We don’t have any stats to back this up, but it seems safe to say that the majority of people who have ever bought Pokémon Trading Card Game cards had very few Pokémon card battles, if any, and were more about collecting. Aside from being functional in a dueling environment, they’re also just gorgeous to look at, as the art is typically a vibrant look at our favorite Pokémon in their natural habitats. The art only occupies about a third or so of a card’s front face, though, so we usually only get a small glimpse of it. Now, fans with an artistic side have started to extend these illustrations beyond their borders, and the results are beautiful (via Twitter).
One of the most prolific of these artists is known as Lunumbra, the guy behind the Light Wigglytuff card above. The added environmental context really helps put the Pokémon into a world of their own, and gives a greater appreciation of the fact that the original illustrations truly are art. According to Kotaku, Lunumbra uses acrylic paint on the cards, then adds details with gel pens or metallic ink. Then the cards are painted with two coats of a protective gloss. He also posts time-lapse videos of his work on some cards, so check out one of those below:
Lunumbra’s Facebook page and YouTube channel are filled with more examples, so definitely browse those. He’s tackled a good amount of cards already, but which cards would you like to see given this treatment next? Let us know what you’re thinking!
Featured Image: Lunumbra/Facebook
