Favorite Pictures/Artists on the Archive?

So I've posted this question before elsewhere, but I am interested to see what everyone around here thinks (or if anyone even has an opinion on it):


I was talking with some people on sketcher the other day and realized...I am an oldie. I remember when others were oldies and I was the kid in sketcher, but now I am one of them. xD It's odd. Not only being older than others on the archive, but also weird because the artists I look/looked up to and saw as inspiring are totally different than the ones everyone else seems to. We were sharing artist names with each other on sketcher and I had never heard of most of the names they were giving me. xD Talk about being disconnected with today's youth. *cricks back and hobbles over to her rocking chair*

SO. I thought it might be fun to share/reminisce--what images or artists inspire you most on the archive? Or, for those who don't really do the FAA thing anymore, which ones do you still remember very clearly as being really inspirational to you? I'm just having a curious/nostalgic moment I suppose. :)




I will probably add to this list later, but here are some of mine:


When I first came to TLKFAA back in 2002 (so...so old) there were a ton of artists whose work I just *poured* over. I saved images to my computer, set them as screensavers, used them as reference--you name it, I probably did it. Well, short of tracing or art theft of course. ;) But here are the ones that spring to mind: Jamala, Damalia, Cat Hicks, Evana, Domino, The Black Cat, Dagger, Hibbary, Makani, Lucky, Pegasuss, Pinali, Sarafina, Tigon, Tigrin....these are all names a lot of you know I'm sure. Some have changed names while others have moved on and are completely untraceable. But I can credit all of them with giving me lots of various kinds of inspiration when I first stepped into the world of online/digital art. And for that I am grateful that they took time to share their work with us.



Here are some more specific examples of more recent(ish) picture inspiration:

I don't know exactly why but this image of Simba has be emblazoned on my mind since the day I saw it. I think it was the first serious departure in style I witnessed on the archive and it served as the catalyst for a lot of my own explorations in art style. Criq's gallery as a whole is incredible, of course. But for whatever reason this image in particular struck a chord in me.

Oxpecker is an artist whose work I looove. She has this smooth, crisp, unique look to all of her work and designs that always seem to flow and come together so naturally. Really beautiful and inspirational gallery, I often wander through it when I am in need of a creativity spark.

Dille is another one who has been a giant inspiration to me over the years...stuff like this just keeps me going wanting to draw things. T_T

Maqueeendaaaa!! That's really all one needs to say. :3 There is nothing I don't adore about this girl as a person or an artist, she is wonderful. <3

Kourukon and Timali are both artists whose sense of humor and ideas I have always found so wonderful and inspirational while also being people I've always admired for their ability to be SO STINKIN' ON MODEL that it's ridiculous. I have tried and failed many times to achieve this look and I just *cannot* do it. All of you artists out there who can do this, I am amazed.

Paso/Legetta is someone whose style is just so incredibly raw and wonderful to me. I am always fascinated by the intricacies of her artwork.

This is still one of my favorite images on the archive. I don't know what it is about Tigon's close-ups, but they stick with me. When I think of TLK fan art or of her work, I think of these two images.

Daanzi is another artist whose work has inspired me over the years...and if you haven't already you seriously need to check out her DA account. Because woah.

Oooh, fun thread :D

I, too, have been around the Archive now for a... very long time. I first stumbled upon it in late 2002, then registered in March 2003, so by next week I'll have officially "existed" on the Internet for ten years. Woha. Let's do some reminiscing then, shall we xD

These two by the wonderful hibbary always come to mind when I think of my early inspirations. I still consider them beautifully screenshot-like, especially the first one, and I love them.

I also fell in love with Atan's work early on, when she became Artist of the Month, I remember. This "poster" was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen, haha. I remember she was the first artist I came across that I really thought was able to draw exactly on-model. My favourite of hers is this one.

Then there's Akril. Akril! She's been around for such a long time and makes such wonderful art that I expect you all to know who she is already... :P I love the comments and theories she makes about the TLK fandom.

