Who Really Draws Pokemon Cards?

Pokémon cards have come a long way since the '90s and when I open them now I'm always thinking who actually made this well it turns out this year alone 21 new artists were hired to illustrate Pokémon cards artists that have worked on Japanese music videos artists that have worked on some of the most popular anime in the world artists like shimu suuki illustrating ekin for their debut in the TCG they've got a pseudo chibi Style with really thick outlines mixing wide and black to split the subject and their background their drawings have such active worlds behind them with few straight edges to keep things playful fusing the bustle of Japan with a slice of Serenity and those skills are on full display in the animated short they produced for project young a Japanese Indie Animation Festival it's a really unique style perfectly suited to the everchanging Pokémon Universe the range of Pokémon here is huge too there's a return to Gen 4 with Chateau some Gala love with sede their Japanese name is yaku which is a combination of the verb yaku to burn or to bake and Yas meaning millipede so burning millipede kind of makes sense right we've got a haunting and eerie gastley and a card that's exploding with color the art rare chin Chino having what looks like a tea party drawn by return artist Shor there's so much going on here with a bunch of Pokémon joining the scene Marl with some treats Mr mime creepily peeping through the window shibar has such a cozy style making them perfectly suited to the chin Chino art rare it's not just the art rares that are full of detail though there's a wicked new SCA by debut artist duske literally leaping out of the card DUS has done an awesome job capturing the speed of Scyther The Thin Line work and flat coloring looks to be a signature of theirs combined with their use of Shadows it just adds so much depth to the card dusuk uses this style in a lot of their works but one thing I found interesting is that their Pokémon fan art deviates heavily so seeing this side of them with Scyther is extra special and the hollow in this set go just as hard like this iron Thorns by Takashi Nakamura they're another debut artist with a realistic sci-fi art style just checks out they've drawn a ton of Ultraman and Super Robot Wars works in the past specifically the artwork for gum boxes and it seems that influence has bled over lending heavily to the forboding depiction of iron Thorns as a Godzilla esque figure I really love these sets because they bring back one of my favorite Gen 2 Pokémon tood doal illustrated by Mami Nami and they've captured Toto doll so perfectly here the sharp Line work the Serene feeling of floating along a lake debing with the Charmander ETB promo and following up with a Japan exclusive detective Pikachu promo Mami Nami is quickly becoming one of my favorite new artists their Slice of Life Works are so peaceful drawing you in with a familiar relatability it's no surprise that their 2022 illustration contest entry caught the eye of creature Zing even though they didn't win they've definitely made their Mark in the TCG world now up next we've got tranquil by P kobashi this Beldum by hatu giving me really strong mitah AR Vibes gfig by mzor a super detailed card but an artist with a really low profile online and iron Boulder ex my least favorite of the new future Pokémon but but if I'm being honest it's a bit of an upgrade over terraium these days the common cards are more captivating than the ultra rares like this Haunter caught in the act by Mah crocon by the incredibly talented jerky so much color and flare and Roselia by debut artist tomomi oaki the viewed a really simple two-tone background with flatter greens that help strongly Define Roselia overall the illustration looks like a painting with so much detail poured into it tamom oaki is an artist with a wealth of experience behind them being a key member of wit studios's first years working on both Guilty Crown and Attack on Titan as a designer there are standout artists in this set linked to another TCG illustrator in a really cool way TCG artists continuously blow me away with their ability to bring ordinary Pokémon to life like this Ultra detailed Shroomish followed up with the beautiful lior tongue and an incredible meta Tite by Natsu mios and I got to say I'm in love with this card meos sign has created such a brooding meta Tite with the watercolor style blending perfectly with that rainy setting it's a crafty way to make a cute Pokémon feel menacing without betraying their inherent design me and oan actually entered the 2022 illustration contest and while they didn't win the chariz art that they drew received the judge's award so as a huge Pokémon fan given by the amount of fan art they draw I can imagine this was a dream come true cuz now they're creating cards for the TCG speaking of the 2022 illustration contest tiger Kasai the talent behind this broom is actually the 2022 runnerup illustrating the Greninja which came to life as a promo card tiger casai uses very few tones and a lot of Shadows in their shading the soft outlines