeonhole myself.

Oh, and the last absolute factor: if an artist has invited comparison, it's okay to share whose work you think their work resembles.

Oh ? well funnily, I barely knew about it's existence, but now I went to check and quite liked what the comics looks like ! There's some images of it in my references folders now. Noice U u U)

(actually while reading again, I'm realizing that I misread what you said...Well I didn't completely misunderstood, I just went for the invader zim comic instead of the animated version)

That's pretty much why I think it can be good to say what it reminds you of. Yeah, like said by kharonalpua, a little bit of argumentation is always good, but what's important is that unless you are talking about gibli or disney (I get pretty often compared to Tim Burton for example, it's not too annoying, but kind of "eh") you might make the artist discover something that could inspire them.

That why we do it a lot in the kind of studies I do (animation). When we get ideas of references that could help someone out, we tell them.
It's not exactly the same kind of thing that you asked about 17thStatesman, but it seems close enough to me.

Althrough, While saying this, I do understand why other artist wouldn't like this. Still just speaking for myself here.