Mastering the Pokémon Art Style: A Comprehensive Guide
The Pokémon franchise has one of the most iconic and recognizable art styles in the world. Since the original games launched in 1996, Pokémon‘s unique visual flavor has captured fans‘ hearts and sparked the imaginations of aspiring artists across generations.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll break down the core elements of recreating authentic Pokémon artwork, the evolution of the art style over time, and tips to help you master illustrating your own Pokémon designs.
The Origins: Watercolor and Hand-Inked Lines
Pokémon‘s distinctive look was originally created using physical paper, pens, and watercolors by artist Ken Sugimori. Traditional media lent itself to the high-contrast colors, variable line weights, and a sense of tangible texture.
As the games and anime transitioned into the digital space, the style was carefully emulated using a combination of techniques:
- Rounded corners for more natural-looking line intersections
- Leaving small gaps in linework to mimic pen lifts
- Three levels of shading from light to mid to dark
- Strategic shadows and highlights
Recreating The Watercolor Look Digitally
The early Pokémon artwork has a subtle paint-like aesthetic. To simulate this:
- Soften the transitions between shades rather than stark jumps from light to dark
- Choose lower saturation colors across the palette
- In art programs, tweak settings for texture and bleeding effects
This helps lend that slightly grayed, washed-out quality of real watercolor material while retaining vibrant pops of color.
The Anime Influence: 80s and 90s Nostalgia
The rich world of the Pokémon anime adds retro appeal, taking inspiration from classic hand-drawn 80s and 90s cartoons. Artists would animate on physical cels, with artwork then recorded onto videotape and displayed on old CRT television sets.
Some ways to recreate this nostalgic anime aesthetic:
- Flatten and lower resolution to mimic limited animation cels
- Add pixelation, blur, sharpening, and layering effects
- Overlay film grain and convert layers to get a scan-line pattern
- Boost brightness dramatically
This aims to capture the muddled, grainy quality of VHS tapes played on curved screens with oversaturated colors.
Skeletons and Proportions for Character Designs
When concepting new Pokémon or human characters, foundational drawing skills come into play…