FirstSin's Influence Map

Another meme! I wish they weren't so much fun! Damn me and my obsession with filling out forms and the like! Anyway, onto the inspiration:

1. Celtic ANYTHING -
Music, mythology, history, art, the British Isles themselves.... The Celts are in my top 5 favorite historical groups.

2. Larry Elmore and DragonLance -
DragonLance was the first fantasy series I ever remember reading and the Meetings Sextet inspired me to create a very primitive version of Kyra. Thankfully she's evolved since then. And Larry Elmore still remains one of my favorite artists (I still like Clyde Cauldwell too).

3. Kaori Yuki, Manga, and slightly androgynous bad-asses -
Kaori Yuki is my favorite mangaka thanks to Angel Sanctuary (I wish Lucifer had been in it a little bit more though!). I sometimes use mangas for references when I'm drawing. Model by Lee So-young is another one of my favorites. Also, Poison Elves by Drew Hayes is great, even though it isn't a manga.

4. Butterflies and swirly vectors -
They're just pretty. I like to sneak them in wherever I can.

5. Warlands (and related series) by Pat Lee -
These were some really great comics produced by Dreamwave/Image Comics several years ago, and Pat Lee of course is amazing. Warlands was definitely my favorite of the bunch, but Banished Knights originally penciled by Alan Lee had promise until they switched artists half way through, and I am not at all a fan of Mateo Guerrero. Anyway, comics in general are, once again, good for reference.

6. Lord of the Rings -
Of course. Both the books and the movies. Quintessential fantasy, plain and simple.

7. cRPGs -
I started out with all the Neverwinter Nights installments, NWN2 OC being my favorite, but Dragon Age: Origins is now tied for first place, mostly because of the quality of the graphics and the animations. NWN2 is still top of my list of plot and companions though.

8. Interesting clothing-
Gets the imagination going as far as character design is concerned.

9. Song of Ice and Fire by G.R.R. Martin -
So many unique and believable characters! So many plot twists! I never thought anything could surpass my love for LOTR, but this has just about drawn even with it. Now if only Martin would finish the 5th book and get a move on with the final two! At least there is the HBO series to look forward to.

10. Record of Lodoss War OVA -
My all-time favorite anime...I think. There are so many I love. But Ashram and Pirotess are certainly my favorite anime OTP. For me they're the model of villians who aren't truly villainous, but rather misunderstood. I like to see things from the other side of the story. Not to mention, Parn and Deedlit were custom-made to be hated IMHO. Other animes I find inspirational include Darkside Blues, Berserk, Heroic Legend of Arislan and Vision of Escaflowne. Also, The Last Unicorn, even though it technically isn't considered anime, I guess.

11. The Farseer Trilogy and The Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb -
Last on the list, but certainly not least. I love everything about these books but especially the character development. The protagonist, Fitz, is like a living person to me. When I'm reading these books, I go to sleep and invariably dream about him and Nighteyes, and various other characters. These are the type of books that you can't put down, and that when you do manage it, you wonder what Fitz is up to and what you're missing out on while you're gone. I wish there were more books of this quality! Robin Hobb has become one of my greatest inspirations to write, just as much as Tolkien.