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Description
I've been meaning to create one of these, and I've finally gotten around to it. There's a lot here, so I'm going to jump right on in! I pull inspiration from everywhere, from books like The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; TV shows like Bakumatsu, Avatar: the Last Airbender, 91 Days, DanMachi, countless more; movies like Big Hero 6, How to Train Your Dragon, Moana, Fantastic Beasts; games like Horizon Zero Dawn, The Legend of Zelda, Assassin's Creed. Even movies produced by Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Hosoda are huge inspirations for me to better my storytelling and grow as an artist and writer. Seeing the concept art from the countless things I love drives me forward, but nothing inspires and influences me more than some of the artists I have followed here on DA. And for those, here's a huge shout-out to them.

Artists

I can't remember exatly when I came across dCTb 's work, but it was sometime during my junior or senior year of high school. What drew me to his work was his original character, Annie Mei. After some time watching Annie's design come together and looking at the countless of sketch dumps dCTb had done including sketches of Annie and her personality, I fell in love. His beautiful portrayal of his characters and Annie is a huge inspiration, and anytime he posts a sketchdumps the excitement spills over. I honestly can't accurately express how much he inspires me to keep working at character design.

loish 's work is absolutely stunning. Her use of color and light never ceases to impress me, and it drives me to step out of my comfort zone and experiment with tone, lighting, and color. There's a beautiful elegance and abstract touch to her paintings that brings wonder to me everytime I see a piece. After discovering she had done work on Aloy's character design from the game Horizon Zero Dawn (produced by Guerrilla Games), she made me realize that if I keep pursuing my passion, I will one day be able to accomplish something like she had.

SilvesterVitale is one of the first artists I watched when I joined DeviantArt years ago. Their original character, Farhes, fascinated me in the beginning and is what inspired me to actively try creating dynamic characters. I was already into RP with friends, but we were never really serious about the characters we created until a year or so later. Over the years it's been an honor to watch Vitale grow and create even more characters, all of them different from one another. Among some of my favorites are Jalil and Nél, and over the last couple of years, the horses Vitale has designed as well. Their art is also an inspiration with their attention to detail, scenery, weaving in a story with each piece, and I can never seem to get enough of it.

It's only been within the last year that I've discovered Natello 's work (through Yuri!! On Ice fanart, I think!), though I wish I had discovered them a lot sooner! Their characters are absolutely wonderful, from their interpretation of the icon characters of Harry Potter to their very own OCs. Seeing their characters alive in each sketch and each illustration drives me to improve with my own story telling, though I will never be able to get enough of their characters Remi and Anna. Their personalities are portrayed so well that they feel like real people in day to day life, and Natello's style is amazing. Expression and emotion is ever present in it.

DamaiMikaz is another artist that I've followed for several years, ever interested in her project, Project Emion. Seeing how dedicated she is to her story and building the world and the characters to go in it pushes me to test my own dedication and inspires me to work harder. Her commitment is intoxicating, and every time she gives an update on how far she's come with her story, I get the insane itch to work on my own. Her storytelling through her work and her illustrations never cease to amaze me. Watching her style grow into what it has become and seeing her improvement in the last couple of years reminds me that a little practice every day goes a long way and to never give up.

This woman is like my artist soulmate. I met avacairen through the RP group , and from there a friendship grew. I adore her characters Marceus and Koda (from another RP group), and in the brief time I've known her, she ceases to impress me. Her work is stunning and her character portraits never cease to impress me. I love seeing how refined her work is and seeing her process as she works through a piece fascinates me. Though our styles differ greatly, she's been the spring board for many of my ideas, and I absolutely love devloping our characters and helping each other grow. Avacairen definitely helps drive me forward to improve and build a world and story worth telling. I love scheming characters and stories with her.

Art-Zealot 's work has always captivate me. Her original character, Tris, is what pulled me to her work like a moth to a flame. The illustrations she has created over the years have inspired me to look to telling more of a story in my work than just sketching a character doing something (though that's never a bad thing!). Zealot's storytelling and character design is a beacon to me to keep doing what I love.

Rejuch 's work is a huge, captivating inspiration to me. I absolutely adore Ray's work and style, and their portrayal of their characters and their personalities are spot on perfect. Their illustrations and sketches are raw and full of emotion, and their style is wonderous. Some of my most favorite pieces from them comes from sketches of Derek (their OC) and their Grosstober series, which is absolutely phenomenal work. Honestly, it's hard to give accurate praise to them, I love their work so much.

