P.S. No need to overthink this question, folks. To clarify, to me, using the term "role model" in the context of this forum is synonymous with "influence." I'm asking whose art you want to emulate. Who's your art parents? Thanks again to all the thoughtful replies!

I suppose by "role models" you mean to ask who my influences are, even if not the same the two thing are still similar. Most of my biggest influences are Japanese manga artists, Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest) Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura) Ken Sugimori (og Pokemon artist) Osamu Tezuka (God of manga himself) Yoshihiro Togashi (Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter x Hunter) I recently started drawing my own comics and I am still developing my own artistic identity, and and these are the artists who I regularly study. Needless to say, these are are also my favorite manga that I reread all the time. There are also other manga artists that aren't as big of an influence on me, but I still study their work to learn certain things. Like I don't want to draw like Shotaro Ishinomori but he was a genius of panel layout so there's still a lot to learn from his manga. Outside of manga I have been limiting other influences right now. I had started learning in the western classical style, but now I am pushing away from it so I could learn to draw comics like my dream always was. But I have taken some interest in childrens book illustrations from late 19th and early 20th century. Alice and Oz books are among my favorites and I am taking a closer look at John Tenniel's and John R Neill's illustrations. I also like Mabel Lucie Attwell's fairy tale illustrations. And even if you meant it as a joke, calling Frazetta "Completely Overrated" is quite a statement you know.

Kind of a late replay, but I didn't have the time to give this an appropriate response until now. I've paid more attention to the idea of "art parents" since watching the Draftsmen episode discussing the idea about a year ago. I have some formative artists that unconsciously helped develop my taste in art, and then there are those I've started to look at from a more academic how to get there aspect. I'm mainly interested in fantasy and sci-fi of a style ranging from cartoon to near realism. On the formative side the Ralph Bakshi animated films Wizards and Lord of the Rings had a big impact on my young mind. From that I've also looked to William Stout who did the movie posters for Wizards, and Vaughn Bode whose work inspired Bakshi's style in Wizards. The artists connected to the early role playing games also had a big influence on me, Erol Otis, Larry Elmore, Liz Danforth, David Trampier, Phil Foglio, David Sutherland, Luise Perenne, Gene Day and Greg Espinoza among others. Not that I paid much attention back then to who drew what, but I'm looking back at their art now. I think these in particular interest me because the budgets for games back then might have a full color cover, but most of the interior illustration was B&W. As a Fantasy art fan, Frazetta has had a big impact. I don't think overrated is a fair statement. He just managed to get the mass media recognition that many of his contemporaries deserved, but haven't received. Right place at the right time, better business savvy? I don't know. Not going to fight you over it though. His granddaughter looks pretty tough, I'm sure she can stand up for him. :) I really like drawings, but painters seem to get most of the attention so I've had to dig a bit. It has mostly the pen and ink artists who did a lot of book illustration before color printing became practical. Albrecht Durer, Gustave Dore, Arthur Rackham, Franklin Booth, Charles Gibson and Heinrich Kley. I found a book of Edward Hopper drawings and sketches, and that has been really helpful to help me see paintings as drawings as it includes many preliminary sketches of his paintings. He is mostly known as a painter, but he worked in charcoal a lot so I've also looked at his sketches as I've explored charcoal. I was never really into comic books, but now I am looking a lot at comic artists, because they draw. Mark Shultz, Arthur Adams, Blas Gallego, Bruce Timm, Wally Wood, Will Eisner, many others but those are the first who come to mind. Also the cartoonists Charles Addams and Edward Gorey. In the past year or so I've also really come to appreciate the artists who can teach. I think like many I gravitated towards well known artists, but as I've gotten more serious I've come to realize that being good at art and being able to teach art are two very different skills. There are good art teachers who are just adequate artists, and great artists that can't even explain why they do what they do let alone teach another. You've got Bridgman, and Loomis who are basically the super stars of the art teaching world, but most fall under the radar. Mike Hoffman, Terry Moore and Andy Smith are some contemporary comic artists who have written art / drawing books I've found helpful. There is a whole host of old books intermittently kept in print thanks to Dover Books written by artist / teachers Henry Pitz, Arthur Guptil, Ernest Watson, Frank Rines, Jack Hamm, Ken Hultgren, Frank Lohan, I could go on, but when I'm buying an instructional book, I kind of need the art in the book to hold up and be inspiration and these are some of the authors where I've found the art and instruction are a good match. I really lean into these older books because, I find older educational books just read better, but lets not leave out the $$$ aspect. Many of these books can be really cheap on the used market. Not to sell the current generation of artist authors short, I've been really happy with the books I've got from Michael Hampton, Steve Huston, Patrick Jones, and James Gurney. Honorary mention to Ed Emberley who has probably helped teach more kids to draw than anyone on the planet. Ok, enough rambling, I'm starting to feel like one of those award speeches where they are thanking everybody from their kindergarten teacher to the guy that served them lunch that afternoon.

"Role model" seems to imply an admiration in the person beyond the art, neh? I'm not sure any of the artists whose work I admire are actually individuals that I admire. Nirvana is fun, but from what I know, Kurt sucks as a role model. It would seem the same with Rothko and many others. I once said self loathing is not a prerequisite for self improvement. Despite our culture's preoccupation with tortured souls, I firmly believe that it's not a prereq for good art, either. This is not an easy question for me... Especially being that I don't care so much about the people behind the art. The Last Samurai is a favorite film of mine. But Tom Cruise... I mean, come on dude! Or maybe I'm thinking too far into your question and you mean something more like what the Draftsmen have termed "Art Parent"?