The Drawing Style I Didn’t Know I Had

Shaped by Instinct and Observation

People often talk about personal style as something you choose — a deliberate set of decisions that eventually takes shape. But for me, it came through repetition. From noticing what I kept sketching, and where my pencil naturally returned. I never tried to define it. I just kept drawing, and the tone began to reveal itself on its own.

Tools from the desk — colours I reach for often, and a glimpse of a piece in progress.

There’s a moment in the process when something clicks — not because it’s technically correct, but because it feels like something you’ve felt before. Not just on the page, but out in the world. A street that made you pause. A corner of a room. A person just outside the centre of the frame. Sometimes it’s the sort of detail that makes you stumble over the cobblestones because you were too busy noticing the light. That’s where most of my drawings live.

I’m still learning every part of the craft — from perspective to technique to tools — but the tone tends to arrive early. It’s not something I try to add. It’s already there, even before I fully understand why.

Developing a Drawing Style

When I look at a scene, my eye rarely lands on the obvious thing. I might end up focusing on a curtain, the space beneath an old tree, the angle of someone’s hand. I don’t think of that as style, exactly — but it shapes the drawing. It tells the story quietly, around the edges.

A quiet moment by the lake at Jægersborg Hegn — still water, soft light, and everything holding still.

I’ve learned more from drawing than from studying. More from finishing a piece and sensing what works — and what doesn’t — than from reading about how things should be built. There’s value in understanding perspective, proportion, and structure. But what’s taught me most is sitting down with the page, adjusting as I go, and noticing when the image finally settles into place.

There are still gaps in what I know, certainly. But every day is part of the learning. And the mood — the tone — tends to show up anyway. Uninvited, but always welcome.

If you'd like to see where that tone appears, you can explore my art portfolio or browse the Studio Notes blog for more stories from the drawing desk.