I can't remember when I started watching Claparo-Sans , and I don't even know where to start. Their style, use of light and color, the portrayal of countless characters from fanart to their own, it's all wonderful. They have a keen eye for telling a story in their work, even if the piece is a simple portrait (which are wonderful alone). To be honest, I love their use of light above all else. Even in the darkest paintings, Claparo knows how to place light and shadow in the best places to bring the painting to life.

Desperish 's characters never cease to amaze me. Rough, detailed, raw and flawed, Des's work really brings out the humanity in their OCs. Seeing the details that define each one of their OCs, from scars to tattoos to pierces and aged faces worn from the hard life, I can't soak up enough of their style and work. They've inspired me to take leaps with my characters and not be afraid to explore the rougher, flawed and darker side of them (it has been their work that inspired me to actually try my hand at drawing a beat-up Maxyn for ), which has helped me grow out of the mindset that OCs should look perfect. They're human too, and Des proves that through their own characters.

ElliPuukangas 's illustrations have inspired me to continue pursuing my passion in storytelling and character design. Their characters from their comic "Tistow" have been a huge inspiration. Seeing the concept art from story and how they designed the characters has left a lasting impression, and their style is phenomenal. It has such a familiar and unique feel to it with their coloring style and sketchy linework, I absolutely adore it. Being able to watch their stories grow as they create them pushes me to look to my own ideas and stories I have to tell.

So far, many of the people who have inspired me and influenced my work have been digital artists. Beyond digital art, agnes-cecile has greatly influenced my traditional works with their abstract but emotional paintings. I have always love watercolor, and when I work traditionally it's the medium I prefer, but I've always struggled replicating things realistically. After discovering Cecile's work, I was inspired to step outside the idea that I'm to paint things "realistically" and opened the door to abstract portrayals of human emotions. Her watercolor portraits feel wonderfully raw and human as she portrays the beauty of emotion within each piece. From the simple silhouettes to the chaotic portraits, I don't know if I will ever be able to express how much she inspires my work traditionally, and I couldn't thank her enough for sharing her work with the world.

In regards to characters, story, and building a world, whispwill will always hold a special place in my heart. I absolutely adore her characters and her comic, "King's Folly." Her work is rich in color and personality, and her style is one that is unforgettable. Being able to watch her style develop as she works on "King's Folly" has been an amazing experience, and she is another that has inspired me to push forward with telling stories of my own.

The abstract and surreal is what I adore seeing from AquaSixio . His work is stunning and takes my breath away every time I have the chance of seeing the things he envisions. The color and emotion he ties in to his surreal work while weaving in every day objects pushes me to push boundaries and not be afraid of trying something totally new. It's been amazing to see the dream-like paintings he creates, and his style and sense of color makes me want to experiement more in my work.

DreamerWhit 's character designs is what pulls me to her work. I love how her style ties in the traditional look of sketching on paper into digital works. When she transforms her concept sketches into 3D pieces of work, it amazes me at the skill she has to work between both 2D and 3D art. Her other works, including fanarts, are absolutely wonderful, and she has a good eye for detail. I can't get enough of her designs.

What draws me to wlop 's work is how loose, fluid and painterly his style is. He can put so much detail with only a few strokes of his brush into his paintings, and I've been following his story "Ghost Blade" for a couple of years now. His work is perfect in an imperfect way, and I love how he weaves story and emotion into each of his pieces, and his designs are phenomenal. Wlop reminds me that not everything has to appear perfect and crisp to get an idea across, and I love that about his work.

I honestly don't know where to start. Within James's work he uses little detail in some and yet there's so much to notice and see. His accurate portrayal of mood through light and color has long inspired me to pay more attention to lighting as I work, and I absolutely love following his project "Moon and Crow." His illustrations ranges from subtle pieces to fantastically detailed scenes, each one having a story to tell. I can honestly never get enough of his work.

There's also countless of other people along the way that have influenced me, and they know who they are. From Jdrawer01 to avacairen , close friends and more, I've come a long way because of you guys, and I can't thank any of you enough.

All art belongs to their rightful owners, and I highly recommend checking out these wonderful artists when you have the chance. All of their work is phenomenal.

