Charles Schulz is my main influence. He handles expressions amazingly, plus he has created situations and characters that nobody else on the face of Earth could create. As a bonus, who else could make you laugh at and cry for Charlie Brown at the same time?
Jim Davis created Garfield because he noticed that there were "precious few cats" on the comics page. He handles expression well, though he just writes and lays out Garfield nowadays. It's always had his awesome brand of humor.
I recently discovered John K and Spumco, but I really like John K's "don't draw the same expression twice" principle. It may seem hard, but it keeps the animation fresh. Also, he uses layouts, a good thing to use.
I'll draw another three influences later!
