How to create a "style"

I think a style comes about as a result of having painted for a while...an artist tends to naturally have similar responses to the problems the painting throws up, and after a while, their brush strokes are unselfconsciously their own. Trying to develop a "style' means you are trying to be someone else, or to shortcut the work required to really be an artist. There is an "authenticity" which comes with this hard earned work, and even a novice, when given the choice between a number of paintngs and the time to view them, will respond to the one that is hard fought (try it -they pick that one every time!). This authenticity (ie true to you) shows even when painting in different subjects or while experimenting with techniques etc over a number of years - see Gerhardt Richter's work, the great German painter. That said, just about every artist I know moves backwards and forwards between tighter/looser; naturalistic/contrived - we are all a bit schizoid! My advice is to keep experimenting until you somehow incorporate it all together - it will happen, with time.