You can find the original Influence Map here

Description
I've been meaning to create one of these, and I've finally gotten around to it. There's a lot here, so I'm going to jump right on in! I pull inspiration from everywhere, from books like The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; TV shows like Bakumatsu, Avatar: the Last Airbender, 91 Days, DanMachi, countless more; movies like Big Hero 6, How to Train Your Dragon, Moana, Fantastic Beasts; games like Horizon Zero Dawn, The Legend of Zelda, Assassin's Creed. Even movies produced by Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Hosoda are huge inspirations for me to better my storytelling and grow as an artist and writer. Seeing the concept art from the countless things I love drives me forward, but nothing inspires and influences me more than some of the artists I have followed here on DA. And for those, here's a huge shout-out to them.

Artists

I can't remember exatly when I came across dCTb 's work, but it was sometime during my junior or senior year of high school. What drew me to his work was his original character, Annie Mei. After some time watching Annie's design come together and looking at the countless of sketch dumps dCTb had done including sketches of Annie and her personality, I fell in love. His beautiful portrayal of his characters and Annie is a huge inspiration, and anytime he posts a sketchdumps the excitement spills over. I honestly can't accurately express how much he inspires me to keep working at character design.

loish 's work is absolutely stunning. Her use of color and light never ceases to impress me, and it drives me to step out of my comfort zone and experiment with tone, lighting, and color. There's a beautiful elegance and abstract touch to her paintings that brings wonder to me everytime I see a piece. After discovering she had done work on Aloy's character design from the game Horizon Zero Dawn (produced by Guerrilla Games), she made me realize that if I keep pursuing my passion, I will one day be able to accomplish something like she had.

SilvesterVitale is one of the first artists I watched when I joined DeviantArt years ago. Their original character, Farhes, fascinated me in the beginning and is what inspired me to actively try creating dynamic characters. I was already into RP with friends, but we were never really serious about the characters we created until a year or so later. Over the years it's been an honor to watch Vitale grow and create even more characters, all of them different from one another. Among some of my favorites are Jalil and Nél, and over the last couple of years, the horses Vitale has designed as well. Their art is also an inspiration with their attention to detail, scenery, weaving in a story with each piece, and I can never seem to get enough of it.

It's only been within the last year that I've discovered Natello 's work (through Yuri!! On Ice fanart, I think!), though I wish I had discovered them a lot sooner! Their characters are absolutely wonderful, from their interpretation of the icon characters of Harry Potter to their very own OCs. Seeing their characters alive in each sketch and each illustration drives me to improve with my own story telling, though I will never be able to get enough of their characters Remi and Anna. Their personalities are portrayed so well that they feel like real people in day to day life, and Natello's style is amazing. Expression and emotion is ever present in it.

DamaiMikaz is another artist that I've followed for several years, ever interested in her project, Project Emion. Seeing how dedicated she is to her story and building the world and the characters to go in it pushes me to test my own dedication and inspires me to work harder. Her commitment is intoxicating, and every time she gives an update on how far she's come with her story, I get the insane itch to work on my own. Her storytelling through her work and her illustrations never cease to amaze me. Watching her style grow into what it has become and seeing her improvement in the last couple of years reminds me that a little practice every day goes a long way and to never give up.

This woman is like my artist soulmate. I met avacairen through the RP group , and from there a friendship grew. I adore her characters Marceus and Koda (from another RP group), and in the brief time I've known her, she ceases to impress me. Her work is stunning and her character portraits never cease to impress me. I love seeing how refined her work is and seeing her process as she works through a piece fascinates me. Though our styles differ greatly, she's been the spring board for many of my ideas, and I absolutely love devloping our characters and helping each other grow. Avacairen definitely helps drive me forward to improve and build a world and story worth telling. I love scheming characters and stories with her.

Art-Zealot 's work has always captivate me. Her original character, Tris, is what pulled me to her work like a moth to a flame. The illustrations she has created over the years have inspired me to look to telling more of a story in my work than just sketching a character doing something (though that's never a bad thing!). Zealot's storytelling and character design is a beacon to me to keep doing what I love.

Rejuch 's work is a huge, captivating inspiration to me. I absolutely adore Ray's work and style, and their portrayal of their characters and their personalities are spot on perfect. Their illustrations and sketches are raw and full of emotion, and their style is wonderous. Some of my most favorite pieces from them comes from sketches of Derek (their OC) and their Grosstober series, which is absolutely phenomenal work. Honestly, it's hard to give accurate praise to them, I love their work so much.

