It’s been a while, but we are happy to return to the Johto Times mailbag! This week, we have some awesome artwork from a reader called Corylus from Germany!

Dratini by Corylus, who took inspiration by Pokémon artist Ken Sugimori

Since my childhood I'm a huge Pokémon fan and as any child would do, I copied the illustrations of the box art and manuals. However, I never figured out how Ken Sugimori created those wonderful effects with watercolours. After some research I could find some tutorials, which were a huge help. It [is] important to use high quality watercolour paper, as they really make a difference. Using a wet on wet technique allowed for the soft gradients I was looking for and once it dried, I applied the shading. The line art itself was done using a g pen and ink. While difficult to use, it leaves a much stronger impact than regular pens.

Corylus, Germany

Hey Corylus! Thank you so much for sharing this awesome Dratini artwork! I’ve always been a huge fan of the watercolour art style that Ken Sugimori brought to lots of the early Pokémon products in the late 90s, and you’ve captured it beautifully. Keep up the fantastic work!

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