Pokémon Caricatures?

People (or even things) that have gained significant repute may be memorialized in illustration form through caricatures, as fanciful drawings depicting their personality with the things that are typically associated with them. Certainly, it's not hard to stretch the process to involve Pokémon, and that makes for a fascinating discussion. Since the art form involves specific subjects, I thought I'd center the discussion on the subjects that can apply to it.

Trainers specifically can of course be the subjects of the art form, since they're people after all. It goes without saying that I'm interested in a caricature of Ash in some form, but others may like Cilan, Clemont, or Misty; and then there are other Trainers like Red, Ethan, Lance... the list goes on and on. All of these can have their most significant Pokémon and objects alongside them to enrich the caricature aspect as well as the Pokémon aspect.

Speaking of, certain Pokémon species can also get the treatment. The "unforgettable classics" of Pikachu, Charizard, Snorlax, and more are great candidates, but so are "new favorites" such as Incineroar, Sirfetch'd, and Meowscarada. They would also be most enhanced by particular settings from their regions of concern... and maybe a little bit of the people who are in close association with them. Their caricatures are expected to be quite whimsical.

Meanwhile, there is me with all of my Pokémon dealings, the species I fancy, the things I appreciate, and so on and so forth. All of that could potentially be represented in a caricature by whoever is fond of me and chooses to represent me in drawing with any or all of the above elements. It would be a bit of a challenge for the artist, yet it could be a fun one with Pokémon involved - and certainly the results would be as well for the both of us.

Caricatures can be said to be "involved" pieces of art; they can "involve" a lot of elements in the pieces and the effort to make them is also "involved", for both the subject and creator alike. Quite possibly, Pokémon can be "involved" in the creation process, which would be a neat thing for those who are concerned with it. The resulting piece would also further affirm or increase the repute of the subject, which may just be well-deserved with the art itself.

One year ago: Concentrate and Contemplate

Two years ago: Fascinated by TCG Art Varieties

Three years ago: Quickies: Finding My "Mime" and "Rime"

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 9/27/2022

Five years ago: Road of 25th Anniversary: Two for the Show

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 9/27/2020

Seven years ago: 1000 Posts!!!

Eight years ago: Meet Meltan

Nine years ago: Pokémon Stuff at a Neighborhood Store

Present Challenges of Pokémon Artists

Art is always a nice topic to discuss in connection with Pokémon, certainly because of the great inspiration that the franchise furnishes for artists who relate to it. This time, I thought of writing up a discussion on another aspect of Pokémon art, with the inclusion of some "challenging" qualities. They would pertain to the artists creating the Pokémon art, and the challenges they present can also be considered "problems" in some way. As such, it becomes an enigmatic as well as somewhat necessary topic to discuss.

The challenges concern both fan artists as well as official artists, two ends of which I had put into another discussion tied to a controversy nearly a year ago. It can then be said that the issue raised previously therein still has some relation to the challenges that I will be discussing, which in many ways also involve the aspect of creation. For both of them, the relation (as I've noted before) is cordial but in a way also tenuous, and that becomes reflected in the form of the challenges that pertain to them.

For fans, they have great freedoms (again, to a certain extent as I've noted) in creating art that involves Pokémon - which can be affirmed with a certain hashtag and certainly shouldn't be disparaging. Even with those great freedoms, there is also still the sense that beyond the expression that the art achieves, it may or may not be possible to gain a lot of recognition for them, perhaps if one is not of "Trainer K" caliber in style and speed. That's a challenge for which solutions may not come easily or quickly enough.

Meanwhile, official artists (in collaboration with the designers) have a slightly different issue: with the proliferation of fan art, including ones for hypothetical forms - for example, currently non-existent Mega Evolution forms - they also have to be cautious in some respects and not conceive something that resembles specific pieces of fan art in any way or form, lest the controversy as above can manifest itself again in a different form. This challenge reflects how Pokémon is very diverse these days and the difficulty it creates.

It's not always easy to create art of any kind, and that may be even more true when Pokémon art is involved, apart from the "challenges" as presented by the above situations. With official art on one side and fan art on the other that get along yet sometimes conflict, the situation can be perceived as actually being more complex than many people (fans) associated with Pokémon think it may be. Regardless, great art can and have resulted, and the ultimate challenge may be to keep them great in their ways.

One year ago: Descending Species on the Upper Hand

Two years ago: Quickies: Smells Like Pokémon

Three years ago: Tournament: SWEEP JR vs. Icy Wind (SA Factions)

Four years ago: Yoshinoya ID Pokémon Promo

Five years ago: The Floating City Awaits

Six years ago: As In As All...

Seven years ago: Nationally Challenged

Eight years ago: Before Gold and Silver

Nine years ago: Red on a Bike

The Appeal of the "Sugimori Style"

Nowadays, Pokémon can be depicted in a variety of art styles, whether as dictated by the limitations of the games or media they're present on, or as applied by the artist(s) involved with the artistic creations. Yet one style that has persisted for the artistic depiction of Pokémon species is one with a certain recognition as well as appeal for its style. Predictably, that would be the "Sugimori style" as indicated by the title of this post, and the particulars of that style as well as its appeal are apt to be discussed.

Here, "Sugimori" refers to the one and only Ken Sugimori, who drew the color illustrations for Pokémon species in its early days, which were not only used in main series-related media but also the TCG. As a co-founder of Game Freak along with Satoshi Tajiri, that means he has substantial influence on the art for the series, then and now - as well as for some other games that the company developed. The influence remains with Ken Sugimori being an art director and among those who enjoy Pokémon.

The "Sugimori style" is noticeably characterized - at least in part - by its use of lines and colors, particularly the shading for the latter. In the early days, the shading might also have involved gradients, which can be seen in the art for Weedle and Pikachu, the latter at least to some effect. Later illustrations, especially for things other than Pokémon, tend to have sharper and more distinct lines and colorations, but their designs have distinct elements, like a standard appearance for people's faces and items.

