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Description
This was a lot of fun putting together and a good way to look back on who and what influenced me into the direction my art took. Try it for yourself if you want a trip down memory lane.

RENAISSANCE ART - As I've said before, i don't think any art movement can match that of the high renaissance period. More than half a millennium later and there's still crowds lining up to see these great works. Michelangelo is a particular favorite because of his sculpture work involving the human body and I still try to keep my work classic like his. I want people lining up to see my work 500 years from now so I focus on the one thing that we can all relate to... humanity.

DISNEY - A lot of us grew up watching Disney movies and their ability to create beautiful characters is second to none. My favorite being Belle (pictured) from Beauty and the Beast. I also liked Jasmine from Aladdin and Esmeralda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. They weren't just a pretty face but there was substance to them and beautiful surroundings that made Disney movies a full motivational package.

JIM LEE - I remember being in elementary school trying to draw comics like Jim Lee. He really took characters like Wolverine to the next level and influenced a new generation of comic book artists. I tried but i just can't draw from scratch like he can.

SUPER MODELS - My sister used to get magazines like Vogue and Cosmo and I'd flip through them looking at all the hot models. Every now and then, there would be great artistic imagery in them and it influenced my drive to become a photo retoucher and eventually a photogrpaher. My favorite models were Stephanie Seymour and Linda Evangelista back in the day and later, Carmen Cass (pictured) and Jacquetta Wheeler.

CHUCK CLOSE - In high school I loved to draw photo realistically and Chuck Close was the king of that with his oil and acrylic portraits. Besides being great at realism, he also highlighted the basics of composition which are essential to any art form.

ALPHONSE MUCHA - He was the most talked about illustrator in my graphic design classes for his ability to create beautiful art and incorporate it into a new era of advertizing. Being one of the few graphic designers who also focused on the female form, he was a big influence on me.

BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL - Has to be my biggest influence. If there's one thing i wanted to do when I grew up, it was to be and artist like Boris. Just incredible skill that I still aspire to recreate. The fact that Julie is just as good and they are together is a pretty awesome team.

VIDCAPS - At one point I got one of those TV tuner cards for my computer and I used to capture images from the screen and try to paint over them in Photoshop. One good thing about it was that each image was unique and unlike a lot of art created from famous faces, these images were never used before as references. It is one of the ways that helped me develop my own style. Audrey Hepburn was one of my favorite subjects.

J. SCOTT CAMPBELL - He took a style like Jim Lee's and sent it into outer space with his ability to create sex appeal. His characters and others at the time like Spawn and the art of Joe Mad gave me hours and hours of practice time trying to recreate.

CRAIG MULLINS - The second best photoshop artist in my opinion (I'll be getting to the first in a minute). His speed painting style was revolutionary and inspired a number of copycats, myself included. Although, the sketch-like style was not for me it did distract me from realism for a while.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP - Of course I have to mention the computer program that launched my career. I used to sit at the computer for hours editing photos. I guess I still do. If it wasn't for digital technology like this I think i would be working at a letter press or making signs because I can't paint the way I do without the aid of a computer.

MICHAEL TURNER - Hands down, Michael Turner created the two most beatiful comic book characters in Witchblade and Fathom. He is right behind Boris as my most influential artist. Such a tragedy that he was taken at such a young age. If i could own any original art, it would be his.

ANRY NEMO - The best digital artist ever. This guy has the most unbelievable ability to create the most perfect art that i have never been able to find a flaw in. I tried to paint like he does but he's just too much of a genius. Oddly enough, he hasn't produced any new work in the past few years. It's like he fell off the face of the earth. Come back!

OLYMPICS - I used to have this Pirelli advertisement of Carl Lewis up on my wall when i was younger. I just loved the angle like he was running on a car racing track and his feet were made of rubber. It payed a big role in the overall look of new Olympic series. Of course, all the girls in leotards and swimsuits were influential as well!

