• #1 Robin Yao
  portfolio – twitter – instagram
  role: Freelance Illustrator
  speciality: character design, backgrounds
  I admire how they have such clean lines. Despite having a small color palette, they can create a certain mood with their pieces.
  work experience: Titmouse (background designer), Macy’s (visual graphic illustrator), National Development Research Institute (art consultant)their illustrations:

• #2 Brett Lee
  portfolio – twitter
  role: Freelance Illustrator
  speciality: fanart, character design, composition
  Simple/no backgrounds, which is something that makes me feel a little better about not being a strength of mine (although I would like to improve it). Love their composition and simple colors.
  work experience: n/a
  their illustrations:

• #3 Sara Kipin
  portfolio– twitter – instagram – tumblr
  role: Freelance Illustrator
  speciality: character design, narrative illustration
  I love their battle between simplicity and detailed. Their ability to tell a story in their illustrative pieces is something I aspire to do.
  work experience: Color Design (Thundercats ROAR), Book Illustration (Between the Water & the Woods, NYT), Storyboard Artist (Marvel’s Spiderman, Samurai Jack), Nickelodeon Intern
  their illustrations:
  
• #4 Killian Ng
  portfolio – twitter – instagram
  role: Freelance Illustrator
  speciality: background, comics, illustrations, fanart
  I usually enjoy their more simplistic approach than their painterly talents, but regardless of how I feel, both show a great grasp of anatomy and perspective.
  work experience: colorist (Legend of Korra, Ruins of the Empire, Lost Pets, Turf Wars, Friends for Life), book cover illustrations (Adventure Time, Wayward), backgrounds (Dot, The Arcana)
  their illustrations:
• my illustrations:

This is a spreadsheet of artists that I admire (regardless of location). I will slowly update it as life goes on.