My biggest idol of the TLKFAA has to be The Black Cat though. I remember I was so fascinated by her history of the Pride Lands and all her characters and for some time I knew all of them off by heart, hehehe. I also really liked the simplicity of her art and it was very motivating for me back then, as someone who was just starting out without all the fancy colouring and shading, that someone with such a "clean" style still could be successful and popular.

Then, of course, there's the reason why I took up Lion King fan art in the first place - TaniDaReal's WeuUkoo clan. She's deleted pretty much all of her old drawings, but those characters are the original inspiration for Kanu's existence, haha. I was such a Tani-wannabe in the early days... I'm kinda glad that those original e-mails and posts are long gone, even if that means I can't give an exact date for when Kanu was first thought up... xP

For more recent times... Gaah, I have so many people to list xD Clock (This picture... this picture! Just... aaah!), Koraden (her work is becoming more and more impressive and her dedication to exploring the TLK universe is awesome), Kohu (of course), Sami (the amount of life and motion in her lines is just fantastic, and I love pretty much everything she uploads, even if there isn't a lot of TLK work any more. I really want to be able to draw like her :P), Rai-che (I just love the "rawness" and concept art feel of her drawings), TamberElla (she doesn't upload much on TLKFAA any more, but look at this progress...! I can't get over how much her art has developed in such short time, the Tojo in the first link was drawn in 2010!)... Then there are of course the wonderful artists Kasei mentioned; Tima, Tigon, Tailbrush/Sarafina, Kourukon, Daanzi... the list goes on and on. I could be here all night XD

I had never heard of Kohu before...*click fav* Yay! More people to watch! :3 And OHMYGOSH how could I have forgotten Rai Che??? I am such a fangirl of hers. T_T

Also, interestingly enough, we joined and got active at around the same time! Pretty cool, nice to know I'm not the only one who has stuck around so long. x3 The FAA was my introduction to online art as well, though to be fair I joined DA at about the same time.

I always hope that I'm the first person to see these kinds of threads because people always zero right in on everyone I first think of.

For oldish people that haven't been mentioned yet--

NQN, who I commissioned way back when for the avatar I'm using, I believe really is working in animation now, at least for a while she was I think on Phineas & Ferb.

Kippy/Monkey doesn't draw TLK anymore as far as I know but whatever she does, she always really loves her characters and gets really into them, and that's always been a huge thing for me that I appreciate.

Perxio/ again on a long break, but absolute heartfelt loyal to Timon & Pumbaa, Pumbaa especially which is unique.


Now for newer people.....I don't go on DA, so they're TLKFAAers--

Atarial goregous artwork and can draw Rafiki like a pro, reminds me of Pegasuss in that respect.

Njeri a newish artist with great artwork that is right up there with the best.

I joined TLKFAA on Dec 23rd 2002, oh so long ago! At first, I remember admiring the likes of Jannali, Tigon, Balaa, SimbaGirl. And while their work was amazing, I think because I was so new to art and quite crappy at it still, they weren't huge influences on me, I looked up to them but was beyond the ability of emulating them. Although, Atan was the reason that Razzle came into existence. I loved his character's design so much, that I was compelled to copy it by giving Razzle a stripe along her back like the stripe on Atan's side.

It was a bit later on that I really started looking up to other artists. Artists like Kourukon, Tima and Audrey Cosmo were sources of inspiration not only for their artwork, but for their humour and story-telling ability. Other influences and inspirations were KassyNaVerdis, Kippy, Kasei (yes, you whose elephants are always inspiring and also seriously, this image), Criq (Iggy Pop), and I also found Weaver (now not on TLK, but on DA under t-weaver) to be a big influence with her different style. This list would also not be complete without mentioning Dille, always a huge influence on me, I admired her flawless sketch work to no end and also her finished coloured works as well.

And then it may sound sappy, but I found a lot of inspiration from my friends on the archive as well, from sources of conversation and their art styles and constant feedback. Wouldn't be where I am today (not posting, good one) without the feedback from my friends on the archive and elsewhere. :)

I'm sure there's a bunch that I've missed, particularly specific images that really hit home art-wise, but it's been so long since I've done any real browsing on the archive.

