Pokemon's Original Watercolor Artwork Finally Makes Its Way to the Internet

By Christian Hoffer

Ken Sugimori's original Pokemon artwork has finally made its way to the Internet, providing Pokemon fans with a chance to see the earliest Pokemon how they were meant to be viewed. Sugimori is best known for his hand-drawn illustrations of the original Pokemon, which were used as official artwork in countless guides and books over the years. However, the art assets used featured faded colors and lines, likely tied to poor scans. However, better quality versions of Sugimori's artwork are making their way online thanks to a well-known Pokemon archivist, who pulled the artwork from a Japanese Pokemon Gold and Silver guide. 

The art assets are making their way online thanks to the YouTuber Lewtwo and Christopher "ExcaliburZero" Wells. Lewtwo posted a Twitter thread showing contrasts between the "correct" artwork and the scans we've been using for years, and the difference is remarkable. Not only the colors more pronounced (and in some cases, entirely different, such in the case of Ivysaur), you can also see the watercolors bleed over the lines of the artwork, giving the art a much more handmade quality. The original pieces of art was also used in the Digital Console versions of Pokemon Red and Blue, and can also be found on various Pokemon cards and other early Pokemon merchandise, so they weren't exactly "lost," although they certainly were less circulated compared to the versions most Pokemon fans remember from their childhoods.

Per Lewtwo, the new art will eventually be uploaded into its own Asset Archive and will also be used on Bulbapedia, one of the main Pokemon reference sources. We should also note that various Pokemon have "evolved" over time, with some Pokemon changing colors when they were re-designed for the anime and others receiving updates over generations of the game. There's no one "correct" version of a Pokemon, but these pieces of artwork represent a fascinating part of history that showcases some of the challenges of bringing the franchise over from Japan.

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