16 Different Types Of Drawing Styles Every Artist Should Try

Experimentation can help you to improve your drawings, become more imaginative and, in some cases, identify your artistic voice. Being an amateur artist that wants to experiment or a more advanced artist that wants to renew your technique, here is your list of 16 different drawing styles.

Get out the tools, clean off the bench and we will explore the broad spectrum of artistic expression.

1. Realism

Focused on capturing life exactly as it is, realism relies on precise proportions, light, and shadows. It's a great way to train your eye.

2. Line Art

Clean lines, no shading. This minimalist style is perfect for bold, high-contrast compositions and works well for tattoos, illustrations, and digital transfers.

3. Cartoon

Cartoon drawing brings out exaggerated features, humor, and simplified shapes. Think animated energy and lots of personality.

4. Minimalism

This style is all about “less is more.” Just a few intentional lines or shapes can express a whole concept.

5. Surrealism

Surrealism plays with the subconscious blending dreams, fantasy, and unexpected juxtapositions. Nothing is off-limits.

6. Abstract

Forget the rules. Abstract art relies on color, form, and emotion to tell a story without needing to resemble reality.

7. Expressionism

Bold, emotional, and often chaotic expressionism channels the artist’s inner world more than the outside one.

8. Doodle Art

Doodling isn’t just for the margins of notebooks. When done with intent, it can be a captivating and relaxing style full of patterns and imagination.

9. Pointillism

Using tiny dots to build up shapes, color, and texture, pointillism requires patience but the results are beautifully unique.

10. Manga/Anime

This stylized Japanese art form emphasizes expressive faces, dynamic action, and sleek line work great for storytelling.

11. Fantasy Art

Magic, creatures, glowing realms fantasy art opens up limitless worlds that live only in your imagination.

12. Architectural Drawing

This technical style teaches you structure, perspective, and precision. Ideal for cityscapes and building lovers.

13. Gesture Drawing

Quick sketches meant to capture movement and posture. It’s not about detail, it's about flow.

14. Mixed Media

Why choose one medium when you can combine them all? Mixed media encourages freedom and experimentation with texture and layers.

15. Cross-Hatching

An old-school technique that uses intersecting lines for shading and depth perfect for building texture in pencil or ink.

16. Fashion Illustration

Elegant poses, dramatic outfits, and stylized proportions fashion illustration is where creativity meets couture.

The Tools to Explore Them All

From smooth, blendable shading to bold, expressive lines and vibrant splashes of color, the right tools make all the difference. That’s why artists love Drawlish Sketch Pencils for their precise control, Drawlish Acrylic Paints for their creamy, high-pigment finish, and Drawlish Paint Pens for detailed work that pops. Whether you’re sketching, painting, or mixing mediums, Drawlish has the tools to bring any style to life.