*Pokes head into Smeargle's Studio*
*Awkward silence, the place appears to be the kind of silently busy that only a room full of devoted people can be*
*Finds idle desk*
*Picks up portifolio*
Umm... hi!
I really can't remember when I started drawing Pokémon at the back of my papers in school during boring classes. I think it was some time in third or fourth grade, which was about the time of the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver. But I've kept doing it since, despite being in university now. Though, I rarely draw outside of those boring classes, so I haven't got very good at it. I'm good enough to get some compliments for my work, but also good enough to realize that my work kinda sucks and is in need of some constructive critisism, should I ever hope to become any better. This looks like just the right place for that.
Some of these drawings are a little old, and most of them are drawn on the back of school papers. But seeing as I haven't drawn as much, my style hasn't changed a lot, so critisism directed at the oldest of them will probably still apply for the newest. I've provided my own comments where I saw fit. Without further ado...
What the hell is this one actually looking at... or rather, why is its foot on fire? As you can see from its stance, it's leaping upwards, not going downwards like I seemed to think when I drew this. I probably used a picture as a reference while drawing, and added the fire for effect. It didn't save me from screwing up the left leg, though.
Sharpedo is actually ridiculously easy to draw. Just start with the contour of its back, then work from there. Screwup guaranteed when you add the star at the end, though.
Yes, the eyes are too big, and it's not round. But fear not, I'm good with excuses: It's a baby!
As evident in the games, Pokémon eggs aren't spherical even if the Pokémon inside is. So a newly hatched Voltorb will still be a little conformed to the shape of the shell. Also, eyes do not grow. They keep their size throughout the entire life.
These two were drawn with the aid of pictures:
I know I screwed up the corner of its mouth. The alignment of the teeth in the upper jaw also leaves something to be desired...
Aaaand here began my not-so-productive period. As you can see, the last picture was drawn in 2008. The following ones were drawn during tedious infrastructure lectures this autumn. As I sat there, with the book in front of me and pencil in hand, trying to listen to the teacher with a faint hope of taking some useful notes, I decided to pick up on drawing again. Keep in mind that they are drawn from memory:
QUESTION: What does the musculature in Bulbasaur's hind legs look like? Which ways do the joints go? In which direction do the toes point?
ANSWER: I have no idea, and neither does GameFreak, apparently. I couldn't find a single picture of Bulbasaur's hind legs showing any joint at all. Most of the art depicts them as a continuation of its butt, with the toes tucked away somewhere unspecified. This leads to the question: How does this thing even manage to walk? I mean, most official art shows that the hind legs are usually pointing out from its body in a V-shape. Sorry for this looking like a mess, but I didn't have any art to refer to. Perhaps Ivysaur's animations in SSBB would have been of help, but again, this was drawn during Infrastructure class.
Let it be said, I'm hopless with reflections. And shadows in general, don't ask where the light source is supposed to be here. That being said, I like how most of the magnets turned out on this one.
Forget Rattata and Raticate, I've always thought of Voltorb and Electrode as the Pokémon equivalent to rats. They thrive in dark places, feed on electricity (for instance, batteries in the boxes) and can be a pest to remove (most Ground attacks are devastating to their surroundings, but peanuts compared to the chain reaction that would set off if you provoked one of them to explode). If your warehouse is infested by these, you better close the door carefully and call for professional help. Next time, you better make sure to close all the doors tightly even if you're only going away for a couple of minutes.
On a side note, the rough plank texture on the wooden crate turned out quite nice, I think.
Ahh, Garchomp, everybody's favourite land shark. Where to begin with this one? Not the toes on the right foot, that's for sure. Until I get a new and better rubber, let's just pretend that Garchomp stumbled on a rock and hurt its toe badly. Also, legs are a pain to draw. The eyes should actually be smaller than shown here, and placed closer to its snout.
Until I drew this, I had always liked Tyranitar's design. I mean, just look at it!