With that, it becomes not surprising that fans appreciate and even want to emulate that art style. In Threads, someone posted illustrations that depict Pokémon species in their original sprite appearances but blending that with the "Sugimori style". Meanwhile, other enterprising fans are developing things unrelated to Pokémon but incorporating the "Sugimori style" into the art for the development. Many other avenues can be explored as well, and the art style can be incorporated into the resulting artwork.

Given the above, it can be said that the "Sugimori style" for art - as applied to Pokémon and conceivably beyond that - is a hallmark for the franchise yet can also stand alone as its own "thing". It's a "thing" that is quite influential for a good amount of the art for the franchise, whether early on for its start or later on as illustrator fans try to (re)work it in other ways into the franchise and even outside it. The appeal of the art style is thus established and becomes a wonder of itself as far as art styles go. 

One year ago: Quickies: Weather Institute Interests

Two years ago: Flying Pokémon Flags High

Three years ago: Come to Me, Hidden Gems

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Fest 2022 (Global), Day 2

Five years ago: Venture Past Cliffs and Old Paths

Six years ago: The Pokémon Battlefields

Seven years ago: Holding Hands

Eight years ago: Raid Preferences

Nine years ago: Sympathy for Villains

Paper Crafters, Wherefore Art Thou?

Way back in the first year of this blog, I covered papercraft involving Pokémon as an outlet of artistic Pokémon expression - one that has some personal ties to me - with particular focus on a specific site that furnishes the patterns for the art form. Many years later, I've decided to bring up the topic again, but this time the focus is on the art form seemingly having gone into obscurity, which is why the "wherefore art thou?" title tag is involved. And when that becomes involved, the associated matter can become rather weighty.

For this specific matter, I was made aware of it by one of my Pokémon figure fellows who I hadn't seen in a long time. We had the chance to meet each other a couple of weeks ago, and among the Pokémon topics we discussed, this topic became one of them as we practically introduced each other to it and mutually delved into it even in the time that we were mostly apart. As such, I thought about discussing that topic on this blog, and now its time has come; others brought up during that time may just be discussed in time.

Now, for the aforementioned site, it has apparently not been updated since 2022 (four years ago), with the last pattern that was posted being the one for Liepard on February 4. Prior to that, there was a "Halloween special" with the Gothita species family just a little over three months earlier. It goes without saying that the site itself hasn't been updated to include the ninth generation, although there have been a few sparse patterns for Pokémon of the eighth generation - and that's about it. Their fates and others are up in the air.

Though it has to be admitted that paper models like these do take time to develop - if some of the monthly gaps are of any indication - the lack of updates in the years between that last pattern and now is in a way something of concern. I had e-mailed the authors many, many years ago prior to starting this blog, but I didn't receive a response then... and given the state of the site as it is now, it seems unlikely that I'll ever receive a response if I try to establish contact. There is also no indication that the site may have noticed this blog.

Presently, I have other concerns that keep me from building papercraft models, even Pokémon ones, from this or any other source. However, to hear and see that the site I used to frequent for those purposes has practically gone "defunct" becomes an important concern, sufficient to be addressed on this blog (in a way especially so, since we're on the same Blogger platform). The question tag I posed in the title, as with other posts that have the same tag, thus becomes relevant to ask about and wonder, particularly for this site of Pokémon papercraft.

One year ago: Considering (My) Pokémon Relevance

Two years ago: Historical Pokémon, Revisited

Three years ago: Pikachu and Paldea Starters Headbands and Visors

Four years ago: My Current Holowear of Interest

Five years ago: In Need of Rotom, Right Now

Six years ago: Fanboys and Fangirls

Seven years ago: The First Unova Saga Japanese Opening Theme

Eight years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 4/15/2018

Nine years ago: Dialectics

The Divide between Official and Fan Art

The recent gaffe of the "immersive" art for Ho-Oh in TCGP also brings up a bit of an issue that affects not only Pokémon but also many other game franchises in the world. It concerns the treatment of art that is specifically made for official media and art that is made by fans for their purposes. More specifically, these two realms can be considered to have a "divide" between them that may be difficult to resolve. Even with that difficulty, there is an imperative to discuss the situation and what it means for both parts of the divide.

Considering the realm of gaming franchises, Pokémon can be regarded as a "friendly" one with respect to fan art. If it weren't, all the fan art out there - including, say, by "Trainer K" - would have been quashed with a certain immediacy. Of course, any art with a highly and particularly evident negative light can still be quashed; this would likely be the course for any other (game) franchise, even for ones that like and appreciate fan art. Not only the art but also image (as in reputation) have to be protected after all, as a human mannerism.

What becomes the primary concern of the divide, as with all sorts of nice things in today's world, is money and how that is brought about by the art in question. Pokémon is commercial, certainly, so there's money to be had from official art. Fans may not necessarily be in it for the money (also in a sense, perhaps in knowledgeable ways), but at the same time, Pokémon also cannot enjoy that benefit willy-nilly from fan art, which sheds a light on the "authenticity" issue that surrounds the aforementioned TCGP art gaffe and its production.

For that, licensing becomes a concern that is drawn into this divide. If something is licensed, especially by prior agreement and intent, then Pokémon can stand to make money off of it - and it should, given how costly official merchandise is these days. But then, there is the difficulty - perhaps close to impossibility - of licensing something that wasn't licensed in the first place, which ties into the issue of making fan art official and yet again ties into that gaffe. The complicating issues make an apparent divide even more stark.

So, apart from revealing more bits about that gaffe, all the points above highlight the situation that official art and fan art are separated not only by their creation process but also the issues that they present for each other, which may not be easily bridged. What may be more easily bridged, however, is appreciation on both sides where legalities aren't involved (too deeply) and positivity is apparent. It seems that there will always be a divide; the question is how to work with and around that divide for the good of everyone.

