…I think you overestimate the artistic eye of the dark side.
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I’m the least artistic person on this forum. Coloring within the lines is grade 1 stuff 
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Just to chime in from a non-Pokemon perspective, artist-drawn card alters are very common in Magic the Gathering and artists often upcharge $50-100 for them over a vanilla signature. Some MtG collectors are very into this sort of thing and pay a premium. Maybe that’s where Arita-Sensei got the idea from.
Personally though, I rather get full drawings from them as I think it’s hard to authenticate down the line who really drew it, unless you have video proof. A skilled artist could replicate it…and anyone could color in a Charizard really.
Maybe that’s why so far it doesn’t seem to have much traction in Pokemon.
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I think the disdain towards these cards is coming from the position that they’re nothing like these MTG alters. Instead of representing a unique take on the art or a new artistic piece on the card (similar to an intricate Pokemon sketch, which some artists do), it’s literally just some black scribbles to try to make the Charizard appear “shiny” and therefore worth more money.
I highly doubt it was Arita’s idea to color in these Charizards. The original person who did this has been hawking it for years as some kind of priceless 1/1 grail, always talking about its perceived monetary value. From the start, it wasn’t about some unique new art piece, it was about money.
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Yeah, it seems like so. I’m not sure in Arita’s case, is the black Charizard something he actually offers when he signs, like a higher price tier? Or is it just a one off thing he did for one person?
Not that I am aware of. It’s totally antithetical for an artist to intentionally disrupt the art they already created that is inspiring the signing to begin with. Seems totally bizarre to me someone would want these cards regardless of whether or not it subjectively looks better.
MTG alters are very different from using a sharpie to color Charizard black or blue. One is an extension or reimagining of the illustration using actual artistic tools and stylizing, while the other is most commonly found in a child’s coloring book.
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It’s not clear if Arita has done any of these and good reasons to believe he hasn’t.
He’s not very willing to do more than the basic amount of work when signing. Even if he was the one to colour it in, this trend is entirely driven by people seeking to maximize resale value
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Yeah, that was what I was thinking would be very difficult to prove. Pretty much anyone can color in a card. Even if the artist’s name was next to the alter, it might not prove anything.
I should also clarify, I think the MtG community values difficult alters more. Simple pen or sharpie alters don’t really get much attention, and sometimes makes the card less valuable or damaged to some. Someone sold a timetwister like this on a FB group a bit ago and it didn’t get much attention. And this Zard if real would be closer to a very low end alter.
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The difference is accessibility. I can get a MTG alter done in as fast as it takes me to message an artist. In Pokemon it takes a large investment in time and money just for a shot at meeting the artist
True, but it depends. Some MTG artists have queues for alters that are backed up by one year or greater. Good examples are Carl Critchlow and Ed Beard. Others go to every conceivable opportunity that they can.
Excluding Arita, most Pokemon artist have signed an average of 0-2 times outside of Japan in the entire 28 years of the franchise. It’s just not comparable
Yep, I know. My point is that MTG alters are not as widely accessible as “as fast as it takes me to message an artist.”
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Mtg autos in general are not as popular as pokemon. Largely due to them being very accessible. Also mtg collectors are significantly less than pokemon collectors. I do agree that alters shouldn’t be immediately dissuaded. Mtg alterations are more fun and organic. In the case of the colored charizard, it’s such a money grab gimmick it’s hard not to dislike it.
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The only MTG card I own is an Amy Webber alter 
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We need to get you into MTG collecting! 
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Yes join us! It’s so much more fun when you can work with the artist to create something really unique 
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Someone took PokeColor literally 
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