Why I Painted a Pokemon
Hi, I'm Valerie Englehart, and in this post I'm sharing how I painted the Pokemon Cloyster. The video is sped up to 250 percent, so I'm definitely not painting as fast as it looks.
So why Cloyster? I don't have any special memories attached to this Pokemon. I chose it purely because I thought it would work easily with this technique. I've been itching to do the spray bottle technique again, and while I've done many landscapes with it, I had never painted a Pokemon. Well, let's paint a Pokemon. Why not?
This one is from the original 150 in Pokemon Red, which was my first game. I also live by the coast, so I have an affinity for sea life. Cloyster is a water and ice Pokemon, and I imagine I'd find one out in the sound.
The Paints I Used
I'm using primarily Rockwell Art paints because I love how they granulate and separate, especially with a lot of water. Here are the colors:
Alexandria Diamond Purple is where I started
Royal Purple is a warmer purple I pulled out later
Cosmic Sound is a Payne's gray/indigo type of color that I used for some of the darkest values
Daniel Smith Lunar Black gave me my deepest darks and some beautiful texture
Paper Notes: Canson XL Watercolor Paper
I used Canson XL watercolor paper, which is cellulose. I picked it because this was meant to be a quick, fun play session. Here's what I learned: if you want to start lifting and scrubbing, this paper pills very easily and starts to pull apart. This technique works okay on it as long as you are not scrubbing much, but if you plan to lift a lot, I would choose a different paper.
Setting Up the Surface
I began by wetting the front and the back of the paper so it would adhere to my plastic board without tape. It simply sticks because of the water. Since both sides are soaked, the paper takes a long time to dry, which means everything stays workable for longer. I can put down very heavy applications of paint, spray it, and it spreads easily because there is already water in the paper.
I squeeze pigment straight from the tube for maximum concentration, because the paint dilutes as I spray it and let it drip. I use an oil fan brush because it is stiff, holds that juicy pigment, and gives great texture marks.
The purple went down first and was very vibrant. The circle in the middle is where Cloyster's head sits. This is a loose painting, so I'm not painting it exactly as you would see it in the game. The original look is very cartoony, and I did not want that. As fan artists do, I took something I like and brought my own twist to it.
Spraying, Dripping, and Waiting
Since the video is sped up, there are plenty of moments where I grab the board and let it drip. It takes a long time, and I even had to remind myself that you usually have to wait a minute for maximum effect.
How you spray matters too. My nozzle is adjustable. A fine spray moves things gently, while the loosest setting, which gives a stream of water, is especially good for creating a spike effect.
The other key is not using too much water. You have to give the paint time to form its texture and rivulets, so patience while the board is dripping is essential.
Lifting the Lights
I grabbed a firm synthetic chisel brush about an inch wide and lifted paint while everything was still wet to create the horn on top. Because it was wet, paint kept moving into other areas. One lift was fine for the paper, but I kept returning to that horn since it is such a prominent part, and that is where the paper began to tear.
Because this painting is so textured, the pilling isn't very noticeable, and I could easily pass it off as intentional. But as the person who painted it, I know it's there, so next time I will try a different paper for this technique.
This approach isn't terribly common in watercolor. Watercolor is typically painted from light to dark. What I like to do, especially with this drippy technique, is go in with a midtone, then my darks, and then lift out my lights. That way I do not have to paint around all of my light shapes, and it gives a mysterious, soft, misty look that I love.
Art Is What You Remove
Cloyster is a very cartoony Pokemon, like all of them are, and I did not want this painting to look cartoony when it had so many beautiful fine art techniques going on. I scrubbed out the shape of the eye and gave it a quick, light scrub as if it were the lid. I never added the pupils, and I never added the mouth.
The shape, the color, and the horn with the circle in the eyes are enough to say it is a Cloyster. It is believable without every detail, and that is how I like to paint any subject. I give enough so that someone can say yes, I know what that is, and I also know what I do not need to add.
Art is not necessarily about what you add, it is about what you remove.
Bringing In the Dark Background
I was pretty happy with how Cloyster looked on its own, but the light background was not working. In came the Daniel Smith Lunar Black. I had to paint a section at a time around my Pokemon, leaving some bumps for the shell and little spiky bits. Later, I decided the painting was not done and added a little more black at the top to reshape the shell.
It is the same technique over and over: shape the outside, then soften it with water. I allowed one side to be softer than the other, as if it were merging with the background.
I went through a lot of paper towels mopping up. Do not have anything precious or easily stained around. I wore a black sweater, which was perfect for this, and my hands definitely needed a good wash afterward.
The Pearl Face
Look at the pearl-like face of Cloyster and the texture coming from it. When I painted that area, I used Cosmic Sound but mixed in some Lunar Black, hoping to get good texture. It delivered.
You Don't Have to Paint a Pokemon
You might be thinking, “Val, I don’t want to paint a Pokemon”. Well, look at it. It could also be a rose, a very angry looking rose. You can use these same techniques to paint flowers, landscapes, and animals. Cloyster is kind of an animal.
That is the best part of learning. You take what you learn and apply it to what matters to you and what you want to paint.
Painting at the Mercy of Water and Gravity
This technique has a plus and a minus. The positive, other than the fun, is that I will never be able to paint this exact same thing again. I can use the same colors and try to match the humidity and temperature in my room, but I can never replicate it completely. That is a great thing.
The downside is that I cannot replicate it either. If there is something I want to fix or do differently, I can change techniques or proportions, but it will never look exactly the same. The head, for example, happened somewhat by accident. I hoped for something like it, but I could not control it. That was water and watercolor making their own magic, and I was just there to encourage it.
I am at the mercy of gravity and water. For a control freak, these paintings are a great way to let go and let it be beautiful on its own.
Final Touches
Near the end, I did a bit more lifting so parts of Cloyster looked like they were catching the light. All of this was done in one wet wash, working in a circle. I also found some of the white too stark, so I tinted it with the colors around it.
What Pokemon Should I Paint Next?
I would love to find other Pokemon fans out there. I think I want to paint a Staryu on a beach next. My son says I should do Gengar, and I love Gengar, even before the recent Gengar craze. It is one of the original 150, and I loved Gastly and Haunter with it. Ghost Pokemon are so great.
Gengar is a lot of purple, which I like, but I feel its shape is so basic that I should have more going on, and I usually do not paint a subject with scenery. I normally focus on the subject itself in a close-up, so that would be a challenge.
My favorite Pokemon? I am not sure. There are so many now, and I love a lot of them. But I have always been an Eeveelutions kind of girl. I was devastated when there became more Eeveelutions than I could hold in my party at once. Vaporeon and Espeon were my two besties.
Final Thoughts:
Granulating paints like Rockwell Art colors separate beautifully with lots of water, especially when applied thick from the tube
Wetting both sides of the paper keeps it workable longer and lets it stick to a board without tape
Choose your paper carefully if you plan to lift or scrub, since Canson XL pills easily
Painting midtones and darks first, then lifting out lights, creates a soft, misty look
Leave out details you do not need, because editing is part of the art
A technique you learn on one subject, even a Pokemon, can be applied to flowers, landscapes, and animals