Was it Picasso who said “Good artists borrow, great artists steal”? Art is not created in a vacuum but an iterative process inspired by the world in which the artist lives and how they see the world. The more you allow your senses to experience and the more attuned you are, the broader your palette will be.

I like to look back for inspiration. I love vintage magazine ads, animations from Max Fleischer and Ray Harryhausen, the Disney classics, the best (and even the worst) of film noir,1950′s sci-fi posters and steampunk art. On occasion, even the most mundane places can hold surprises, with just the right blend of light and shadow.

Here are links to some of my favorite internet sources of inspiration.

deviantArt – fantastic artist’s galleries
Creative Cow – a community of media production professionals
CG Society – forum and gallery for some of the best digital artists
StumbleUpon – the best of the internet – you’ll get lost for hours
CSS Tricks – for all thing’s web design related, especially WordPress.
SitePoint – website design and development
All Bets Are Off Productions – VFX and video editing techniques
Video Copilot – you have to check out Andrew Kramer’s amazing visual effects tutorials using Adobe’s After Effects
Stash – online video library of Animation, VFX and motion design
Lynda.com – software training and tutorials
The Gnomon Workshop – professional training for artists
Digital Tutors – teaching the people who make movies and games