One year ago: The (Blinding) Light of Evolution

Two years ago: Cosplay: Utsuru 8

Three years ago: Deliveries in Café Remix

Four years ago: Furthering Eevee's "Eeveelutions"

Five years ago: More on Pokémon Go Gift Stickers

Six years ago: Red and Riley Keychains

Seven years ago: The Apple and Pokémon

Eight years ago: Cosplay: Nimatsuri 2017

The Incredible and Vivid Art of Pokémon Trainer K (Kelvin)

Some readers may remember the starter Pokémon poster that I shared way back when, as part of the "loot" I obtained from Indonesia Comic Con. It's a wonderful poster to be sure, but so is the creator behind the art for it. He exhibited at the convention, and most recently, he also exhibited at ChibiCon, which was a little unexpected but also worked out very well. In any case, it is also well to do to discuss about this extremely talented artist and promote his art a little more by way of this blog.

As can be discerned, the artist calls himself (Pokémon) Trainer K, where "K" stands for Kelvin, his first name. His works can also be found on Instagram under the handle @kelvin_trainerk, which is also used for X (formerly Twitter). They are nothing short of impressive; the works are amazingly accurate to Pokémon appearances in general, and in all of the works, there is a great degree of artistic technique, in particular shading and gradients, especially in larger pieces featuring scenery and landscapes. This is certainly a point of appeal for his works, including for me.

When I - that is, Ash - visited his booth at the latter convention, I only came away with one postcard (which was on "clearance") and a sticker, owing to the extremely limited budget that I set myself with. The postcard was of the starter Pokémon of Galar, and the sticker was of Pikachu, which are themselves suggestive of special mementos. Yet even in these forms, the art is every bit as expressive as the larger pieces, and I'm just glad I could come away with what I did get.

Even for the postcard on clearance and the sticker, which I consider to be "petty" items, the talent of the artist is incredibly evident. That is what I consider to be the hallmark of a true artist, being able to give their all on (or for) media that seems less significant, in this case being that a postcard or a sticker seemingly isn't quite as "establishing" as a full- or half-page art in regard to artistic talent. Yet it is very much so in this case, and thus the talent becomes evident.

Really talented artists can therefore make great things from little things, and that's what Pokémon Trainer K is obviously doing. He has taken Pokémon as a subject matter and expanded it with his array of creative talents to produce mesmerizing pieces of art that any Pokémon fan (like me) would be happy to procure and possess. As a final remark, the artist says that a driving force for the art is his passion for Pokémon, and that too is considerably important, whether for an artist making great strides in Pokémon art or me promoting said artist on this blog, which is also a "passion product" of sorts. That should continue drive us toward more interesting creations.

One year ago: How Long for a Cosplay Walk (or "Character Parade")?

Two years ago: Non-Trademark Substitutions for Pokémon Names?

Three years ago: Sword and Shield: After One Year

Four years ago: Everyone's Contributions

Five years ago: So Little and So Much

Six years ago: A Pokémon Menu

Unexpected Collaborations with Pokémon

Now that Pokémon has persisted for over a quarter century, it's time for it to collaborate with different parties. And if the present is of any indication, then the time is rife for them. In fact, among some of these collaborations, there are or have been some "unexpected" ones, involving parties that could be thought of as some of the last to collaborate with Pokémon. Yet they do occur to the wonderment of fans, and for all their wonderment, some of them deserve to be discussed - particularly the most significant ones presently.

In that regard, one significant one - if not the most significant one right now - is a little something called "Project Voltage". It's a collaboration between Pokémon and Hatsune Miku, representing Vocaloid in general; more precisely, it's another edition of that collaboration, as a Snow Miku collaboration had been realized a while back. The scale this time is even greater: it started by showing off Miku as a possible Pokémon Trainer of each of the 18 types, which was then followed by songs created by well-known Vocaloid producers, making this both artistic and musical. That scale makes it significant as well as unexpected, especially considering what results from the collaboration.

A little less significant yet a whole lot more unexpected is a collaboration of Pokémon and the Van Gogh Museum - yes, as in the impressionist artist. As can be discerned, this is an artistic collaboration to a high degree, and it resulted in six Van Gogh paintings given a Pokémon twist. One of them, the "Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat", was also turned into a promotional TCG card, and it was released... to unexpected flurries among certain collectors. The objective of this certainly involves kids in a way, as it is designed to get them interested in art. Still, interest in art seems to know no bounds, and fans of both ought to have appreciation for that.

One last collaboration is one that goes back to the past for a bit, and it's a more locally constrained collaboration, specifically where I am. Yuri, a company that makes products for personal hygiene, had once released a line of soaps and shampoos featuring... well, understandably so. They were specifically under the "dee-dee" line for products intended for children, as with this collaboration, the previous one, and other forays, no doubt Pokémon is also geared to appeal to children. Granted, this was more of a licensing deal of sorts rather than a collaboration, but it's as close to a collaboration as they could get, and it's still fitting to mention it as such.

Something that could be gained from the collaborations of Pokémon and different things or parties above is the flexibility of the former to suit a lot of things, even those that are distantly related in spirit and form. In that sense, the "unexpected" quality that the collaborations then possess is the result of realizing a sense of wonder and interest, for which all of the above can and do generate. Given a history of 25-plus years and continuing, it's only very well that it can happen with Pokémon... and other parties embracing each other.

One year ago: Pokémon Café Remix Burnout?

Two years ago: Tournament: Raid Group "Relaxed" Lunar Cup

Three years ago: The Day-Night Cycle and Pokémon Games

Four years ago: Cosplay: KAI ESports Exhibition

Five years ago: Pokémon and Adventure Games

Six years ago: Respect for Ikue Ootani

Pokémon, Anatomy, and Books

Some days ago, my raid fellows alerted me to the existence of something unique related to Pokémon. That something unique is called "Pokénatomy", and it takes the form of a book related to Pokémon. The book contains illustrations of the first 151 Pokémon along with - as the key part of this book - depictions of their inner organs. It sounds astoundingly impressive, and it is, to a really good extent. And since I've discovered it as a result of my raid fellows discovering it, it is wise to make a discussion of it in a blog post here.

