Influence Map

Damn that ! Always posting cool and awesome memes!

There are a lot more things that influence me, but I managed to get together my top-favs for inspiration.

Alex Ross:
I love how he portrays the old superheros, aging and gray-haired. Superman is especially my favorite.

Hayao Miyazaki:
I absolutely adore his characters and the worlds they inhabit.

Elric of Melniboné:
It was this series of books that made me fall in love with fantasy. It was my "Lord of the Rings" if you will. Elric to this day remains a great source of inspiration.

John Singer Sargent:
He's a pretty big heavy-weight in the art world, and rightfully so! I strive to be like him every time I paint...with poor results! lol

Arthur Suydam:
Love the way he renders the Marvel Zombies series.

The Man with No Name:
Clint Eastwood's famous gunslinger hero from the Dollars series. His character always influences my hero characters.

Shadow of the Colossus (TEAM ICO):
I draw great inspiration from he stories of Team Ico, especially from their Shadow of the Colossus game. Beautiful story telling in my opinion.

Akihiko Yoshida:
From his drawing style to his character's fashion style. When I am having a hard time coming up with character fashion/armor ideas, I always bring up Akihiko's gallery for inspiration.

Toshiro Mifune (Samurai):
I've been in love with samurai swords since I was a child. It was only natural to end up obsessed with all of Toshiro Mifune samurai films as I got older (especially Yojimbo). Just like the Man with No Name, Yojimbo/Sanjuro also greatly inspire who my heroes are.

Final Fantasy (all):
My first video game love was with Final Fantasy, so naturally they've always inspired me.

Jim Morrison:
His music and poetry have always driven me to create.

Niyaz:
Persian music in general is awesome, but Niyaz has always been the most inspiring to me music-wise.

Joseph Campbell:
I cannot stress enough how much impact this man has had on my views on mythology and religion. It is through him that I have a new-found love for storytelling.

((original: [link]))