I got told my fantasy landscapes looked too much like everyone else's

A mentor at a virtual portfolio review last month said my work was technically good but lacked a unique voice. They pointed out I was using the same 3 color palettes and cloud brushes as popular artists on social media. I spent the next two weeks forcing myself to paint from real photos I took in the Arizona desert instead of online references. My new piece has way more orange and brown tones than I'd normally use, and I think it's stronger for it. Has anyone else had a piece of feedback that made you change your whole approach?

3 comments

3 Comments

andrewt412mo ago

Honestly, that's the best kind of feedback to get. It stings, but it means you're good enough for people to notice you're playing it safe. Sticking to your own photos is a solid move, it forces those weird little details you'd never find in a stock image. The trick now is to mix that real world grit back into your fantasy work without losing the magic.

gavin_kim32mo ago

That feedback @andrewt41 mentioned is interesting, but is playing it safe really a big deal for a hobby? I see a lot of fantasy art that looks clean and perfect, like a video game cutscene. Maybe the goal is just to make something pretty, not gritty. My cousin paints dragons on mugs, and people buy them because they look nice, not real. Sometimes magic is just magic.

the_miles1mo ago

That bit about "playing it safe" really hit me too, I went through the same thing. I started taking close up photos of tree bark and weird rock formations, then forced those textures into my fantasy forests. It looked weird at first but now my stuff actually feels different from the usual smooth fantasy art.