The book is authored and illustrated by one Christopher Stoll. Remarkably, this book became a Kickstarter project and it was successfully funded in a span of a little more than a month... in 2016, and back then I wasn't paying attention to Kickstarter, let alone have a possible way to back any project on it. Alas, the link on the Kickstarter project page to where one might also be able to obtain a copy of the book points to a dead page, decreasing hope for doing so. It is still sufficiently remarkable that a Pokémon project like this managed to gain enough support as a crowdfunding project on the site and result in a creation that fans and more enjoy.

As for the contents of the book, all the first-generation Pokémon and their innards are depicted in great detail. It could appear as a real-world book of anatomy - or rather, an anatomy book from the realism of the world of Pokémon. To that end, some of my raid fellows have stated that the book creeps them out because of how gory it appears, perhaps in similarity to how some people might say human anatomy books creep them out. It might be that people who are not used to or familiar with anatomy and dissections might find them creepy as such. For me, I still find it very fascinating as with most things related to Pokémon.

There is one more reason why I find the book fascinating: the book itself represents something that I myself would like to make (or at least very similar to that), with a focus on Pokémon but not on the same topic as what was made on this book. And while I might have the core visions of the book and how it should be structured, since Pokémon is partly visual, I'd need help on the art direction since my artistic visions tend toward the abstract. Therefore, I might need to team up or collaborate with someone on this matter. If not with someone like Christopher Stoll, it would have to be someone who understands Pokémon (and my vision) like I do.

Regardless, this project is impressive - I can't say that enough times - even if I discovered it a few years too late and the realism might not suit everyone's tastes. For a Pokémon book, it seems to encapsulate many things that make something like that a keeper for its fans, and it has been proven with the project on Kickstarter becoming funded successfully and resulting in a creation that fans can and do keep. That has to be quite inspirational for myself with my own aspirations and should be too for my raid fellows, who too were captivated.

One year ago: The Ups and Downs of Showdown

Two years ago: A Mew Pouch

Three years ago: How Do I Live, Without You?

Four years ago: Two Pokémon Notebooks

YouTube Pokémon Highlights - Animated Special

Last week on a certain YouTube highlight, I put particular emphasis on a channel that made comics come to life through "comic dubs". Many of those featured animation as well, though arguably on a rudimentary level. Because YouTube is based on videos, it can and does allow for fully animated creations to be shown, and there is much of that on the site, including for creations that are inspired by and/or including Pokémon. For the purpose of this highlight, I'd like to showcase a few of the channels I've discovered that have shown off creations of Pokémon animation.

One of those channels would be one called poopooghost. The quality of animation here is basic but funky, even if the animations are somewhat short. Here, the animations related to Pokémon on this channel are of certain Pokémon evolving, which are pretty neat to look at. A few videos have the basics down, such as for the Ralts family, including its branched evolution. Others are more dramatic - possibly to evade certain restrictions - and can feature other Pokémon, such as the one for Torchic with Ludicolo as a special guest. Still others, well... they have a bit of a joke due to the time when they were uploaded, such as the case for Bonsly. The time between new content could be quite far, but even the existing content is exciting.

Another channel belongs to an animator identified simply as "sum". The style is similar to the previous channel, but the style is more polished and the videos are definitely longer. There is a Scorbunny family animation in the same vein, with a special for its middle stage Raboot. Sentimental stories are also present, such as those featuring two Meowstic as well as a Glaceon and a Leafeon. A select few have a lax quality, one of them featuring a Sylveon in particular. The animator appears to be South Korean in origin, which further affirms that Pokémon has its fans there. The channel is relatively young but productive; there is lots of hope for more Pokémon creations from here.

A third channel I'm highlighting in this post is one called MarlineAnimates. This one's somewhat different, for it features even longer animations and some are even tied to popular music pieces. One featuring Incineroar vs. Primarina was expertly conceived in the style of Annie Get Your Gun, featuring one of its iconic songs. Using the hit song "What Does the Fox Say?", an impressive animation resulted with a wide variety of Pokémon. A shorter feature with a memetic "kitty cat dance" song is just as delightful. Like the first channel, the videos might be relatively fewer, but that's welcome in this case since the quality is exceptional and they're rather satisfying.

Animation would certainly be no stranger to video-sharing media, so it's expected that YouTube would have that in spades. And if any of its users are fans of Pokémon, then that may lead to a "perfect storm" of animations with or featuring it. Out of that "perfect storm" on YouTube, there are these three channels I've discovered recently, and there are sure to be many more of them. Admittedly, for those looking for funky, unique, or even excellently done animations with Pokémon on YouTube, these three should represent a nice start, or if you're like me browsing through YouTube, a great stopover.

One year ago: Seeing the World with Go

Two years ago: (Routine or Special) Local Ex-Raid, 7/20/2018

Three years ago: On Pokémon Promotional Toys

Pokémon Statues

Some people I know real well are or were collectors of statues, especially artistic ones. This is evident in the ones they have in their places or even the ones they've left behind where I can see them. Those statues are neat to have and to see, but they're of things that I'm not necessarily partial to. But for those who know me and this blog, they would know that I'm partial (and in fact fully attracted) to Pokémon. What then would be suitable for me is to have Pokémon statues, which would really reflect what I like. It's something that has underpinnings in the various related media, but it could also stand to be actually realized as well.

Some of the games contain depictions of Pokémon in statue form, and that is at least a fine starting point. Notably, by them, it is suggested that the most likely places where Pokémon statues may be prominently present are in the various Gyms that are present in so many places in them. Though sometimes they may not be particularly evident, the statues within the Gyms in those places would surely be tied to the featured Pokémon of those places - perhaps not as dead giveaways, but to be sufficiently as a simple preview. As well, shrines and shrine-like places would conceivably have a statue or two of the most important Pokémon tied to them, like the lake in the first PokéPark game with Dialga and Palkia.

Elsewhere, the boss office scenes in the Detective Pikachu movie features three Pokémon statues behind the desk of the boss, which also happens to be Dialga and Palkia, along with Arceus instead of Giratina as would be expected of the trio. They're large but not overly large, but they appear distinctive. They don't factor into the plot, but they are aesthetically important, as in a way they affirm that the setting is indeed the Pokémon world. This also affirms one other thing: statues are present in the world and have some importance as well in marking characteristic places, if the prior examples don't already do so.

