That's really neat! There have been times I've drawn my characters as well. My characters for my current story (for NaNo) and the plot has come from a dream. I've only used someone from real life once in a story and it was my best friend at the time. She was one of the bravest people I knew and I loved her distinct look and she fit perfectly with the type of heroine I needed in my story.

I definitely use some elements of my own personality in the main character. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less.