Well, originally Mallory Bash was inspired by my girlfriend. The character design and a few personality points, like a short temper and a love of science fiction and heavy metal. The character initially was going to be a space-faring ten-year old that zipped through a neon cosmos fighting weird space aliens.
But as it continued to develop, being inspired by the old 90's Nicktoons, it became a story about a little girl who just loves discovery. This time of development was also inspired by a few different artists, including Anthony Holden, Raul Trevino, and, lately, Min (Fail By Error). I did a lot of the developing for my Capstone project in college, where I laid out her entire county (Nightdrift) and detailed street maps of her hometown (Moonblush Village). I also created her house from the ground up, so everything is consistent.
Those old Nicktoons were an inspiration, along with some new cartoons like Steven Universe and We Bare Bears, in that they are story-driven. This is very important to me, because I don't want just gag-a-day stuff for Mallory, I want the characters to be real and the world to be immersive. I want people to see a forest and know exactly where in Nightdrift County that forest is. I want them to be able to navigate the Bash residence in their heads. I want them to know Moonblush Village like they lived there.
What inspires me is immersion and engagement. I want people to be able to get lost in the world I've created, and to empathize with the characters. To want to be there, in the little nooks and crannies that Mallory finds herself in. I want them to feel the warmth of a blanket they've seen Mallory use a lot. I want them to imagine sitting on the ratty, cozy old brown couch under the stairs where Mallory watches TV in the middle of the night.
When the viewers stop reading, stop watching, I want them to feel like Mallory is still doing stuff while they're away. Like her world doesn't stop when you aren't watching.
