As far as I’m aware these were the only two times they went up on display. She also did an event in the US somewhere… Houston? Dallas? I think it was Texas. Just going by memory but I don’t think she displayed anything there.
Either way this look like an ongoing series so maybe we will get to see others over time
Thanks for these pictures, its really cool to see the actual models
The cards themselves are all we have for a lot of the models, unfortunately. Though she has shared some pictures of models on her social media before;
Other than the two exhibits featured in the first post, there was also a small display of her work at her university in 2020;
She brought some of her clay models to show during a segment of Pokémon Sunday in 2008 (Still looking for the actual footage!). She demonstrated some basic techniques by swiftly modeling a Ditto, then guided the Pokémon Sunday hosts in creating a clay sculpture of the show’s mascot, Director Lucario.
She was matched against two fellow artists in a competition to create an official promotional card: 3DCG artist Kent Kanetsuna and some other guy called Mitsuhiro Arita or something;
In a major upset, Director Lucario selected Arita to illustrate what would become 015/DPt-P Lucario;
At the 2023 World Championships, a number of Pokémon content creators were invited to the Creatures headquarters, where they got to participate in a clay model workshop given by Yuka Morii herself;
But that’s about all there is beyond the finalized card illustrations themselves. For other models, she’s commented on their creation on social media or in interviews, but it’s taking some time to gather all that information. Here’s a sneak peek;
Comment on the cover illustration of Pokémon Card Trainers Magazine Vol.10, which featured an alternate angle of her Blissey;
Museum of Pokémon Card Illustration feature in Vol.17 of the same magazine;
From the 2022 Pokemon TCG Online Illustration Exhibition;
There’s a whole lot more out there, but this post is getting quite long enough for now!
Its posts like this that highlight the value of sharing information in a public community. You don’t know what you dont know!
This is spectacular information, thank you! While Yika Morii’s cards aren’t my favorite, it is so cool too see all of the behind the scenes stuff and I really appreciate the effort to dig this up!
Thank you for the kind words, all! I’ve updated my previous post with a bunch more images and information from the Pokémon Sunday segment. As a bonus treat, here’s some of Yuka Morii’s comments on creating her clay masterworks;
Pokémon Card Trainers Magazine Vol.10 (Machine Translation)
Blissey
Pokémon are made by baking and hardening special clay. It’s about the size of an onion, so it’s fun to roll it up and make it into balls. I love round Pokemon, and my favorites are Hoppip and Jumpluff!
Pokémon Card Trainers Magazine Vol.17 (Machine Translation)
Jumpluff, Poliwag, and Light Azumarill
I like round things, and I call the three I chose the best of my “round triptych” and I love them. My favorite is Jumpluff. I sometimes combine things other than clay to make something closer to my image, but this is my first time I tried using absorbent cotton. It was a lot of fun to apply cotton wool little by little onto the clay.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Online Illustration Exhibition (Machine Translation)
Snom
I believe that the power that must be cherished is imagination. When you make a three-dimensional Pokémon shape, think about it as a Pokémon. In a chilly world (I’m comfortable because I’m vulnerable to the heat), pretending to be icicles and lying down… (I love to sleep), and someday I will evolve and fly in the sky (I also love to travel), and it is a Snom made with such feelings in mind. Repeating the prototype to create a sense of transparency was like a chemical experiment, and I was excited. From now on, I will continue to enjoy shaping!
Pokémon Trading Card Game Illustration Collection (Official Translation)
Ditto (Bulbasaur)
I’ve made several Ditto. It might seem simple, but if the size or sense of spacing of its eyes changes even slightly, it can cease to look like Ditto, so I created this carefully and while feeling pretty tense. Incidentally, I get mail from children overseas who have seen my name on the Pokémon cards, and they will generally ask me, “Yuka-san, are you a boy or a girl?” Isn’t that cute?
Ledyba
I’ve made a lot of round and roly-poly Pokémon. I use a German-made clay that I fire to harden. I mix the colors together to get close to the colors of the different Pokémon before creating them. The stems of Ledyba’s legs are thin, so I made them out of colored wire so they would be sturdy. I’ve always really liked bugs and animals, so it’s really fun to make Pokémon like these.
Piloswine
I’ve made several Pokémon that have their eyes covered, and I show their personality through their body since they are expressionless, Piloswine is quiet, yet it secretly harbors a fighting spirit. I also gave it magnificent tusks. I almost never use a spatula, working the clay with just my fingers to create the Pokémon. It looks smooth, but if you look hard at the original, you can see some traces of fingerprints since I make these by passing my hand over the surface.
Fascinating that she does these by hand wothout using tools to help smooth them. Thanks for all the details!
