Bryan Snoddy is for sure a Pokemon fanatic! Those sketches are perfect…
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Wow froslass mentioned!
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A bit slow for July as I’m mostly waiting for a few straggler commissions to come in. Also debating/finding the funds to do Johto!
The big one for July is this Rhystic Study. I’ve been a fan of Serena Maylon’s art style for a long time, so asked her to do something legendary.
These are a bit unusual as they were not personally commissioned by me, but rather sold by another collector who is rehoming some of his artist proofs. Normally I don’t do this, but several are from artists who aren’t currently taking commissions. I particularly like the Arbok from Seb McKinnon, his dark and sinister style is well suited to it.
Hopefully I’ll have some more for you all in August!
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I love the idea of expanding this into johto, hopefully we’ll see this happen 
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Commander staple AP with an amazing artwork? Top of the tops!!!
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A little late for August’s update but there’s some good stuff here (edit: added Brian Snoddy’s Groudon):
I was able to get some rare Ice Age artist proofs for Drew Tucker! Many of these are APs that he was out of for a while, so it was good to get an opportunity.
I really liked his work on this Voltorb btw!
I also got one from MTG Alpha artist Anson Maddocks that I waited over a year for! But it was nice to see the classic Sengir Vampire.
Lastly, Nene Thomas did another good work with this. It’s actually just painted on a blank card, but it references her Untamed Wilds artwork.
I lucked out with getting this Volcanic Island AP for $400 on eBay (the card itself can be over $1k for competitive play). Brian Snoddy outdid himself with this Groudon!
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Wow, that Wooloo illustration is amazing! Just stellar work.
I also find the vision of Drew Tucker to be fantastic. He does well on the horror / gore side of illustrations.
Also, I think this should be @Vertemes new dp! Fits better than the current one 
Thanks for sharing as always.
Cheers!
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Any chance I could get that togetic?
Oh yeah I also know nothing about Magic or the Artist either, and all my friends like pokemon, so no worries if not!
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Yeah no problem! I’m glad you like it, it’s looking sharp
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I made a YouTube short with some tips on reaching out to MTG artists for commissions 
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Another short about the commission process for Keldon Warlord Raichu. By the way, I think I’m going to to have some new proofs to show you all very soon!
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Here’s a mid-October update. I still have a few coming in the mail so I’ll split those into a separate post later.
Starting off strong with this dynamic Electabuzz on Chromatic Lantern from Ben Hill. I was waiting for this one since IX last year! This gets us ever-tantalizingly closer to finishing the 151. We’re just short Sandslash, Kabuto, and Omastar now (Kakuna will be in the next post).
This Psyduck was actually commissioned 1.5 years ago, but it finally came just now! I wasn’t sure when it would be done so I had Drew Tucker do his amazing Psyduck in the meantime, so now I guess I have 2! The art is also loosely inspired by Sabrina’s Psychic Control 
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The remaining 3 are highly detailed arts by Nene Thomas!
This art is actually done on a blank card as I could not find a proof of Untamed Wilds. The AP is very rare as it was only printed once and Nene gave away all her copies long ago! I was highly impressed by the level of detail, and Nene added a new grassy background to accompany the sheep Pokemon.
This Suicune was done on a rare AP of Underground River. Can you find the 2 Pokemon cameos in the background? Nene always amazes me with her level of detail for such a small card.
My personal favorite of this batch is this Moonbreon on an AP of Stunted Growth! The iPhone doesn’t quite do it justice, I might have to scan it to really get all the details of her painting. Nene actually did several drafts of this art and even redrew the entire background a few times until she was happy with it.
Hope to update you all soon with more!
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That was some of the best content I’ve watched, props for creating original and interesting shorts!
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Wow, the Underground River Suicune is incredible! Definitely my favorite of this batch, though they are all stunning.
I would really love to see scans of these if you ever get around to it. This thread is a goldmine 
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Another excellent return post @viridian . The Moonbreon is fantasic artwork and Rowlett is a cherry on top in that piece. Also, I like the fact that no matter where or who makes it, a Psyduck is always getting bodied. Poor Psyduck!
Cheers!
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Those are just fantastic. It inspires me to be more creative.
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I love the videos that want to help others get into this. I wasnt into magic a whole bunch back then, but I hope people support their favorite artists, and people who love both find this extension of the hobby fun. Amazing collection thus far!
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While we wait for more proofs, I thought I would treat you all to a behind the scenes look at the process of getting some of these artist proof paintings.
One example is from Nene Thomas, who herself is a Pokemon Go fan and also illustrated some classic cards like Hurkyl’s Recall.
She also just does a cool assortment of fantasy art.
Anyways, after some hard work and fierce auction bidding, I was able to get a blank back artist proof of Hurkyl’s Recall, and she agreed to paint Hurkyl with an Eevee. We initially discussed having Hurkyl put Eevee on her shoulder, and she showed me some earlier fan art she did with Eevee.
I ok’d this idea and she started working on some drafts.
It was entirely her own idea to add the cute Eevee evolution chart behind Hurkyl! Next, Nene proceeded to do a digital color sketch.
According to her, the Eevee on the shoulder bothered her, so she moved it to her lap. She also thought Hurkyl’s face was too realistic in the initial draft, so softened it to be more in tune with the Pokemon anime setting. Now for the challenging step of transferring this big digital mock-up to a 2 x 3 card surface!
As you can see from this in-progress picture of the actual artist proof, Nene is really an expert at doing details on small cards! Not many artists can achieve this fine line control.
Here is the card with the coloration almost done!
As shown earlier in the thread, here is the final card. Those tiny Umbreon, Espeon and Glaceon are not much taller than 1.5cm each, and the level of detail is mind-blowing!
I am really fortunate to work with Nene as most artists don’t give me the level of previews or control that she does over the process. I will hopefully get at least two more paintings from her before we’re well and truly out of her proofs. It’s only once in a blue moon that I can find those on eBay. Here’s hoping for more Poke-proofs from her soon.
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I again ended up with a big update for end of October as I attended SCG Baltimore, which yielded a lot of proofs. So I’ll split this into two posts to give time for each artist. Here’s some mailed proofs first before I get to SCG
Starting off with this Ivory Tower by Irina Nordsol, I thought it looked like a good place for a bug to nest
Next it’s Nana Qi with Archangel Avacyn
I actually got this one for cheap as it was resold by another collector. I’m a Volcarona fan and it does indeed have some angel-like traits!
This next one is from Sergey Glushakov, who did Golduck and Lickitung previously.
It’s Raikou in the ukio-e style!
Our friend Drew Tucker is back once more with some plants of threatening aura!
It’s Victreebel and Bellsprout! Go to this orchard only if you dare.
Lastly, Richard Thomas returns. I wonder who can summon winds?
Of course it’s this cute castform. I also love how well he redrew his original air patterns.
That’s all for now, keep an eye out for the SCG post, which will have some bangers!
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