#reference inspiration

Hi! Thank you so much for your kindness and for the question!

It’s taken me a bit to answer this because a) I’ve been really slammed with work and b) I wanted to REALLY think about this and give it a solid answer. 

This answer might be long and have lots of visuals… so I’ll keep it behind the cut.

I grew up loving art. I didn’t make it to museums often but I was always drawn to the works of John Singer Sargent… his watercolors…

as well as his paintings…

I love seeing his work in person. It’s ELECTRIC. There is such simplicity to the strokes and colors, but they achieve such depth and movement. There’s mood and tone and such a depth of emotion in each piece. A thing I try to emulate even as my grasp on light is no where near as good as his. 

And god. Don’t get me started on his sketches. 

I grew up reading a lot of comics. Super hero and otherwise. I was in high school when I started reading Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore. 

There is a beautiful simplicity to his work. Good lines. Evocative composition. Clean and crisp. Straight to the point. I always loved his use of heavy black and the solidity of his characters. 

So yeah. I’m drawn to a lot of illustrators and fine artists who are skilled at setting mood. 

NC Wyeth. 

JC Leyendecker

Mike Mignola

Kehinde Wiley… I saw his work when I was in Texas and I straight up cried the entire time. They are heart-stopping pieces. 

I am constantly amazed and inspired by the work of my pal Emily Carroll.