have a fuzzy beige tint to them really giving the card a hand Illustrated feeling amongst their plethora of fan art often sketching the party they're using in game they're also behind the Pokémon go stickers so I think it's only a matter of time until we see a special art rare from them in this style it's always great seeing game artists work on the TCG and likewise TCG illustrators working on game art cuz you can tell they love what they do just like a new artist gapow who I've been dying to talk about purely because they're just a Pokémon fan who simply loves drawing Pokémon seriously their timeline is filled with fan art so it's cool to see them finally land the chance to illustrate a card and they've done an amazing job with this pastel style rendition of Roserade out of the two paradox types ancient has got to be my favorite and even though this isn't a paradox Pokémon it's still one of the best knockdown cards I've ever seen illustrated by debut artist toy8 seriously the amount of detail here is out of this world the rough and the wild sketching just makes knal look so so menacing gliding under the full moon toy8 has been working as an artist for over a decade with character Credit in fate Grand order as well as contributing background art for Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood and they're the husband of tomomi oaki the Roselia artist does not very often you see a married couple illustrating Pokémon cards in the same set there's a lot of gen one and gen 2 Pokémon in this set one of them being arguably my favorite card here arok by debut artist minor the colors used in the background here really draw out the purple of Arbok without oversaturating them the pose is ominous and cautious and there's this stop start line work that really makes it feel like a painting too I wish I had more work for a minutor to show you but they've got very little online presence what we do know is that hungry clicker is back this time with the baby roaring Moon and I'm really glad to see hungry clicker become a TCG artist staple especially for cars like this they're going to see a lot of playing decks once rotation hits and that'll be later in March when temporal forces releases internationally with a bunch of new cards set to fake things up take for example this rabar with the potential to replace Gerra and manife on your bench on top of that it's a stunning illustration by Mingo lots of neon colors across the background that really Pop there's a ton of saturation including the outline around rabska that really makes them feel like an ancient Scarab you'd find in a Pharaoh's tomb the Gen 4 fan service continues this time with Hayashi G where Hayashi means forest and G is a play on K the Japanese word for turtle dunpar by SAS Saka goby by Mickey Kudo buddy puffim the new VIP pass and ccch by debut artist krgc and I got to say this is a nice rendition of a Pokémon that I usually dislike with a style just as striking as hungry clicker kuchi has their own flare though drawing inspiration from their plethora of Godzilla fan art and original character designs too there's another Japanese play on words here this time with ralo shoro in Japanese which is actually an anagram for kogashi which is a way of saying rolling something which brings us to this beautiful Len illustrated by Ren the winner of the 2022 illustration contest and you can see why Len is shaded with such detail their pose being caught in the moment you can imagine seeing this happen in real time if you lived in a town with Pokémon it's great to see Ren keep illustrating cards after their win they've got an art rare in this set and they clearly love drawing Pokémon with a ton of fan art on their feed too so I imagine we're going to see plenty more to come from them in the future taking us back to Gen 2 we've got Marl floating underwater the quirky array of Wiglet by aquaball and The Haunting Gastly by debut artist Fujimoto gold whose Journey to the TCG is honestly kind of inspiring they're an artist with the ability to draw characters that really feel human as well as colorful environments Fujimoto gold entered the 2022 illustration contest with drawings of Charizard Greninja and Pikachu but they failed to make it past the quarterfinals that didn't deter them though they eventually landed a gig working on poket tune and soon after they got hired as the character designer for detective Pikachu in the mystery of the missing flam until finally they got their next chance with a Gastly made haunting by such a detailed setting the spooky staircase in the dead of night exposed by a flashlight it's a perfect illustration of fan favorite gastley and I'm looking forward to more from Fujimoto gold in the future continuing on that genuine Love Comes This bustling Mr Mind by Nal taru by hatu and the Serene dealing in Japanese their name Shiki chika is a combination of Shiki meaning the four seasons and shik the word for deer so literally deer of Four Seasons it's a fantastic debut illustration by Ron who's got a lovely watercol style that perfectly suits dealing creating this dreamlike setting Ron