As for me having Pokémon statues of my own, that would be a little difficult. Though Pokémon is very popular nowadays, it might seem like an esoteric subject matter for the creation of statues. I'd have to find someone whom I can commission for the creation of one (or more) and discuss the concepts for its execution. Then, I'd also have to search for the materials for their creation. In the end, I probably might run up a pretty tab for this, and it's not something I'm terribly interested in at the moment, but eventually it might head in this direction.

I'm not a "statue guy", but I have links to others who (used to) possess them, so I have some appreciation for them. The same seems to be true for certain things in the Pokémon world, and as a Pokémon fan, that makes me glad as well. It makes me desire to have one or some of my own, though it would certainly involve quite a bit of effort to have them. For now, I can revel in the fact that Pokémon and statues can go hand in hand, the latter as a neat art form that can depict the former as something popular among many.

One year ago: ...With Gatherings and Safari Zones for All
Two years ago: More Odd Poké-Pika Things
Three years ago: A 3DS Story

More on Sunner and Me

Nearly two and a half years ago, I wrote about my Pokémon presence on online forums, in reminiscing about how in the old days of the Internet, most (if not a good amount of) communication was done through them. The post was also made to commemorate the birthday of one such user, whose screen name was "Sunner" or a variant of it. Some developments have occurred since that time, so it's well worth to write about them, not the least in part because Pokémon is involved.

Three months ago, when I was making my post on personal branding, I searched for my own name on the Internet. What came up was not only the things that I described in that post, but also a page on a web site called FurAffinity that contains the very artwork I described in the "forum persona" post as above. Checking out his profile on the same site revealed that he has alternative contacts, one of which is his Steam account. Since I have Steam, I proceeded to add him as a friend there; he eventually accepted, though it did take a bit of time. But when that happened, we finally reconnected, after having grown apart for a few years, which makes me appreciate the moment.

As for that artwork, it too is worth discussing here. Sunner depicts me as Ash, while he depicts himself as Louis the swan from an animated feature titled The Trumpet of the Swan. Our nutty relationship, and the reason for the "chase" metaphor, is because on the forum we used to post in, we often cross-posted (posted within a short time of each other) and kept bringing up the matter, shadowing each other all the while. The respective characters also happened to be our profile pictures ("avatars") at the time most of these occurrences happened, aside from being things we like in general.

The original...

Now, that artwork was formally conceived on January 2007, which means by now it's pretty much 13 years old. A lot has happened since then, including my meeting with people from all walks of life, including a certain girl fan who is as big a Pokémon fan as I am, plus a great illustrator to boot. I showed her the artwork and asked if she could redraw it; she gladly took on the challenge, and we think she did a great job.

...and the new version.

Her drawing is imbued with her own illustrative style, which is rather unique and anime-styled, as Sunner puts it. But that's not the only thing unique about this particular one; she made a "sequel" to the drawing, which in a way represents and commemorates my reconnection with Sunner. We both also like how this was executed.

The sequel. (The Japanese writing means "Long time no see, Louis.")

Even with this, my reconnection with Sunner underscores an important point. Sunner is a "furry", someone who likes animal characters that exhibit human traits, and specifically those that have fur, hence the name. He also admits as such when I showed him the drawings. Further, within the "furry fandom", he has another screen name, Folgrimeo, as indicated in the profile above as well on WikiFur, an apparent wiki for furries. I'd like to discuss the "furry fandom" in light of Pokémon, but that's better reserved for a different post.

After all these years, the connection is still impressive. We barely deal with Internet forums nowadays, but we can still communicate in other ways through the Internet. We like what we like, but it seems almost magical that they can and did cross over. That said, I'm sure we've developed some appreciation of what the other likes through our strange connection. Whether it's Pokémon for me or furry for him, we have great things that we like. The same is true for our strange connection, which ought to remain for as long as possible.

One year ago: Wallpaper: 20th Movie - Remember and Continue
Two years ago: The First: Episode 001 - "Pokémon - I Choose You!"

The Art of Pokémon Adventures - 20th Anniversary Illustrations

Two days ago, I had mentioned that I splurged on quite a few Pokémon things, and I'm ready to divulge one of them now. I bought a book entitled The Art of Pokémon Adventures, which is an art book related to the Pokémon Adventures manga illustrated by Satoshi Yamamoto. This art book was an unexpected find and unexpected spend as well; my real aim was the other items I splurged for, but because I found this book, I decided to make it mine as well. It turns out that the book was heavily discounted, so the price that I paid for it was also unexpected, which made me even more happy that I got it.

This book is a special 20^th anniversary book, published in commemoration of that specific anniversary of Pokémon a few years ago. Though the illustrator himself only started to work on the manga in 2001, the art reflects not only his history but also the history of many things Pokémon, most particularly the games that the manga is based on. I suppose that makes it valid as a special anniversary book for Pokémon. It seems celebratory for the illustrator as well, which is evident by the special note in the back of the book.

Most of the book contains full-color illustrations, some being small and others taking up an entire page. There are also conceptual drafts and sketches, as the early versions before they became refined for publication. The book also includes fold-out posters, but to preserve the authenticity of the book, I'm leaving them as they are in the book. All of the presented artwork come complete with a guide as to where they appeared in the manga. There is also the bonus of the English version of a manga that was first published on a web site in 2006. It is a total art reference for readers of the manga... which I am not, but I'm now interested as well in becoming one.

Perhaps you can tell why I sampled this page? 😉

As I've noted in my "splurge" post, this is not only a reference, but also something that I can browse through every now and then to appreciate the art. I'll hold off detailed critique until I can examine each artwork in depth, but I can already see their excellence in depicting the various characters from the games. The splurge for this Pokémon item was well worth it; it's a unique and excellent find from a special time, and I'm certain that it will be the precursor for some special times ahead.