Then I tried to draw its legs. I had to look it up on Bulbapedia to get it right. Yes, they are meant to be on the sides of its body. Yes, it has no knees, at least not rotating on the proper axis. No wonder why Tyranitar has such a low Speed stat: It can't walk. Its arms are also... well, I drew them too big here. They are meant to be even shorter and stubbier, leading one to question their purpose at all. It can't pick up things on the ground (it would fall over). Its punching reach is limited to some thirty centimetres directly in front of it. It can't even touch its own nose. The screw-ups that are its hands are entirely my own, though. Never mind the orientation of its belly.
Victreebel is a funny one. I've never got either of its leaves right, but at least the rest looks sort of OK. Though, those tennis ball-sized eyes would probably protrude into its digestive tract, but hey, who am I to question GameFreak's designs?
This one turned out pretty well, I think. If you disregard the size of its head compared to its body, that is. That thing on its left upper arm is not the poorly drawn outline of its biceps, it's supposed to be a battle scar. Promise. As usual, legs are hard to draw. And I wonder what kind of muscles and bone structure Charizard would need on its back, seeing as its wings are jointed next to its arms. I'm glad I didn't have to draw that here. I only had to figure out its shoulders, which hopefully nobody will notice if I don't mention th-... dang.
The hardest thing do draw on Gyarados is the spikes protruding from its jawbone and temples. They are meant to be way more rugged than shown here. Can we pretend that Gyarados is filling its lungs with air before diving, inflating its cheeks in the process? It has no visible gills, so I think that could be feasible.
No idea what happened to the central spike in its tail fin, though... perhaps it is hidden behind a splash of frothy water with the exact same colour as the fin?
Last, one for the artillery nerds out there. Angles screwed up all over the place, but it kinda resembles the real deal still.
Feb. 5th: Banned in Ubers
20/2: When Conkeldurr resorts to throwing his pillars at you, you've got him pretty pissed off. Odds are that you've won if you manage to evade them, though.
NEW PICS 8/4:
THE EYES!!!
So... yeah. Shoot me down! I need it! "Nice" doesn't get me anywhere! Well, "you suck" doesn't either, but at least it would mean that somebody out there agrees that I need to improve. Something in-between would be excellent. Requests would be cool too, because that gives me an incentive to look up something specific and draw that as best as I can, instead of just drawing what first enters my mind.
Thanks in advance for reading!
*Awkward silence, the place appears to be the kind of silently busy that only a room full of devoted people can be*
*Finds idle desk*
*Picks up portifolio*
Umm... hi!
I really can't remember when I started drawing Pokémon at the back of my papers in school during boring classes. I think it was some time in third or fourth grade, which was about the time of the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver. But I've kept doing it since, despite being in university now. Though, I rarely draw outside of those boring classes, so I haven't got very good at it. I'm good enough to get some compliments for my work, but also good enough to realize that my work kinda sucks and is in need of some constructive critisism, should I ever hope to become any better. This looks like just the right place for that.
Some of these drawings are a little old, and most of them are drawn on the back of school papers. But seeing as I haven't drawn as much, my style hasn't changed a lot, so critisism directed at the oldest of them will probably still apply for the newest. I've provided my own comments where I saw fit. Without further ado...
What the hell is this one actually looking at... or rather, why is its foot on fire? As you can see from its stance, it's leaping upwards, not going downwards like I seemed to think when I drew this. I probably used a picture as a reference while drawing, and added the fire for effect. It didn't save me from screwing up the left leg, though.
Sharpedo is actually ridiculously easy to draw. Just start with the contour of its back, then work from there. Screwup guaranteed when you add the star at the end, though.
Yes, the eyes are too big, and it's not round. But fear not, I'm good with excuses: It's a baby!
As evident in the games, Pokémon eggs aren't spherical even if the Pokémon inside is. So a newly hatched Voltorb will still be a little conformed to the shape of the shell. Also, eyes do not grow. They keep their size throughout the entire life.