received the judges award in the 2022 illustration contest with their Charizard entry yet despite not winning managed to land a commission with Pokémon no surprise a quick look at their timeline and you can see how incredibly talented they are and deing actually has an art rare in this set too illustrated by sumu Maya and man is this one striking it's unlike any of the other works by Maya son who has a soft and calm style of illustration having said that maybe it's more like than I realize expertly using the different seasons as the backdrop for dealing in the forest this one connects seamlessly into the swords bar too making for one of the craftiest art rares of 2024 first and foremost Pokémon card sets are all about the Pokémon inside obviously but that doesn't mean that trainers gym leaders and Rivals can't share the Limelight every now and then too especially with awesome cards like codebreaker Solution by TI aratu I really like how codebreaker has a bit of a smug Vibe about him without being too in your face TI aratu always illustrates really classy supporters they got so much range to their talent be it detailed characters or broad Lush Landscapes there's something about the color palette they use that makes every drawing of theirs feel so rich with detail it's a wicked full art to add to the collection and I doubt it'll be the last from akitu Sun there's a lot of night skies and full moons like this poo by Miki Tanaka followed by devotion in the Woods by debut artist melee so much attention to detail here with the flowers and leaves blowing in the wind the cottage in the background and the sun reflecting off of Deion it's no surprise to see them commission melee is a freelance illustrator who's helped create music videos for Japanese singers and if you're into hatsun Miku they've got a plethora of fan art on their timeline too one of the tcg's longest running artists kagaru humano is back with this grubbin Haru akasaka illustrates a vibrant and saturated Slugma and dve artist Kai strikes lightning with this incredible Raichu opting for a spherical perspective they're able to stretch out Raichu relaxing in a pastel field on their back their tail wrapping around the plane almost gives the illustration a diarama feel Kai has a bunch of incredible Pokémon fan art on their timeline it's really awesome to see somebody so dedicated to their craft finally land a commission creating a card themselves and Raichu leads us into this phenomenal shiftry by Shia nanahara if this looks familiar that's because Shia nanahara blew us away with a huian zorak varar just a few years back and most recently they Illustrated the Ninetales art rare from obsidian flames and they've honestly done it again here with an intimidating shiftry surrounded by a swarm of sea do the swipes of shiftry flowing like paint Strokes around the frame it's one of the best depictions of shiftry by far making the tangu feel Ultra menacing Nobody Does it quite like Shian anahara but some do come close I love this sunken marrow by you goet having a little rest drawn by mik Kudo and one of the best art rares in the set by far flain by takum Miada this is an artist who we thought would never illustrate an official Pokémon card see back in 2022 Pokémon launched an online illustration exhibition and famed Nintendo artist takum Miada was commissioned for three illustrations zian god of war and Dragonite if these remind you of the Legend of Zelda that's because takum Miada was one of the key artists for Skyward Sword and breath of the wild the Zan feels like it's straight from the world of hro sadly those cards were never officially released but over a year later ladan would make their official TCG debut with the aa/ art rare and they're back again with an extremely ominous depiction of flut man haunting the surrounding area that gaze is so deep that it really feels like flain is cursing you from Beyond the card Vasan has a style grounded in realism much like the Melton art rare by debu artist Masa which is one of the most obscure yet beautiful cards I've seen in some time there's a group of Melton lining up on a step ladder jumping into the Sparks of what looks like a grinder I don't know maybe there's some deep symbolism that I'm missing here being so new it's tough to find information on Masa out there but as they continue to illustrate more cards we'll undoubtedly get to know them better I've been loving every time I see the Marill in this set but if there's a Pokémon who can top him it' be the iseral by debut artist makurat Tami I'm really digging the thick and fuzzy outlines and the dark green of the bushes with those yellow flowers at least I think they're flowers any anyway cuz zum Ru is jumping in the water unless they're already in it and that's seaweed I don't know makami has a ton of range illustrating animals peaceful shrines and even yorky that range is on Full display with their Len art rare the second illustration they got in this set we've got a beautiful culy by SEO that Wild metatype by Manos again scy leaping out of the card by DUS and a card that stands out like crazy foress by debut