Online Art Trends
Ameya Pillai
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As an artist, I consume a lot of art-related content online. From this, I have noticed that there are a lot of trends that blow up. From art styles to monthly challenges, all of these trends are unique, and believe it or not, you may have unintentionally stumbled upon one of these trends while scrolling!
This first trend, or group of trends, is actually one I recently participated in. During October, many monthly-art challenges take place. The most popular one is Inktober, where there is a prompt each day that the artist follows through an ink-based medium. However, there are many other October art challenges, such as Drawtober, which encourages artists to explore Halloween-themed prompts through drawing mediums, Goretober, which focuses on horror, and the one I did, Cringetober.
Cringetober’s prompts pull from ideas that are looked down upon, or deemed “cringe”. Some prompts include musical, crossover, and creepypasta. While these monthly art challenges are fun, they are very time-consuming, especially for students. Despite this, they are a great drawing exercise, and have helped many artists, including myself, broaden their horizons, and draw things they don’t usually draw.
Some of my Cringetober pieces! Prompt used (left to right) Day 2: Weird Colors, Day 6: Musical, Day 10: Unnecessarily Complex.
The next trend is an art style, known as the jelly art style. Said to be originated by the artist “Puririka” on TikTok and Instagram, it became popular around early 2024. The style, mainly used in digital pieces, is known for glossy coloring, 3D appearance, and vibrant colors. The pieces usually showcase portraits of girls from the shoulders and above, with big eyes, plump lips, adorable expressions, and an assortment of hair accessories. While the art style was heavily praised, many criticized it for a lack of diverse features. Because of this, many artists did their own renditions with more unique facial features, as well as showing more of the figures. Many people who drew in the jelly artstyle were also accused of copying Puririka, despite the style being very popular. While it isn’t as popular as it was last year, you can still find many great artists who use the style.
A realistic art style is classic. While not everyone likes it, realism is a skill that many know, and many want to know. Even though it often requires hours of fussing over small details, shading, and much more, you end up with a piece that looks like a photograph! Many don’t like it, as there are a lot of rules and requirements needed to give a piece a more realistic look, which contradicts the freedom that many see in art. Despite this, it is a highly sought after skill, and can be replicated in many different mediums. While we usually see realistic pencil drawings and paintings, the rise of digital art has made it easier to replicate a photo in your work, because of the accessible assortment of brushes and textures.
Another trending concept in the online artist space is a chunky sketchbook. This is when you add collage aspects to your sketchbook. While the drawings are still present, they’re placed amongst a sea of colorful patterned paper, decorative tapes, tags, stickers. These sketchbooks usually feature an interactive element, having details that work like pop-up books. Even though many artists who maintain a chunky sketchbook have trouble closing them, it is a way to make a sketchbook more eye-catching!
The online art community is a place for many unique ideas and art styles! Hopefully these trends fuel your creativity, even if drawing isn’t your usual hobby.
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