A Conversation With Kouki Saitou and Tomokazu Komiya​

General
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TPCI just put out this piece. the first paragraph is as follows:

“The following is a dialogue between veteran artists Kouki Saitou and Tomokazu Komiya, who have been working on illustrations for the Pokémon TCG for many years. They share their insights on the variety of styles and the depth of thought behind Pokémon TCG illustrations.”

www.ptcgic-cr.com/2022/en/column/article-6/

figured i’d share this here for those who don’t follow pokeguardian on twitter (where i saw this) or other sources where you might see this

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*Q: How do you adjust a landscape to fit the Pokémon that will go in it?

Saitou: The sense of air and the amount of light are important. Those are two of the main elements to express that a Pokémon is there.

Q: Drawing air and light sounds very difficult.

Saitou: It is. That’s why I’m always struggling with my art (laughs).*

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I feel like these comments that I highlighted are important for all of us to remember here in this community.

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Oh woah I could cry TY For sharing thiss!!!

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That’s so cool! Thanks a lot for sharing!

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This is amazing! And it’s the first time I’ve seen a photo of Komiya. Japanese artists tend to be very shy (not everyone is like Arita or Saito Naoki and has a Youtube channel).

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Komiya is that dude. I hope to one day own a signed Voltorb by him haha love his work

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This is awesome! Thanks for sharing!

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I wonder what sites Tomokazu Komiya​ was looking at to find overseas opinions on cards back in the early 2000s, maybe pojo forums?

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Such a cool piece of content. Thank you!

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What a great article and interview. Thanks for sharing! A mad coincidence that Saito picked Komiya’s Delibird which happens to be one of the most memorable for me personally.

Especially enjoyed this:

Q: How do you adjust a landscape to fit the Pokémon that will go in it?

Saitou: The sense of air and the amount of light are important. Those are two of the main elements to express that a Pokémon is there.

Q: Drawing air and light sounds very difficult.

Saitou: It is. That’s why I’m always struggling with my art (laughs).

Edit: just seen you posted the same quote already :sweat_smile: it’s been a long day…

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What I love most about Komiya’s art is the feeling it evokes. Even though he didn’t have any illustrations in the “Big Three” sets that started it all (Base, Jungle, Fossil), his colorful, somewhat abstract art evokes a visceral feeling of nostalgic innocence and places a very warm feeling in my heart. Definitely one of my favorite artists.

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its a wonderful moment that i loved reading as well. :blush:

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