A Question For Our Artists

[FireFoxSF]

Those Influence Map memes on DeviantArt caught my eye and got me thinking.

Obviously we as artists derive so much of what we do from so much of the things we love; the cartoons and comics we saw, the artists who inspired us, our own friends in the community.... maybe some lessons or formal teaching, if you've been a student in some way.

The thought that crossed my mind was, "what's the complement to all of that?"

So what i'm asking is, dig real deep for a second, and then share what it is about YOU that shapes your style? What about your culture, your memories, your interests, your personal ambitions... things that you would think are so unrelated to your illustration but might in fact play a big role in how you work- what are they and how do they affect your style? So we know we have outside inspiration, and this is asking for you to concentrate on your internal inspiration.

Alrighty, have fun with this one, and really try to put some insightful stuff out there; hopefully some of us will just happen to pick up on something and be able to add it to our arsenal, yea?

 

[Sorcerer Lance]

I've done one of those... in retrospect, it's stuff I grew up watching, reading and playing until around my early teen years: http://fav.me/d3kzno3

It's one part nostalgia and one part being inspired seeing great and entertaining things as a kid I just wanted to blend together some things into my own style.
Hell, I've admitted several times I've always dreamed having my own cartoon series being hosted on Toonami, the action cartoon block that defined my teen years.

 

[Relent<]

How many artist are even left on this site? Most of them fled ages ago. Lol
The easiest answer I can come up with to your question is that one's personality will ultimately be the discerning factor in choosing the things that influence them.
If you're the type of person that likes frilly, girly things, you'll watch sailor moon.
If you're the type that likes explosions, blood, gore, mayhem--you watch Fist of the North Star.

Etc etc.

 

[Violetta]

What part of me goes into my art? Oooh, there's something I don't usually talk about. Inspirations, sure, but...

My art is very often a line that I'm casting out. While I sometimes like to think I have the gift of gab, ask anyone who really knows me and they'll tell you that I don't talk about myself. I keep people at arm's length even when I don't want to, and my art is the bridge over that gap. A great deal of what I show off has some facet of me that I hope people clue into. When they do it's a great boost because it lets me know someone else thinks similarly to me.

Naturally these things are mixed into my own personal fantasies and the ways I'd love to live my life. I've usually stopped from doing exactly what I want because I care about the people around me. They're the only thing that keeps my feet planted in one place for any length of time. My art lets me live through some of my flights of fancy and even lets me do the impossible things that I dream about but I couldn't do even if I were totally cut loose.