Switching it up a little today, I’ve always wanted to make one of these influence maps and I finally got around to doing it. It’s nice to sometimes look back and reassess your influences, because it helps you figure out what you want to express in your art and what you need to work on.
From the top, going left to right:
1. Ashley Wood - I first encountered Ashley Wood’s work playing Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops several years ago. His style was like nothing I’d ever seen before, and it really stuck with me. Might be pretty obvious from my drawings in recent years, but his work is a huge huge influence on my work.Â
2. James Harvey - An artist I discovered more recently, James Harvey’s works are amazing. The stylization and use of color make his stuff really pop, and is totally something I want to work towards.
3. Music - Music is a huge part of my creative process. It helps me get into the groove as I start to work on a piece. But sometimes it’s also good to shut it off too.
4. Kanye West - On the topic of music, Kanye is no doubt one of my biggest influences not just in art, but on my outlook on life. His work ethic and creative drive is something I’ve always looked up to.Â
5. Hotline Miami - In addition to being one of my favorite video games of all time, Hotline Miami really speaks to me about what it means to be an indie creator: if you have a great vision, and the drive to put it out there, people will come and they will enjoy it. Also, it’s a great example of a work that’s received critical acclaim without compromising its creators’ core artistic vision.
6. Fashion/Sneakers - I feel like dressing myself is just like drawing. It’s the same in that they’re both outlets for expressing yourself.Â
7. Otto Schmidt - One of the first artists whose works I came across during my comic/graphic novel binge. Otto Schmidt’s linework and stylization, as well as his use of facial and bodily expression is definitely something I want to be able to use in my own work, especially since most of my art is character-focused.
8. Jim Mahfood - Another artist whose work I’ve found more recently. Jim Mahfood’s rough, grungey style is something I really dig. Also, seeing his stuff was reassuring in that you didn’t always have to make your art clean and tidy.
9. Star Wars - The Star Wars movies were a huge part of my childhood, and arguably one of the main reasons I started drawing in the first place. I love the aesthetic of the original trilogy - the beat-up starships, the Rebel pilots’ helmets, Boba Fett’s armor.Â
10. Anime - I used to watch a lot of anime growing up. Growing up in an environment where anime and manga was easily accessible, they naturally became a huge influence on my art. Maybe someday I’ll be able to draw robots...
11. Tomer Hanuka - Until pretty recently I was familiar with mostly American and Japanese artists, so I had no idea what other kinds of artists there were out there until I came across Tomer Haunuka’s work in an issue of Juxtapoz Magazine. His use of color is absolutely incredible, and the stuff he draws is out of this world. Having the opportunity to see his work encouraged me to explore more international artists.
12. No More Heroes - Honestly, I probably wouldn’t be here writing this today if it weren’t for this game. The soundtrack, the art style, the cultural references - the aesthetic of this game just completely blew my mind when I first played this game. Before No More Heroes I had kind of a complex about liking video games and anime - you could say I was pretty otaku - but seeing No More Heroes, high school me thought, “wow, I didn’t know you could be a nerd, and be this cool!” However problematic, or even downright shitty the game and its characters may actually be, this game turned me onto a lot of things - fashion, music, indie games - a lot of what I wrote about above. In short, No More Heroes helped plant the seed of what is my creative mind today, and I often wonder what my life would be like had I never come across it.
So there’s my not-so-comprehensive, yet pretty spot-on influence map. If you have any questions or comments about it, feel free to hit me up here or on twitter at @thecornfrosty !
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