These two were drawn with the aid of pictures:
I know I screwed up the corner of its mouth. The alignment of the teeth in the upper jaw also leaves something to be desired...
Aaaand here began my not-so-productive period. As you can see, the last picture was drawn in 2008. The following ones were drawn during tedious infrastructure lectures this autumn. As I sat there, with the book in front of me and pencil in hand, trying to listen to the teacher with a faint hope of taking some useful notes, I decided to pick up on drawing again. Keep in mind that they are drawn from memory:
QUESTION: What does the musculature in Bulbasaur's hind legs look like? Which ways do the joints go? In which direction do the toes point?
ANSWER: I have no idea, and neither does GameFreak, apparently. I couldn't find a single picture of Bulbasaur's hind legs showing any joint at all. Most of the art depicts them as a continuation of its butt, with the toes tucked away somewhere unspecified. This leads to the question: How does this thing even manage to walk? I mean, most official art shows that the hind legs are usually pointing out from its body in a V-shape. Sorry for this looking like a mess, but I didn't have any art to refer to. Perhaps Ivysaur's animations in SSBB would have been of help, but again, this was drawn during Infrastructure class.
Let it be said, I'm hopless with reflections. And shadows in general, don't ask where the light source is supposed to be here. That being said, I like how most of the magnets turned out on this one.
Forget Rattata and Raticate, I've always thought of Voltorb and Electrode as the Pokémon equivalent to rats. They thrive in dark places, feed on electricity (for instance, batteries in the boxes) and can be a pest to remove (most Ground attacks are devastating to their surroundings, but peanuts compared to the chain reaction that would set off if you provoked one of them to explode). If your warehouse is infested by these, you better close the door carefully and call for professional help. Next time, you better make sure to close all the doors tightly even if you're only going away for a couple of minutes.
On a side note, the rough plank texture on the wooden crate turned out quite nice, I think.
Ahh, Garchomp, everybody's favourite land shark. Where to begin with this one? Not the toes on the right foot, that's for sure. Until I get a new and better rubber, let's just pretend that Garchomp stumbled on a rock and hurt its toe badly. Also, legs are a pain to draw. The eyes should actually be smaller than shown here, and placed closer to its snout.
Until I drew this, I had always liked Tyranitar's design. I mean, just look at it!
Then I tried to draw its legs. I had to look it up on Bulbapedia to get it right. Yes, they are meant to be on the sides of its body. Yes, it has no knees, at least not rotating on the proper axis. No wonder why Tyranitar has such a low Speed stat: It can't walk. Its arms are also... well, I drew them too big here. They are meant to be even shorter and stubbier, leading one to question their purpose at all. It can't pick up things on the ground (it would fall over). Its punching reach is limited to some thirty centimetres directly in front of it. It can't even touch its own nose. The screw-ups that are its hands are entirely my own, though. Never mind the orientation of its belly.
Victreebel is a funny one. I've never got either of its leaves right, but at least the rest looks sort of OK. Though, those tennis ball-sized eyes would probably protrude into its digestive tract, but hey, who am I to question GameFreak's designs?
This one turned out pretty well, I think. If you disregard the size of its head compared to its body, that is. That thing on its left upper arm is not the poorly drawn outline of its biceps, it's supposed to be a battle scar. Promise. As usual, legs are hard to draw. And I wonder what kind of muscles and bone structure Charizard would need on its back, seeing as its wings are jointed next to its arms. I'm glad I didn't have to draw that here. I only had to figure out its shoulders, which hopefully nobody will notice if I don't mention th-... dang.
The hardest thing do draw on Gyarados is the spikes protruding from its jawbone and temples. They are meant to be way more rugged than shown here. Can we pretend that Gyarados is filling its lungs with air before diving, inflating its cheeks in the process? It has no visible gills, so I think that could be feasible.
No idea what happened to the central spike in its tail fin, though... perhaps it is hidden behind a splash of frothy water with the exact same colour as the fin?