Oh, I did forget two, Paso and Kobb! :p

Haha, we're so many old-timers here! Awesome :lol:

And gosh, yes. Dille, Kobb, Audrey Cosmo, NQN, Kippy and Perxio! Love their work as well. Oh, oh! And the ever amazing katanimate (her lines! And the shading <3) and Choii! Yes, and you, Kasei :P This drawing. I could just sit here and look at it all day, haha!

Also, someone who must not be forgotten - the great FireLemming. Her stories were so unique and yet so fitting for the TLK universe; I loved all her fan art. It still really saddens me that we never will see her comic completed...

There are always tons more names that escape my mind every time I need to make lists like this, so no doubt I'll be back with more... xP

Ahh, great thread! I don't really draw TLK fanart anymore, though I'd love to get back into it... I've been lurking the archive for years though haha.

Akril--one of my biggest inspirations. Her OCs are incredibly charming and her TLK work is awesome, I love her theories and insights into the universe. 1 2 3 4

Clock--Her art is just gorgeous, such smooth lines and great use of color. 1 2 3

Audrey Cosmo--Who doesn't love Audrey Cosmo? Her pictures are adorable, I just love her style. Also there was a time on the archive where pretty much everyone had a Audrey-lookalike character even if they had never played Final Fantasy... 1 2 3

Galactacian--Hasn't uploaded in forever but I love her canon work. People with interesting theories are my favorite kinds of artists. 1 2 3

Emo-Hellion--I just love everything about her style, there are some pictures of hers I could stare at all day! 1 2 3 4

Iggy Pop/Criq--Art is just stunning, I don't know what else to say about her. Her colors are fantastic, too. 1 2
3

jrockerVampireSimba--For real. Such wonderfully surreal art x) 1 2 3

Koraden--Another fantastic canon artist and a big inspiration. 1 2 3

Kourukon--Such gorgeous, on-model art. @_@ How. 1 2 3 4

Tailbrush--Some of her images have stuck in my mind for years now. Stunning. 1 2 (it's not canon but this is one of my favorite pics on the archive, I remember being utterly awe-struck when I first saw it)

Timali--One of my early inspirations, I remember being a total fangirl of hers lol. 1 2 3

Ok I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of artists but I'm getting tired of typing haha.

And of course, all our lovely artists on Lea, but I think that goes without saying :p

Man these are all awesome, and quite a few of them have taken me back down memory lane! xD Also Azerane and Kanu I am flattered, you are both too kind. <3

Also, CGW, you might be pleased to know that Njeri is AotM. ^^ She certainly got my vote! I haven't voted on the archive in ages, haha. Now I gotta find someone else...this thread is pretty good for that! C:


Another artist I have admired for a while is Tacimur. I always find myself impressed by the work she churns out, really great gallery both on the FAA and DA.

I'm going to second CGW's Suggestion of Atarial. Talk about an artist making massive improvements, looking at her work from a few years ago and her work now is like day and night. If you want nice, loose, cannon-style drawings, go check out her gallery.

Xun Xrtu is someone I found while randomly browsing the new artists section a few months ago. No idea if they will be posting just a few pictures and leaving or returning sometime to post more, but I really like what they've got up so far, even if it is only a couple of drawings...they both look very promising of someone who could create some great stuff if they had the time/put their mind to it.

Ah what a neat thread! NQN I think went to my high school.. I sent her an email once but never heard back from her, most likely because back in 2005 people were a lot more wary of internet stalkers since it was before facebook and social networking and all that :P According to her tumblr which I found off her deviantart, she's now animating for TMNT!! I also loved Audrey Cosmo, and I remember admiring King Simba's work long before I even joined lea.

So many good names on this list though, I remember when I first found the archive in 2003 it was like my whole world had opened up :lol:

NQN works on TMNT? I just looked on her deviantarART page but it says she lives in Vancouver, Canada, but I wonder if she just didn't change her location on her deviantART profile to California. One of my closest friends, who I have been friends with for almost 20 years, now works on that show. She lives in Glendale, California because the Nickelodeon Studios is in Burbank.

EDIT: Ok, nevermind, she told me she works in Vancouver, just at an animation studio that creates animation for different studios.

Anyways, to be on topic, I have soooooo many favorite artists, my list would be huge. :p