vintage-aerith's Influence Map

To be as brief as is humanly possible on this, I have to cite TTGL as being responsible for 1) getting me over my worst art slump yet, 2) forcing me to get daring with my art style and expression, emotion, etc. within drawings, and 3) being a giant boost to my overall perspective on life. It was my first experience with Gainax, and what they say is true -- their characters live and breathe and laugh and cry the way we do, and you never doubt it for a second. No matter how ridiculous, Crayola-covered, testosterone-driven, and over-the-top TTGL was, its essence was just...believing in the human spirit and the bonds we form, and how if we believe and try hard enough, we can move mountains. Fuck, we can pick up galaxies and throw them like shuriken. And...and...I seem to have lost all eloquence on this matter, so, I'm just gonna stop there. You all know my feelings on this one. xD

My roommate wouldn't get off my back to try this series, literally within a month of meeting me. I figured someone who was leaving me post-its, trying to drag me to bookstores, burning me copies of the episodes, etc., must've thought there was SOMETHING in Chrono Crusade for me, so...I decided to give it a try. What I ended up finding was one of the sweetest, shortest stories of loyalty, determination, love, and bonds intertwined with THE most stunning manga-style artwork I'd ever seen. Moriyama-sensei, as it turns out, was based in realism and illustration before attempting to break into the manga industry, which follows the same sort of progression I've been working at (even though my skills can't even hope to brush his level). His style was the perfect mesh of realism and manga, with backgrounds and settings as meticulous as the folds in every characters' clothing. Combined with my previous love of the late 19th century and the roaring 20's, along with being Catholic myself, Chrono Crusade just blew my mind. It's a manga I can read again and again and not care that I can remember most of it word-for-word and every panel is burned into my memory by now.

The staple of most manga-reading, anime-watching children of this generation, and a body of works I'm SO glad I got into. CLAMP might be known for their ridiculous plotlines, convoluted explanations, angst-ridden or enigmatic characters, and shameless doujinshi-style fanservice, but that doesn't ruin their appeal for me. Their artwork helped inspire me to start drawing with COPiC marker and that sometimes it's okay to simplify shapes for the sake of style. They also are responsible for dreaming up my singular favorite character of all time: Fai D. Flourite.

Not many people know that my very first manga was, in fact, Hanazakari no Kimitachi He by Hisaya Nakajo-sensei. You can probably tell by my early lineart (and maybe even still, a little) that she held a great influence over developing my first steps in anime drawing style. Her realistic fabric folds, hair texturing, facial profiles, and construction of figures always fascinated me. I still go back and look at the art from time to time...and not just to enjoy the adorable storyline. xD

A very, very recent influence, but an extremely potent one. I was introduced to P3 in early 2009 and was instantly attracted to the clean, stylish aesthetic, and then P4 went and amped it up a few more notches. But more than anything, the endearing cast and incredibly intriguing settings for the games drew me in. I still maintain Persona 4 is the best thing that's happened to me in gaming, even past the influence KH and FF used to hold over me. It has my heart, probably forever.

I listen to it, I adore it, I've played it for going on 13 years. Piano is my catharsis. I've never loved another instrument more, listening or personally learning to play. One of my favorite pianists is Yiruma, and my favorite combination when sitting down to mellow out and draw a bit are one of his albums along with RainyMood.

The photo pretty much says it all...the colors of fall are one of my biggest inspirations. I'm not an outdoorsy person, but when the air starts cooling down and the trees explode into color, that's when I'm truly in my happy place. Oh, and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

I'm sure everyone can agree with this one. Doesn't a gorgeously presented package or product design make you happy? When money is no object and you can select something that obviously was born of hours upon hours of inspired artistic decisions, you can't help but drool over how crafty people can be. It makes me want to get better within my own major.

I was introduced to Avedon's photography when I first took a darkroom course last year. His somewhat candid and somehow, incredibly intriguing portraits of famous figures blew my mind. He somehow caught each at their most vulnerable, no matter how hard they were trying to hide something or pose. Since portraiture in photography and in traditional art is my focus, his work truly fascinates me. I posted my favorite shot of his, Marilyn Monroe after she stops her winning smile to let her real self shine through a little.

This might seem like a weird inspiration, but I love the atmosphere created by an open, sunny window and a peaceful, breezy, fresh room. It's my ideal circumstances under which to work.

My city. My favorite place to be. The end. <3

They carried me through high school, with their wonderful franchises such as Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. The art, design, stories, music, gameplay, EVERYTHING...one of their characters is part of my online identity and name, even. xD I might not be super-into the fandoms for them now, but they played a part in where I am today.