artist osare you can tell instantly what their signature is thick and bold outlines with two-tone colors for simple yet standout illustrations this is one of the most distinctively unique cards I've seen in years kind of reminds me of an episode of Doug if you guys remember that show or not either way osar has tons of potential and they clearly love drawing Pokémon I'm really hoping to see a quirky s from them soon it's not just new Pokémon in this set though there's still plenty of Throwbacks to gen one with this Electa buzz by UTA Drilla chilling in the dirt by Kara that re looking down on us by Terry he's got the Shifty eyes and there it is the draa art rare illustrated by debut artist mechu the kids flying on their back high in the sky the storybook art style it's a huge throwback to the never- Ending Story by devoted Pokémon artists with tons of fan art on their timeline seriously they've been drawing Pokémon since they were in kindergarten nowadays Mecha U seems to enjoy drawing flat simplistic and quirky illustrations and sometimes that variety is exactly what you need with so many new cards there are a ton of returning artist 2 such as yukam Mori with this adorable clay model of minino Roy Ki with the Shifty eye that ekins by shimaru su yukii and another art rare mudsdale by Mami namami T who ended up illustrating two cards for this set this one is a bit more Dynamic than their toti yet it's still a departure from their usual style one thing I really love about it is the little muds spray right next to him donkey kick and the hay bale too they've got nowhere near as much power but they're still doing their best to help we know that the liquor tongue in this set is wild but the I licki by kirisaki it's just as good toat by sa makes an appearance there's a pineco by Midori harada and another future Pokémon in Iron leaves ex ex card that's going to make things real tough for Charizard decks when you play this one to your bench you're able to switch it into the active and move energy from any of your Pokémon onto it as you like making it a perfect fit in energy accelerating decks like arus Vara and honestly it's about time grass Pokémon had a bit of a Resurgence with there being so many dark types dominating The Meta it was only a matter of time and until they made their return that's why I can't be mad about this grotal by debut artist uni Nori this is an artist who broke into the top 50 of both the 2018 and 2019 Pokémon illustration contests until Landing their breakthrough in 2024 with what feels like an illustration from the '90s era of Pokémon it's got that signature pocket monster Vibe un Nori is a massive Bomberman fan which makes me think they're a 9s kid and it's probably why their style borrows so heavily from that era too one thing I love about Pokémon cards they have a knack for getting you to care about Pokémon you otherwise wouldn't like this Chateau by goto minori I can't tell you how many of these I've run past over the years but for once Chateau has made me St that light pastel coloring the clean background chatau slightly leaning in Gotto minori doesn't use a lot of shading but that's their strength creating comic bookes illustrations with dull colors that still manage to strike you then you have Pokémon that exist just to be farmed like bronzong captured by katsunori it's hard to get attached to bronzong after all they're just a big Bell and this time they're in the midst of a storm whether they're conducting it or they're trapped it's hard to tell but katsunori sat leans into their vintage watercolor style that they've practically perfected creating a depiction of bronzong I won't forget anytime soon all right we've got to be jah now this is the yiran by Kon Nanda mudre by narum misato the standout Wiglet by new artist aquaball something about this Pokémon in that style it just hits different into the gouging Fire exsar by none other than teor this is an artist that continuously blows me away they right up there as one of my favorites and this special art rare of gouging fire is just proof as to why the lush jungle background the strong and dominating pose the Sun Ray shining from above accentuated by the card's texture it's a card you'd be thrilled to find in Japanese or English of a Pokémon that will be a staple of this generation drawn by an artist who so clearly has a burning passion for not only Pokemon but the characters that they're bringing into this world and as Pokemon fans really we can't ask for much more than that

Channel: okJLUV

Views: 10,989

Keywords: pokemon cards, japanese pokemon cards, pokemon center, japanese booster box, invest in japanese pokemon cards, pokemon pack opening, scarlet and violet pokemon cards, rare japanese cards, pokemon 151 pull rates, base set pokemon cards, base set charizard, how much are my pokemon cards worth, japanese pokemon card opening, temporal forces hit rates, early temporal forces opening, how to draw pokemon, who draws pokemon cards, okjluv pokemon, pokemon art, artist

Id: F30oNKHM2Ns

Length: 18min 7sec (1087 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 10 2024