!!Below is a picture of a new card coming out of the Terrastal set, so just a warning if you’re not wanting to see any of the new cards yet!!
After collecting for a while, do people usually find that one specific illustrator whose art style they fall in love with? For me it’s either Shinji Kanda or Akira Egawa. I’ve started mini collections for both of their works, and even the common cards have such awesome illustrations!
Theres a lot but i love tomokazus style. Ken sugimoris artwork is practically my childhood. I love sowsow, and then as of lately ive really been digging kurata so
Personally love Kanako Eo and Sumiyoshi Kizuki - they have similar crayon-esque art with beautiful shading and playfulness.
the Pokepark Forest combined illustration remains one of my favorites ever
Also should highlight a couple of New Year’s postcards illustrated by Kizuki:
Always Tokiya.
Another kind of artist Asako Ito
And finally one “New” artist with less than 10 cards but all incredible ligth treatment. Rend.
Great thread. For me, collecting turned from enjoying the diversity of pokemon themselves to enjoying the variety in artists and their styles. Each individual card is unique because each artist evokes something different.
For example, Mitsuhiro Arita is a favorite of mine because his artistic range is very extensive. From pencil sketches, watercoloring, digital coloring, even CGI- he always does a great job with details and making his illustrations realistic. This Ho-oh (although not a card) is a perfect example of his work. The vibrant colors of Ho-oh, the golden leaves, the individual roof tiles, the season, the background, the pose of the pokemon, it’s chef’s kiss.
Another artist I think is underrated is Ken Sugimori. Unlike other artisit who are freelancers, Sugimori works for Gamefreak as art director. I’ve seen some folks claim his art is boring. You have to keep in mind that his official illustrations were intended to introduce people to pokemon in order to understand the appearance/personality of each pokemon. This is the case with early artwork in general, they were meant to introduce children to pokemon and so they did not have the artistic freedom as they do now. Like Arita, Ken also has a large artistic range and it has evolved a lot from his early watercolor style to his modern digital work. He’s truly capable of delivering fantastic illustrations:
A few more:
Kagemaru Himeno, full of light and bright colors, really brings out the charm of cute pokemon:
Kawayoo, one of my favorites, you can tell each work has many layers for brushes and lighting, abstract backgrounds, amazing at capturing dynamic poses and expressions.
Tokiya, similar to Kawayoo, he excels with digital work, the backgrounds, the shading, energetic movement, very bold illustrations.
So many more: Tomokazu Komiya, Atsuko Nishida, Hajime Kusajima, Naoki Saito, Masakuza Fukuda, Kanako Eo… I can go on and on but it’s probably best you check out a site like Illustrators | The Art of Pokémon and check them out for yourself.
That wailord is awesome!
I’ve also seen myself appreciating the art on each card more than the actual pokemon itself. I get excited when I see Akira Egawa has illustrated a card in a new set, regardless of if it’s common or not. I’d never heard of most of the artists you talked about! I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more of their cards, they all seem super talented and it looks like they really love what they do
I’ve always liked realistic art styles, with both beautiful Pokémon and backgrounds in their natural habitat. Not really limited to a single illustrator tbh. Here are some of my favorite artists with art styles I like:
Naoyo Kimura:
Kagemaru Himeno:
Mitsuhiro Arita:
Mizue:
Sowsow:
Greetz,
Quuador
didn’t even include the espeon 
Sumiyoshi Kizuki’s “Lineless” art style is by far my favourite …
It’s colorful and full of life …
They should bring this art style back to Pokémon TCG …
Last Kizuki “Lineless” art style for a Pokémon TCG card (as far as my knowledge goes):
My favorite art style is watercolor, so I’m drawn to Atsuko Nishida, Kagemaru Himeno, and Ken Sugimori.
Too many to mention but I want to highlight Masako Yamashita, one of the best to ever do it.
Great focus, delicate colors and rural bliss:
She only ever did one holo but boy is it a great one. Spinarak looks like he’s hanging with the Pichu bros:
Totally depends on my mood. I really like Egawa, BUT Sometimes, I want something clean and consistent, like Arita. Arita also has a really consistent shading and lighting style, and lots of detail. Komiya is also highly detailed… if you’re on acid. Or maybe at least, really tired…
I prefer emersive illustrations, like you’re right there in the subject’s face, or ones that draw you into a grand scene. More of a favorite content, than a style, but hey!
edit: added some other TCG art for example.
I don´t really think in art styles, but more in artworks. Dark Espeon is my favorite artwork by far, followed by Base Set Charizard (the holofoil plays a big part in this as the flame makes it look epic).
Kagemaru Himeno’s watercolour style
Honourable mentions - Mitsuhiro Arita, Midori Harada and Ken Sugimori
Have lots of favorite artists (Tokiya/Kawayoo/Arita/Kusube) but wanted to share my all time favorite: Hajime Kusajima
His style for cards has transitioned through the years from a smoother, more detailed art to one with more dynamic and contrasting colours. I especially enjoy his range of delta species arts but here are a tiny few I particularly enjoy across the eras. Nowhere near his full range but here is a site I used to get these pics that’ll also offer a better idea.
Earlier arts:
Delta species era:
The Ninetales art in particular stands out to me, and is one of the few cards I consistently enjoy sourcing. Some added fun with grading with how notoriously off centered the set was cut. Probably an all time top 3 in individual arts for me.
Later:
Milotic is one of the few Pokemon with just about no terrible card arts in my opinion, and this one is no exception. A pain to have chased over the years also because of terrible quality control. I do wish that this was printed in a different era with a different holo and better card stock, but the art itself is the biggest win.
Kimiya Masago. What a small but essential sampling of total baddass cards. My favorite Umbreon, Blasty, Mewtwo and Kabutops. And the meanest Gyarados and Alakazam I’ve seen. Brilliant.
