Creative Boost: 35 Inspirations For Visual Artists.

As if my artwork is not enough inspiration <grin>, here is a slew of awesome artists to amaze, inspire, and enliven. I’ve scoured the web throughout the years, building up bookmarks of artists that strike me and that I feel would touch others as well, and it’s time for me to share them.

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Quick Jumps: Comics | Fantasy | Sexuality/Female Form | Computer Generated | Surrealism | Dark | Graffiti | Illustration/Simplified | Prodigious | Paper Art | Photography | Sculpture | Different

Comic:

Joshua Middleton – Sketchbook – Wiki : Josh Middleton is an exceptional penciller with finely detailed linework. He’s been honored with acclaim and awards and with good reason.

Jim Lee – Wiki – A famous artist in the comics world, prolific, stylistic, incredibly detailed. he had quite a run with his own publishing company, but has recently gotten back to his illustrator roots.

Sam Kieth – Wiki – His phenomenal series, the maxx, made it in adapted form to MTV late night in the 90s. his style is kinda crazy, and so is his writing, but definitely high level, beautiful stuff.

Frank Miller – Wiki – What can be said about this well-known artist. with the releases of sin city and 300 in hollywood, many people have looked into his stuff, but i had to give some props to his awesome noir style.

Fantasy:

Frank Frazetta – Wiki – Update: R.I.P., Frank. You touched us all. A genius fantasy painter/artist and hugely influential to tons of artists over the years. Just go look at his beautiful work. Frazetta is easily of the caliber of many old master artists, but of course he never really made it in the avant guarde art world, where representational art is not lauded very much.

Dave McKean – Wiki – Dave McKean, my personal favourite artist for most of my life (though my moods change ), I could go on forever about how his pioneering mixed-media style was brought to bear before the power of photoshop ever hit the table, and he’s only gotten better. Many CDs you may be familiar with featured artwork by McKean, and his movies, though more under the radar than Frank Miller’s, carry the same flair, style and potency.

Sexuality/Female Form:

Otto Von Todd – Blog – Russian illustrator Eugene Schmidt working under the name Otto Von Todd, creates very alive and sensual characters with strong attitude showing through in his works. he has brilliant technique and a reverent sense of humor.

Jiri Subrt – Outstanding portraits with unique angles and wonderful composition.

Jack Vettriano – Wiki – This man’s popular images have been reproduced on millions of cards and posters, outstripping Monet and Van Gogh in the reproduction stakes. his way with paints and brushes is sublime.

Computer generated:

Michal Kwolek – A relatively little known polish artist, but still a genius

Wilhelm Steiner [deaddreamer] – Hailing from Austria, this excellent fine digital artist is a huge inspiration for me personally. There is often a dark edge in his work and he creates very powerful pieces and colours. He’s quite prolific but many of his works are not easily found online. Interestingly, I only recently found out that he lists Dave McKean as his favourite artist, much like myself.

Justin Maller – Deviantart [ekud] – A freelance digital artist, with beautiful fine art roots. he works primarily in photoshop and assorted 3D packages. lately he’s been growing largely in the commercial sector, he’s created a works for K-Swiss, Wrigley’s, JAG, Oakley, Samsung and many more, and I’m glad to see his awesome talent brighten the often hum-drum world of advertising.

Surrealism:

Ryohei Hase – This man’s work is evocative and punchy, beautifully and painstakingly painted. some of it is very boundary-crossing for certain people, (warning: suggested violence and some nudity).

Daniel Arsham – Behold the amazing work of this American artist, a specialist for several years in wall sculptures. He makes wonderful use of plaster and his sculptures really lead the imagination. “The prevelant urban architecture in which we find most of our daily activities is put into limbo and the natural world, which so many seem to dread, fear, or want to repress or destroy, finds its way seeping into each other. The world in which we are invited to view, experience, or live in mentally, is one of transformation.”

