Read on Twitter
Heya! If you want to do portrait work, even if it's stylized a bit like mine is, your biggest focus should be refining your observational skills. I go about "stylizing" in various ways but I always try to nail a likeness first and foremost, usually by referencing multiple photos— https://twitter.com/selzacat/status/1285800729974718466
The main thing is really making sure features are placed correctly, and the easiest way to do this is to break the face up into planes/sections. Simplify the shapes but really pay attention to sizing and distance. If you can watch footage on top of reference photos, even better—
Bc a lot of the time when your aim is to capture a likeness, it's not necessarily about copying a single snapshot/photo, but about capturing the essence of that person—the way they emote, etc, especially since cameras tend to distort ppl's faces anyway. More ref is always best!
You can see in some of the compiled illustrations in my first tweet that I usually do an initial rough that doesn't really prioritize the likeness as much, but I get the basic shapes and sizing down before proceeding to any additional rendering. The first steps are most important
As long as you've nailed the shapes and placement, how much you choose to render is really up to your personal preference. I've shown examples of full on dimensional rendering aka "painting" with strategically placed lines all the way to full on lineart + flat colors/halftones—
But despite the fact that there's a wide range of rendering styles in that collection of my art, all those drawings are recognizably "my style" simply because they incorporate the same general line quality, color sensibility, visual flow, and design elements that I'm known for.
"Style" is such a tricky thing with artists who are in the early stages of learning+development, because the only way to really develop it is to make a ton of art over a prolonged period of time. Everything you make runs through a preference filter and what's left is your Style.
That being said, there are some artists who have very successful careers by offering clients a "style menu"—Kyle T. Webster comes to mind here because he is a style chameleon of sorts and can execute a wide range of professional-level art in many illustration categories.
Art directors have very different reasons for seeking to hire someone like me vs. someone like Kyle—it really boils down to what is most appropriate for each project. So while I don't think it's -bad- to offer multiple styles, it's good to consider why you want to--
Is it bc you want to work in multiple areas of illustration? Maybe you want to draw posters for Mondo but you also want to draw a children's book. If your "main" style isn't super compatible with something you want to be hired for, there's no harm in refining a second one that is
Just make sure your portfolio is clearly split into specific sections for different types of art you make so that ADs don't get confused and end up viewing you as inconsistent rather than multi-skilled—so it doesn't get in the way of being considered for jobs you might want.
...But if you're still trying to find your "main" style, dabbling between multiple styles is totally normal because you're still figuring things out. It's ok to try things on for size and see how they feel before making a final decision. 
Hope that helped!
Hope that helped!