I can't remember when I started watching Claparo-Sans , and I don't even know where to start. Their style, use of light and color, the portrayal of countless characters from fanart to their own, it's all wonderful. They have a keen eye for telling a story in their work, even if the piece is a simple portrait (which are wonderful alone). To be honest, I love their use of light above all else. Even in the darkest paintings, Claparo knows how to place light and shadow in the best places to bring the painting to life.

Desperish 's characters never cease to amaze me. Rough, detailed, raw and flawed, Des's work really brings out the humanity in their OCs. Seeing the details that define each one of their OCs, from scars to tattoos to pierces and aged faces worn from the hard life, I can't soak up enough of their style and work. They've inspired me to take leaps with my characters and not be afraid to explore the rougher, flawed and darker side of them (it has been their work that inspired me to actually try my hand at drawing a beat-up Maxyn for ), which has helped me grow out of the mindset that OCs should look perfect. They're human too, and Des proves that through their own characters.

ElliPuukangas 's illustrations have inspired me to continue pursuing my passion in storytelling and character design. Their characters from their comic "Tistow" have been a huge inspiration. Seeing the concept art from story and how they designed the characters has left a lasting impression, and their style is phenomenal. It has such a familiar and unique feel to it with their coloring style and sketchy linework, I absolutely adore it. Being able to watch their stories grow as they create them pushes me to look to my own ideas and stories I have to tell.

So far, many of the people who have inspired me and influenced my work have been digital artists. Beyond digital art, agnes-cecile has greatly influenced my traditional works with their abstract but emotional paintings. I have always love watercolor, and when I work traditionally it's the medium I prefer, but I've always struggled replicating things realistically. After discovering Cecile's work, I was inspired to step outside the idea that I'm to paint things "realistically" and opened the door to abstract portrayals of human emotions. Her watercolor portraits feel wonderfully raw and human as she portrays the beauty of emotion within each piece. From the simple silhouettes to the chaotic portraits, I don't know if I will ever be able to express how much she inspires my work traditionally, and I couldn't thank her enough for sharing her work with the world.

In regards to characters, story, and building a world, whispwill will always hold a special place in my heart. I absolutely adore her characters and her comic, "King's Folly." Her work is rich in color and personality, and her style is one that is unforgettable. Being able to watch her style develop as she works on "King's Folly" has been an amazing experience, and she is another that has inspired me to push forward with telling stories of my own.

The abstract and surreal is what I adore seeing from AquaSixio . His work is stunning and takes my breath away every time I have the chance of seeing the things he envisions. The color and emotion he ties in to his surreal work while weaving in every day objects pushes me to push boundaries and not be afraid of trying something totally new. It's been amazing to see the dream-like paintings he creates, and his style and sense of color makes me want to experiement more in my work.

DreamerWhit 's character designs is what pulls me to her work. I love how her style ties in the traditional look of sketching on paper into digital works. When she transforms her concept sketches into 3D pieces of work, it amazes me at the skill she has to work between both 2D and 3D art. Her other works, including fanarts, are absolutely wonderful, and she has a good eye for detail. I can't get enough of her designs.

What draws me to wlop 's work is how loose, fluid and painterly his style is. He can put so much detail with only a few strokes of his brush into his paintings, and I've been following his story "Ghost Blade" for a couple of years now. His work is perfect in an imperfect way, and I love how he weaves story and emotion into each of his pieces, and his designs are phenomenal. Wlop reminds me that not everything has to appear perfect and crisp to get an idea across, and I love that about his work.

I honestly don't know where to start. Within James's work he uses little detail in some and yet there's so much to notice and see. His accurate portrayal of mood through light and color has long inspired me to pay more attention to lighting as I work, and I absolutely love following his project "Moon and Crow." His illustrations ranges from subtle pieces to fantastically detailed scenes, each one having a story to tell. I can honestly never get enough of his work.

There's also countless of other people along the way that have influenced me, and they know who they are. From Jdrawer01 to avacairen , close friends and more, I've come a long way because of you guys, and I can't thank any of you enough.

All art belongs to their rightful owners, and I highly recommend checking out these wonderful artists when you have the chance. All of their work is phenomenal.

You can find the original Influence Map here