Gavin Mackey





Gavin Mackey

Somewhere between the original, manga-looking Pokémon that we all know and love and the bigger, shinier fantasy re-imaginings that we've also seen, lies Gavin Mackey's vision for the super-powered critters. In Mackey's art, they take an insidious turn toward resembling Renée French subjects or that creepy baby in David Lynch's Eraserhead.

Mackey was taking requests. Unfortunately for you late-comers, his commissions, taken through his deviantART account, seem to be closed for the time being. He still has his finished pieces posted in his gallery there, however.

He's made a Gastly, Bulbasaur and Charmander, as well as SpongeBob SquarePants' pal Patrick Star and Yoda. These paintings may very well change how you use your Poké Balls for the rest of your Poké combat career, but they are rather mesmerizing, so go have a look. And if after doing so you can no longer look at Mew without thinking of Dr. Evil's hairless cat, don't say we didn't warn you.















 Pokémon enthusiasts can be capable of some serious feats, including a capella vocal performances, cosplaying marriage proposals and amassing 12,000 Pokémon toys within a confined area. Exceptionally creative fans can even churn out innovative visual takes on the critters, and one such artiste has discovered a way to portray Jigglypuff in a style that could make an appearance in your nightmares tonight.


Realistic renditions of Jiggly, Mewtwo, Gengar, Stantler and others now appear on the Internet thanks to Alysia Prosser, also known as Leashe on deviantART. Her Steelix in particular looks mighty fierce - probably a level 80 at least.

In other news, if The Pokémon Company ever decides to put together an adult-friendly counterpart to their popular kid-oriented card game, they should already have the name of at least one capable illustrator to put on their list prospective art-makers. And even if they don't, whenever the inevitable R-rated, live-action "Dark Knight" of Pokémon movies gets made, they'll have someone to look to for inspiration.




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