One year ago: Variegated Pokémon Patterns
Two years ago: I Side with Pokémon

Woodblock Art with a Pokémon Twist

I like fusions of the classic and the modern. One such example is one of the T-shirt designs of the previous ill-fated Pokémon T-shirt contest, which combines a classic work of art with the modern sensibility of Pokémon. As a matter of fact, it wasn't the first time that this happened. Some time ago, there were three Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) that were also combined with some Pokémon influences. The result was three works of art that appealed not only to fans of classic artwork but also fans of the modern thing that is Pokémon.

The earlier artwork that I mentioned, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa", was in fact one of the three. If the T-shirt design predominantly features Magikarp, the other design features a more diverse array of Pokémon. Most of the Pokémon found in it are of the Water type, but there are also other types of Pokémon (including the part-Ice-type Dewgong and the Dragon-type Dragonair), as well as a surfing Pikachu complete with a surfboard. The result is a little bit wacky and off-beat, but the original spirit of the artwork is carried on through, and that's the important thing.

The second featured artwork is one that is part of a series called "The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido", and the artwork depicts the Kanagawa station. Likewise, there is a diversity of featured Pokémon both on land and sea, and even the sky, as a Charizard can be seen flying and carrying an object. On the land side, the people that are depicted in the original painting are replaced with a selection of Pokémon species, including Pikachu and Eevee. As with the "Great Wave" artwork as above, there are also Pokémon prominently seen in the sea.

The last of the three featured works is probably the most dynamic one (and one that I like the most). The original work is a scene from the Chronicles of Yoshitsune, featuring the characters of Yoshitsune and Benkei in a duel on the Gojo Bridge. The Pokémon version instead features Red and his Pikachu battling against an angry Snorlax on a similar bridge. Red is, of course, dressed in a garb that resembles that of the characters, though he retains his characteristic cap; he also carries a Poké Flute to help subdue Snorlax. Everything looks rather expressive, which can explain my attraction to it.

One of the reasons why the woodblock art with a modern touch was commissioned is to get people of the younger generation interested in classical art like these. As an art appreciator myself, I praise such efforts. If they are also as interested in Pokémon as I am, then they'll find beauty in both the Pokémon aspect and the classical art aspect. On that note, these fusions are simply attractive and quite successful in presenting classical works with a modern touch... that is, a touch of Pokémon.

One year ago: Old Adventure, New Sensibilities
Two years ago: Ad Astra per Aspera... and the Third Games

Trainer Image Cards

The great thing about art, especially Pokémon art, is that it can be made on or with a variety of media, whether big or small. The art that I detail in this post is of the latter case, which happen to be 7.5 x 4 cm in size. But for their size, these cards - being that there are three of them - have something great to say with their artistic content. And as the title of this post indicates, they have a little something to do with Pokémon Trainers, or at least a representation of them.

The Trainers represented in the cards are Red and Ash, the former being with his newer outfit, and the latter being with the classic outfit (in the middle card) and the Hoenn outfit (in the right card). Red isn't with any particular Pokémon, but Ash is with Pikachu, his most characteristic partner. Further, Red is also not wearing his cap, but it's fine; if anything, he still looks "handsome" without it. Actually, both Red and Ash, as drawn in these cards, are characteristic of an "alternate expression" of sorts.

Part of the reason for that lies in how Pikachu is carried by Ash wearing the third-generation outfit. It looks similar to how I carry Pikachu when I cosplay as Ash, at least my older handcrafted Pikachu doll and not the one I bought some time ago. And, well... actually, it is indeed me; the artist who illustrated the image intended to portray me as much as the intent was to portray Ash (or Red). The telltale sign for that is that the illustration contains my initials (B.P.) on the upper-left corner. The others are a little less evident, but the same could be considered to apply.

As well, the illustrator might seem familiar, to those who frequently read the posts of this blog. That's because the illustrator is actually the fan I wrote about in an earlier post, who can also produce other impressive fan art on a larger scale. It's something that I highly appreciate. Even the choice of materials was quite appreciable; these are actually made on label paper then thickened to resemble cards. Even so, it seems that I've not shown that appreciation to a full extent. The fan told me that these cards could conceivably be made into keychains, but I think they're too precious for that. I may have plans for these, but I'm still not sure about the "how". It might be worthwhile to pursue, so I'll have to keep it under consideration.

For me personally, any Pokémon art is impressive, but they may be especially more so, considering the circumstances. The circumstances for this one are that the cards are small and that the materials are rather minimal, but they manage to result in great-looking images. More than that, they also do personally involve me to some extent, so I'm flattered. Whatever the case, the Pokémon Trainer in me very much appreciates the Pokémon Trainers on these cards, even if they are only at a small scale.

One year ago: Marathons...?
Two years ago: Pins and Pins

Folding Paper for Pokémon

Besides my Pokémon figure friends as exhibitors, over the course of the previous two-day event, another exhibitor next to them showed off the art of origami or paper-folding. They suggested that it could conceivably be applied to Pokémon, and I agree. It would be fascinating indeed to be able create Pokémon things out of just folding paper, which is what became the incentive for me to write up this post.

Origami is a different kind of artistry with paper. I've discussed about another kind of paper artistry called papercraft, for which Pokémon also has some connections to, in a different post. The difference is that origami purely involves the folding of paper and some variations upon this process, while papercraft may involve some folding but is more directed to the assembly of paper parts by cutting, gluing, and so on. That's not to say things can't get complex; there are plenty of examples of simple and complex for either, and especially the former, for which this post is concerned with.

The origami exhibitors had all kinds of origami art exhibited, but not Pokémon. The slightly jocular reason for that is perhaps they didn't want to "infringe on the other territory", so to speak. The practical reason is because something as specific as Pokémon may have complex realizations in origami, and I can already see that with a quick online search. While video tutorials seem to be abound for Pokémon models, they probably exist in order to tone down that complexity. As well, some models seem to exist with no instructions or at the bare minimum a "crease pattern" that a folder would have to figure out.

My personal origami skills are not very advanced. I can handle simple models just fine and I've memorized to heart one of the more complex popular models, but that is about it. To take on something as complex as some Pokémon models would be an undertaking that I'm not quite prepared for just yet. I'd have to take some time to perfect my skills with less complex models before I have the confidence to take on the more complex ones.