Last, one for the artillery nerds out there. Angles screwed up all over the place, but it kinda resembles the real deal still.
Feb. 5th: Banned in Ubers
20/2: When Conkeldurr resorts to throwing his pillars at you, you've got him pretty pissed off. Odds are that you've won if you manage to evade them, though.
I wanted to change the Vanillite line, tone down the ice-cream aspect while not removing it completely. Thus, with Vanillite and Vanilluxe, the change isn't very drastic, but still enough to soften the ridicule, I hope.
This is Vanillite. I wanted it to resemble an ice cream without actually being one. Do I get negative points for that? The idea is that it has a snowball and an icicle as a body, forming it in the shape of a cone ice cream. Notice the smooth shapes of the ice, it is the shape of an icicle formed at temperatures just above 0*C (or 32*F for those of you using the Stupid system). I imagine it to be dripping quite a bit at high temperatures.
Vanillish is more resemblant of an ice cream in a cup, or a rather stump cone ice cream, with some rough chocolate or nut topping. Or if you prefer to look at is at a non-cream ice, it is a piece of snow that has partially hardened to solid ice. This one has more angular and even ice than Vanillite, as low temperatures caused crystals to form. Its body consists of more ice than snow.
Vanilluxe was a little harder. I first made this version, but it felt a little too clustered with all the icicles. So I made another version too, with fewer icicles:
Meet Vanilluxe. It has two heads. Which one is the dominant of them depends on its gender. It hides in the ceiling of caves, camouflaged as a huge icicle (or a frozen stalactite). Extreme and sudden cold caused water running down its body to freeze in bizarre and twisted shapes. A layer of frost tones down the reflections in the ice.
I also added moustaches because everything is better with moustaches. It brought a problem with the "female" head, though, but I think I solved it quite well by having the mouth of that head above the moustache, making it resemble a muff of fur. The ice crystals at the top of the heads is meant to resemble either chocolate/nut topping, or crowns, depending on whether you want to view it as an ice cream or an icicle.
This is Vanillite. I wanted it to resemble an ice cream without actually being one. Do I get negative points for that? The idea is that it has a snowball and an icicle as a body, forming it in the shape of a cone ice cream. Notice the smooth shapes of the ice, it is the shape of an icicle formed at temperatures just above 0*C (or 32*F for those of you using the Stupid system). I imagine it to be dripping quite a bit at high temperatures.
Vanillish is more resemblant of an ice cream in a cup, or a rather stump cone ice cream, with some rough chocolate or nut topping. Or if you prefer to look at is at a non-cream ice, it is a piece of snow that has partially hardened to solid ice. This one has more angular and even ice than Vanillite, as low temperatures caused crystals to form. Its body consists of more ice than snow.
Vanilluxe was a little harder. I first made this version, but it felt a little too clustered with all the icicles. So I made another version too, with fewer icicles:
Meet Vanilluxe. It has two heads. Which one is the dominant of them depends on its gender. It hides in the ceiling of caves, camouflaged as a huge icicle (or a frozen stalactite). Extreme and sudden cold caused water running down its body to freeze in bizarre and twisted shapes. A layer of frost tones down the reflections in the ice.
I also added moustaches because everything is better with moustaches. It brought a problem with the "female" head, though, but I think I solved it quite well by having the mouth of that head above the moustache, making it resemble a muff of fur. The ice crystals at the top of the heads is meant to resemble either chocolate/nut topping, or crowns, depending on whether you want to view it as an ice cream or an icicle.
NEW PICS 8/4:
THE EYES!!!
So... yeah. Shoot me down! I need it! "Nice" doesn't get me anywhere! Well, "you suck" doesn't either, but at least it would mean that somebody out there agrees that I need to improve. Something in-between would be excellent. Requests would be cool too, because that gives me an incentive to look up something specific and draw that as best as I can, instead of just drawing what first enters my mind.
Thanks in advance for reading!
