So, if you were to do a google image search of "Harry Briggs Illustrator" you would get showered with a plethora of styles. From Anime to abstract, Simple vector to pen & ink, and all points beyond. This is not only because I have been creating art for a while, but I also actually love to work in various styles. And as much as this can be a hindrance in marketing myself, with the right companies it has been an asset.
I learned to be a "Dial-A-Style" (winch!) coming out of art school and relocating back to a small market. While most of my fellow classmates stayed in the LA area or went off to NY, Chicago, and the like, I headed back to the Monterey peninsula. This was before the internet had stretched it's wings across the globe and before very good, very cheap stock art was in abundance. I would go into an agency's conference room and see a illustration sourcebook sitting on the table. I knew the designer was going to crack that book open and say "The client likes this look. Can you do that?" I would say "I won't copy the style, but it will have the same feel." It was cracking a code. How do I recreate the feel and look of a style without ripping it right off the page? This not only was a paid exercise to fulfill the client's needs, but it was a great exploration of how an artist works and what makes a specific style work.
In my long career this ability to work in various styles has extended and strengthened my relationships with companies that need various types of artwork. American Greetings, Corbis, Getty, and Open Road Brands, along with educational publishers, have embraced my abilities to create in a variety of styles and I am more than happy to comply. Also it has kept a steady stream of new ideas and methods nurturing my work.
