Is Himeno the most technically talented artist in the world? Probably not. Is her art universally loved by hundreds of millions (if not a billion+) people? Absolutely.
There often exists a severe disconnect between exceedingly talented people and their self-perceptions of their skills and contributions to society.
Im sure alot of people here may be biased because we all love Pokemon, and Im not saying shes a bad artist either, but Ive known artists throughout my life, and they all tell me that every artist is their own worst critic. I hope she realizes that its not just the art we look at, but the happiness she brings to others from her art. She should be proud. If I get the chance to meet her, I want to tell her something along those lines.
She is my favourite Pokemon artist. Her original Team Rocket cards are some of the best in the TCG in my opinion. I may not have kept collecting if I hadn’t been captivated by her artworks in this era.
Ken Sugimori said the same thing about himself. That he was never a good artist. Imposter syndrome affects most of us and I feel that Japanese culture intensifies it.
Would be counterproductive to ask her to return to watercolours?
Because I really dislike her modern cards.
This might be the last watercolour and it was a one-off.
You are entitled to your opinion, but you are definitely in the minority as far as your statement goes. I think we’re really looking for more positivity more than anything.
That’s probably digital too
Fair enough.
If so, she could do that more instead of the current style, but hey, E4 likes it, so it’s all opinions and preferences.
Her art captures the innocence of Pokémon that many other artists can’t replicate. She has a unique perspective, and I enjoy her interpretation of my favorite pokemon. I love her fossil Dragonite, and her jungle eevelutions. But my favorite is her Klefki card.
Klefki is one of my favorite mons. It has gotten 0 love in the TCG. (Only holo is the shiny from PAF). I think a lot of the Klefki cards make the mon look goofy, but really did a nice job making a key ring look good!
Yes, it was in roaring skies in English, which is when I started to get into the TCG. Klefki was on my team in XY too. Unfortunately it feels forgotten.
The Klefki in SV base is also holo.
That’s the best part, hugging is a faux pas here
There is a lot of things that go into being a good artist, and technical skill is just one of them. I’ve always been decently talented at being a technically good artist. I can draw anything I see. Something I’ve never been able to do is doodle or create any decent original expressive art myself. I am deeply jealous of any artist that is able to do that and Himeno is excellent at it.
I agree. Being an artist is so much more about thinking and expression and what the best way to showcase that. It’s just that technical ability is often the main hinderence initially but you grow so much when you learn how to show something rather than drawing from solely realism as fiction can be more impactful than reality
I’m not too fond of many modern cards generally, but I think this has a playful aspect, and I appreciate how the evolution line follows the same theme. Kagemaru Himeno is one of the few artists who, in my opinion, accurately manages to show a Pokemon’s emotions not just in the character’s features but also in the surrounding background.
I don’t know why - but I always found her character artwork have so much character. Not sure if this is the right analogy but this is generally how I feel whenever I look at her art - It’s like every Pokemon she draws/paints feels like it could have a name. Do you know what I mean?
How do you all feel about her current style in Scarlet & Violet so far? I’m personally drawn to her older linework which the baby shiny cards sort of brought back
I feel like the strictness of TPC really holds her back. Her backgrounds have really taken off since SM era
I’d love to see an SAR drawn by her. I think her vibrant background style could really pop with a special art that poses less restrictions on the illustration.