Description
This was a lot of fun putting together and a good way to look back on who and what influenced me into the direction my art took. Try it for yourself if you want a trip down memory lane.

RENAISSANCE ART - As I've said before, i don't think any art movement can match that of the high renaissance period. More than half a millennium later and there's still crowds lining up to see these great works. Michelangelo is a particular favorite because of his sculpture work involving the human body and I still try to keep my work classic like his. I want people lining up to see my work 500 years from now so I focus on the one thing that we can all relate to... humanity.

DISNEY - A lot of us grew up watching Disney movies and their ability to create beautiful characters is second to none. My favorite being Belle (pictured) from Beauty and the Beast. I also liked Jasmine from Aladdin and Esmeralda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. They weren't just a pretty face but there was substance to them and beautiful surroundings that made Disney movies a full motivational package.

JIM LEE - I remember being in elementary school trying to draw comics like Jim Lee. He really took characters like Wolverine to the next level and influenced a new generation of comic book artists. I tried but i just can't draw from scratch like he can.

SUPER MODELS - My sister used to get magazines like Vogue and Cosmo and I'd flip through them looking at all the hot models. Every now and then, there would be great artistic imagery in them and it influenced my drive to become a photo retoucher and eventually a photogrpaher. My favorite models were Stephanie Seymour and Linda Evangelista back in the day and later, Carmen Cass (pictured) and Jacquetta Wheeler.

CHUCK CLOSE - In high school I loved to draw photo realistically and Chuck Close was the king of that with his oil and acrylic portraits. Besides being great at realism, he also highlighted the basics of composition which are essential to any art form.

ALPHONSE MUCHA - He was the most talked about illustrator in my graphic design classes for his ability to create beautiful art and incorporate it into a new era of advertizing. Being one of the few graphic designers who also focused on the female form, he was a big influence on me.

BORIS VALLEJO & JULIE BELL - Has to be my biggest influence. If there's one thing i wanted to do when I grew up, it was to be and artist like Boris. Just incredible skill that I still aspire to recreate. The fact that Julie is just as good and they are together is a pretty awesome team.

VIDCAPS - At one point I got one of those TV tuner cards for my computer and I used to capture images from the screen and try to paint over them in Photoshop. One good thing about it was that each image was unique and unlike a lot of art created from famous faces, these images were never used before as references. It is one of the ways that helped me develop my own style. Audrey Hepburn was one of my favorite subjects.

J. SCOTT CAMPBELL - He took a style like Jim Lee's and sent it into outer space with his ability to create sex appeal. His characters and others at the time like Spawn and the art of Joe Mad gave me hours and hours of practice time trying to recreate.

CRAIG MULLINS - The second best photoshop artist in my opinion (I'll be getting to the first in a minute). His speed painting style was revolutionary and inspired a number of copycats, myself included. Although, the sketch-like style was not for me it did distract me from realism for a while.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP - Of course I have to mention the computer program that launched my career. I used to sit at the computer for hours editing photos. I guess I still do. If it wasn't for digital technology like this I think i would be working at a letter press or making signs because I can't paint the way I do without the aid of a computer.

MICHAEL TURNER - Hands down, Michael Turner created the two most beatiful comic book characters in Witchblade and Fathom. He is right behind Boris as my most influential artist. Such a tragedy that he was taken at such a young age. If i could own any original art, it would be his.

ANRY NEMO - The best digital artist ever. This guy has the most unbelievable ability to create the most perfect art that i have never been able to find a flaw in. I tried to paint like he does but he's just too much of a genius. Oddly enough, he hasn't produced any new work in the past few years. It's like he fell off the face of the earth. Come back!

OLYMPICS - I used to have this Pirelli advertisement of Carl Lewis up on my wall when i was younger. I just loved the angle like he was running on a car racing track and his feet were made of rubber. It payed a big role in the overall look of new Olympic series. Of course, all the girls in leotards and swimsuits were influential as well!