I know that artists can get inspiration from anywhere, and you probably have a long list of sources of inspiration. From where you are now, can you look back and see any specific artists or pieces that you didn’t realize at the time would end up having such a big impact on you?

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Heeyyyyy nice.

There’s a magazine from the 80s called Step-by-Step Graphics. I don’t even know if it’s published anymore. But they were old school process shots, basically. So instead of Photoshop, you’d have colored pencils and acetate, and I still have a shelf of them that I use for ideas and inspiration.

Anyway, I would study these for hours when I was a kid. And there was one issue that featured Marvin Mattelson’s art on the cover from 1988:

And here are some inside shots from my copy:

You can see all the basic methods used in realistic illustration—getting references, making thumbnails, building a palette, setting down the groundwork—all pretty much what I do now.

When I started doing my own realism, I didn’t consciously think, “Oh hey I want to make art just like Mr. Mattelson did in that magazine from when I was eight years old.” But stuff like this was a bigger influence than a Caravaggio or whatever because it was permission to do art practically, you know? Museum art is inspiring obv, but this kind of stuff brought it to my level. Like yeah it’s not magic. It’s a process, and it can be done.

Awesome question thank you sorry it took so long for me to reply. <3