I still find origami to be something neat that has many possibilities. And among those many possibilities, Pokémon seems to fit in real nicely. Even if they're not among the simplest models, I may find them something that I'd eventually take up. At that point, maybe it would be good enough for display along the ones that the origami exhibitors have displayed, only appealing slightly more to what I like.

One year ago: Pokémon in Poké Balls Stickers
Two years ago: Cosplay: J-COSHOKAI 2 - Utsukushii Hana

Fan Art... for Me!

I haven't brushed up (pardon the pun) on my Pokémon art skills recently, not even after I made a post on "artistic routine" some months ago. It's something I currently cannot focus to improve, which was true then and is still true at the moment. However, that does leave room for others to make remarkable works of Pokémon art, including someone who's a real fan of Ash/Satoshi... and of me, through my cosplay! The person happens to be the fan I mentioned some time ago. I'll discuss the fan aspect even further in some other post, but for now, I'd like to discuss the art aspect.

One of the more recent ones that the fan shared with me is a very colorful drawing of Ash with his Unova outfit tossing a Poké Ball. Of course, the real reason why this drawing was shared is because it is a "birthday gift" in some ways, which is highly evident due to the greeting up on top, and... because it has my name emblazoned on it, to the side! Ash's facial expression is rather neat and the pose looks really good; I should think about physically replicating this pose. The colorful background is what heightens the visual impact, despite being made on notebook paper (ignore the lines and the We Bare Bears image off to the side). It's a wonderful gift, and one of the more interesting ones in the past few years.

Backtracking a bit, one of the first works shared by the fan to me is a "humanoid version" of Eevee. It looks creative yet simplistic enough to be realized in cosplay, and one of my fellow female cosplayers could perhaps realize it - after all, there's a girl in the drawing. With the way that the drawing was made or its picture was taken, it does seem a bit reddish, though; a willing cosplayer could think about the light-brown color of actual Eevee and adjust all the parts color-wise. Further, this does remind me of a fellow cosplayer who did cosplay a humanoid version of Eevee, though it seems we never synchronized our plans. So, I do hope that maybe someone would be willing enough to do it now.

Moving forward, the most recent one that has been shared is another colorful drawing of Ash, this time with Pikachu, as well as a mixture of sparkles on the right side (with Ash and Pikachu) and a flurry of Pokémon things on the left, including a banner with the character names in English and Japanese. The visual impact is likewise similar, and the expression is also neat. The "To:" label on the upper-left corner also indicates that this is another birthday offering for me, but it could easily be for someone else as well. Knowing that the fan likes me a lot, just as much as Ash, the former appears to be quite true.

The keyword with all these drawings has to be "appreciation". I see quite a bit of appreciation for Ash and Pokémon, as well as quite a bit of appreciation for myself personally. This is quite remarkable considering the links that we have with one another. I too appreciate the effort that had been put into each one. My Pokémon drawing skills may not be up to snuff presently, but at least I can still admire and discuss the qualities of these ones. These are truly stellar pieces of fan art - in more ways than one!

One year ago: Costume and Cosplay Checklists
Two years ago: Pokémon World + Hero's Come Back = ...

Artistic Routine

As I've explained in my previous post about my new New 3DS, my old 3DS remains somewhat workable and capable of playing certain games. In fact, that was what I immediately tried, by playing my copy of Pokémon Art Academy on it, which is something that I haven't touched in a long time. However, it felt like I was immediately thrust into the unknown, having departed mid-way through a particular set of lessons. I've come to the conclusion that the game (which isn't really one) needs a more routine approach - an "artistic routine", at that.

I've already explained a bit about Art Academy in a different post early on this blog, and it really is true: it's really an interactive art book. The lessons cover topics that aren't too shabby as well, like shading and outlining, things that are vital for advanced abilities in art. To complement the execution of these topics, what could be likened to an advanced painting or illustration program is included, with exactly the same capabilities: pens, brushes, and pencils that can draw in many different colors, as well as support for layers. Sure, the implementation is rudimentary, but this is quite sophisticated for a console.

Thus like for any real set of lessons, Art Academy has to be followed in a routine manner. Since the lessons stack up on each other and require know-how from earlier lessons, they have to be remembered well so that they may be applied later on. Such a routine approach would also help to build up familiarity with the paint program aspect. Personally, I could be said to have "lost touch" with both, and now I have to regain what I lost so that I can acceptably progress through it, even all the way through everything.

Will I continue to try to progress through Art Academy? Yes - but not at the present, considering the above. I have other pressing concerns (including Pokémon ones) to worry about, precluding anything that might amount to an "artistic routine". Now is not quite the right time for artistic concerns, but rest assured, when the time for artistic concerns is at hand, I will be glad to dive into the melange of Pokémon artistry that is part of Art Academy once again.

One year ago: Pokémon Song, Indonesian Flavor

Ash and Pikachu, DJF 2018 Style

You might have noticed something else that's odd when I posted the Pi Day celebratory parody the other day. If not, then let me point it out: that something odd is the Ash and Pikachu image in the offset circle on the lower left. Believe it or not, that is exactly the Ash and Pikachu image as styled for promotional materials for Daisuki! Japan Fest 2018 last Sunday. It made perfect sense for inclusion in the parody, in keeping with the DJF teaser motif, and there's a bit of history behind it as it relates to me, as well as many interesting things about it.

The history goes all the way back to the beginning. Back when the event or convention was first promoted, there was an image of Pikachu, but Ash was nowhere to be found. When it came time to register for the cosplay walk or parade, I still couldn't find one, so I went with my best judgment as to which outfit Ash might have, and I chose the first- and second-generation "classic" outfit. It turns out with later promotional materials, including the ones used at the venue, it was revealed to be the third-generation outfit. I'm a little regretful that I couldn't match my costume choice to the one depicted, but it is what it is. Perhaps next time. Yet aside from all that, the image is fascinating.