Dark:

Gerry Davis – Myspace – An awesome young irish artist, well versed in a broad range of media. i can see big things in this guy’s future.

BJ Burrows – Pretty much similar to above. BJ Burrows is based out of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, and unfortunately there’s no real home on the web for online viewing, but his masterful twisting of people into dolls/caricatures laced with uncanny realism is absolutely beautiful.

Graffiti:

Banksy – Once an almost feverishly famous renegade artist, now a completely feverishly famous art celebrity, I imagine most of my readers are at least passingly familiar with this man’s work.

Herakut – A partnership of two graffiti artists, hera and akut, from germany – the end result is the combination of their wildly differing styles and philosophies on art, and it is appreciated

Illustration/Simplified:

Eliza Frye – Dunno what to say Look at her stuff. Mm. She knows her way with lines.

Sarah Mensinga – “Raw innocence and persistent cheerfulness are hallmarks of her work, with only occasional counterpoints of gloom and malice. Her wildly stylistic work seems rooted in both comicbook and fairytale aesthetics.” — agreed.

Prodigious:

A. Schiller – Possible hoax? – Lord’s prayer on pin heads. “Under 500 magnification it was found that the tiny etchings seen on the heads of the pins were the words to The Lord’s Prayer, which is 65 words and 254 letters long.”

Stephen Wiltshire – “the human camera” – Memorizing minute details is easy for him. Verbal communication is not. Wiltshire is autistic, and his first words came when he was 5 years old. “I said, I want paper,” he recalled. “Please, can I have a paper, please, to draw?” – very impressive stuff to see.

Bert Monroy – Wiki – This digital painter crafts the most exquisitely photo-realistic reproductions i’ve ever seen. one of the true pioneers of photoshop art. his work is really mind-blowing, the detail and time involved… just wow.

paper artists:

Noriko Ambe – Is an artist who draws/cuts on paper, atlas and sketch books which have many layers. extremely intriguing use of paper as art.

Paul Jackson – Initially fine art trained, paul jackson has been a freelance paper folder, origami artist and paper engineer since 1982. He first experimented with single-fold works that were beautiful in their simplicity. He says he feels often that less is more.

Photography:

Jean-Paul Navicet – Awesome angles and lighting in his capturing of nature and the female form. this photographer is sublime and i’d love for his works to get more recognition. beautiful work and composition and models, yet always classy. enjoy.

Kevin Thom – Residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Kevin Thom specializes in photos of people, but is a great all-around photographer. check him out

Steve Bloom – What to say about Stephen Bloom? I was turned on to his work by my brother. He is famous and celebrated for his monumental capturing of animals in nature, and his works touch many people’s hearts. Unbelievably beautiful.

Sculpture:

David Delthony – Sculpture is one thing, but sculpting stable, well-balanced, and gorgeously aesthetic furniture? That is something to marvel at

Beth Cavener Stichter – Still there’s something to be said for more traditional type sculpture, like stichter’s work.

Alonzo Clemons – Wiki – A savant, with a photographic memory for animal sculpting similar to that of stephen wiltshire above, suffered a brain-injury when young, yet is able to produce stunning works.

Different:

Jason Eppink – “Take a seat”, his taking seats from garbage piles and providing them to weary subway travellers at no cost is a very interesting movement. the amount of criticism he’s received and his reactions to the critics are even more interesting.

Beesean – not too much known about this japanese artist, but his style is cool and different and edgy. I love it.

Joel Hester – The turning of rusted car parts into unique, original, functional furniture is pretty impressive art on a number of levels. Have a look.

 

I’d love to hear if you have any comments on any of the art/artists here. If they touched you or inspired you in anyway, or evenif it wasn’t really for you, whatever. I intended for this to bring some visual beauty into everyone’s day.

If you enjoyed this post, I’d love it if you checked out some of my work, my writings, or the Free Resources we offer to help you Rock Life. And hey, share it with someone… it makes the world a better place, who knows who you’ll help or what amazing things will come from it.