Now, the art style for the image is as unique as it is odd. For those who are well-versed in manga and anime, especially those for children, you'll notice that Ash and Pikachu resemble Shinchan of Crayon Shinchan in appearance - in fact, so do all the characters featured in the promotional materials, including Ara Akazora (the mascot for Japan Culture Daisuki, the organizers, who appears on the upper right of the teaser image). The theme is "throwback" after all, but admittedly the way that it's done is also amusing. With all the humorous elements, as a Pokémon fan, I appreciate that the details of Ash's outfit are quite accurate, making it quite enjoyable.

As for the image that I used in the parody, that's actually a photo of the image as it appeared on one of the vertical banners (perhaps they could be called tapestries) that drape the sides of the stage, back at the event or convention. All the featured characters appear likewise, as if they are looking out from a window. And yes, that means I was able to obtain one of the vertical banners that contains Ash and Pikachu.

I really think the art team of, or for, Japan Culture Daisuki outdid themselves on this one, so that becomes a rationale for preserving the banner. Another is that because they took the effort in printing such a large banner, as the entire banner with three characters is 1 x 5 meters; if the banner is not to be used for any other purpose, it would go to waste, especially if it's only to be used as a mat or tarp later on, as an associate of mine tells me. As told, it would be better that it's in my possession, and I quite agree; I would rather have it preserved for the effort taken to create it and its art value. Now I'm thinking of cutting the Ash and Pikachu section so that I could reformat it as a poster or hanging art.

I know this might seem somewhat odd, but I really do like this image, as I do anything else Pokémon. This image is a testament to creativity in merging and presenting Japanese fandoms, as well as camaraderie in being a witness to the gathering of people at the event venue. With all its good and quirky qualities, it brings me joy and pride to preserve this and keep the memory of the event going, just as much as anything that involves Pokémon. It has been said that someone's trash could be someone else's treasure; this is my effort in preventing something from becoming trash and turning it into my Pokémon treasure.

One year ago: A Psyduck Headache

More Odd Poké-Pika Things

After seeing odd things with Pikachu and Pokémon last year, I knew it wouldn't be the last time I saw such things, and I was right. I've been on a tour of my neighborhood lately, and I kept encountering things with Pikachu and Pokémon with them. I wasn't expecting to find them in the places where they were present, but there they were for many people to see, including me. This is what prompted me to take pictures so that I could preserve them visually, and more importantly, present them via this blog in this post.

While I passed a motorcycle repair shop, I saw a motorcycle with images of the Pokémon logo and Pikachu on it. It was almost like an itasha, something I've desired to make, but it wasn't, since it wasn't liberally applied all over, similar to the motorcycle I saw last year. And no, it was not the same motorcycle I saw last year, since this one was mostly red, and the one I saw last year was black. Regardless, I was able to get close to it and take a picture for reference.

I like this red theme and I could foresee expanding it into a full-on itasha, but that is a back-burner dream that hinges on a lot of things. Yet perhaps it could just happen.

After I passed the motorcycle, I then saw a wall painted with an image of a Pikachu, much like a partial version of the wall mural I saw last year. What's interesting is that the image resembles one of the Pikachu stickers in one of the Pokémon sticker packs in LINE.

Whether the specific image was actually involved in its design, even projected onto the wall to assist in painting, I cannot tell for sure, but the similarity is quite evident that it's enough to assume that it was.

In a different place, I saw three trash bins that had the same exact image of Pikachu (and for that matter, color scheme) on them. The painting work is quite neat and I'm envious that it isn't placed anywhere near my home, because they really enliven the places where they are.

The trash bins seem to be designed to encourage people to throw trash in the proper place; this is also supported by the fact that there were other decorated trash bins with other characters. They seem effective in that regard.

Pokémon appeals to a lot of people, in particular in my case. So to continue seeing it in odd places seem hardly surprising. It's the appeal that makes it so, aided with a little inspiration. These are certainly appealing to me and even provide a bit of inspiration to realize similar Pokémon things in similar ways. For now, these appearances in odd places suffice to present a little more of Pokémon in life.

One year ago: A 3DS Story

Poké-Crafts Made out of Paper

Papercraft is an amazing thing. To turn paper into lifelike creations is impressive and almost unreal. That is exactly what I felt when I was introduced to the craft a few years ago at a local Japanese event, and of course when it was displayed, it came with Pokémon in tow, which delighted the Pokémon fan in me. It was also this that inspired me to actually use papercraft in my cosplay efforts as the complements of my Pokémon cosplay.

At this point, I have to give credit where credit is due. The papercraft that I used then came from a site called Paperpokés, and they have lots of great Pokémon papercraft models. Interestingly, the models are not just of the Pokémon themselves, but also objects such as Poké Balls and even Poké Doll replicas. Their Pikachu v2 model is what became the basis for the old Pikachu I used and its translation into a doll form. As for their other models, I've tried building Pichu, and it's real nice; I also built Jolteon for an online friend, who appreciated the gesture. I already have Charmander printed out and ready to build anytime, though it is waiting for time and space. It seems those two things hinder me from making their models, for which otherwise I would have a lineup of paper models by now.

It wouldn't be a craft if I didn't apply my own spin, my modifications to their models. That is what I did when I worked with their Pikachu v2 model. After trying a test build at the original size, I doubled the size for my old paper Pikachu, and quadrupled it for the translation into a doll. An interesting thing happened when I printed out the parts for my old Pikachu; the print shop made an error and accidentally printed the parts on translucent paper before they printed the parts correctly; I took the mistake prints and built the model anyway, which resulted in a purely translucent Pikachu. Additionally, for the paper models for cosplay, I strengthened them with a foam backing on the inside. For my paper models, I also asked for the parts to be printed on art paper, which made for a glossy appearance. In the future, I could foresee experimenting further with their models.

I have to thank papercraft (and more specifically, the Paperpokés team) for taking my Pokémon attraction in a wildly different direction. This is really an area where I could express some creativity in changing up existing models to suit my purposes, as I did for both cosplay and display. Papercraft may appear seemingly unreal in realizing fantasies, but when Pokémon is involved, it might as well be the most accessible way to make things real.