I would like to say at the very beginning that this article is not about coloring Pokemon. It is just about drawing them. Also, by realistic, I mean that your Fakemon look like Pokemon drawn by the game designers for Pokemon. Lets begin.
Introduction
Hello. My name is patrick329, and I am going to do my very best to teach you how to draw Fakemon. Over the years, I have developed and refined my style, creating many Fakedexes and card games similar to Pokemon, from Fusion Monsters to Ramposaurs. Through practice and criticism from many people, including the ones on this website I have learned techniques and tricks that help me draw. If you are sincerely reading this article, I hope you find what you need to start making great Fakemon.
Here is a key to this article:
Red is a new section.
Blue is for a new sub-section.
Features within the design and background knowledge.
What is a Fakemon?
First of all, lets explain the term Fakemon. Fakemon is a combination of the words Fake, and Pokemon. Simple enough, right? A Fakemon can be any design drawn by a fan that's purpose is meant to be a Pokemon, whether just for viewing purposes, to create Fakedexes, or to create entire games. A Fakedex is a fake Pokemon Pokedex. Some of these Fakemon designs become quite popular, used as avatars on forums. Possibly some of the most well known Fakemon are Mewthree and Tentaquil. Several other common Fakemon are eevelutions, since Eevee is the "evolution Pokemon."
This is Regleon, a normal type Pokemon that evolves from Eevee. Notice the similar features it shares with Eevee and other Eeveelutions.
Why make Fakemon?
People draw Fakemon because they are fun to make. They allow you to show your creative style and share it with your friends. It allows the drawer to share ideas they always have thought would be good ideas for Pokemon with other viewers, and discuss them. Fakemon are also created by some pranksters as hoaxes. Once again, one of the most common of these hoaxes is Mewthree. There are many videos of people who have hacked there games so that people will believe Mewthree exsists. These videos are dangerous, because to "obtain" Pokemon like Mewthree, you often have to delete your save file and start over. Pokemon like Mewthree do not exsist in the games, and the goal of them is to ruin people's previous games.
What styles of Fakemon are there?
There are many styles people use to draw Fakemon. Many people hand-draw them, like the ones in this article. These are called line-art drawings. Two types involve actual sprites. The first style is when a person recolors a sprite to make it a different type or just look different. The second is when you get two sprites or more, and combine them to make a somewhat unique looking Fakemon. This type often uses recoloring to make the image appear more like one figure, and some artists are good enough to make Fakemon that look nothing like the Pokemon they used to make them. This is because they only use small features from each Pokemon. Some artists use applications like paintbrush on Mac to make original Fakemon, however, I believe these are the most difficult to do and often look sloppy. Another form of spriting that is similar to the second sprite style is to create Fakeballs. (Fake Pokeballs.) Fakeballs use both spriting techniques listed to create unique Pokeballs, such as ones with wings or fur, and different colored pokeballs. The last style of Fakemon I will mention is creating types. This creates room for a wide range of Fakemon, and several common fake types are light, (the counter to dark,) and technology.
How do you make Fakemon?
This is the first step into making realistic Fakemon. The very basis of a Fakemon is an idea. Think of a cool ability, or something that you want a Pokemon to have. I will give an example of ghosts. Ghosts are very cool, and although they have an entire type named after them and are common in Pokemon, many ideas are not expressed. For example, I want to make the ghost of a tree. To begin forming a good Fakemon, try to think of features that a Pokemon of this type would have. A grass-ghost type Pokemon based off of a tree would probably be based off of a dead tree, so I start with an upturned log. A ghostly phenomenon is the Will-O-Wisps, a mysterious glowing ball of light that settlers believed where spirits of the dead. These naturally occur in swamps, forest-like areas, so I give the Fakemon a Will-O-Wisp-like head. To add more detail to the head, I put a leaf on the back of its head. The hands float, because it is a ghost, and are like smooth wood. The trunk is gnarled, and has a branch extending from the lower left side of the torso, to make this Pokemon appear more interesting. Now, I have a Fakemon idea.
This Pokemon is named Fomorea. The name is based off of the term "Fomori," which in Irish folk lore is a type of Demon.
How to refine a drawing to look like the real deal.
Now is the part that I am writing this article for: Making your Fakemon look real. First off, it is important to observe techniques from the best Pokemon designer in the world: Ken Sugimori. Most of the final drawings of Pokemon are done by him. An important thing to notice is that there is no such thing as a sharp line. If you look very closely, you'll notice that all of the lines Ken Sugimori draws are very slightly curved, making it look like there are sharp points, but there aren't actually. Also, detail is added, but not stressed. Notice how Pokemon do not have individual scales or hair. To show lots of hair, Ken Sugimori draws a kind of zig-zagging line style. Also, most Pokemon with normal eyes have a white spot, showing a reflection of the sun, or some other form of light source. An exception to this rule is if a Pokemon has no pupil, a very small pupil, or a unique eye. Many powerful legendaries have small circular eyes, with several stripes around them.
This Fakemon is named Gambold. It is a Dark-Normal type. Notice how since it has no pupil, it has no light spot. Also, notice how there is minimal erasing and points are slightly blunted.
Features outside of design.
Adding information to your design.
Another entertaining part of creating Fakemon is creating their Fakedex. You will want to have its height, weight, Abilities, moves, and Pokedex data. Not all this is necessary, but creating these features makes your Fakemon seem more real.
Creating a name.
Creating a name for a Fakemon may seem like a daunting task, but is rather quite simple. Go back to remember when you were thinking of Fakemon ideas. Pokemon names are often combinations of two words, or one word that has been slightly altered. Muk is based off of sludge, so its name comes from the word muck. This is where you go back and look at the original design ideas for your Fakemon. My Fakemon is based off a ghost and a tree. It is somewhat demonic in nature (go figure,) so I use a corruption of the old Irish word for demon, Fomori, and come up with Fomorea. For Gambold, the Fakedex says it is a trickster, a gambler if you will. It is also very bold, fooling even people, so I combine gambler and bold to create Gambold. When creating a name, it is often useful to first create its Fakedex data.
Creating your Fakemon's Fakedex data.
This is one of your easiest tasks. To create data, simply describe what your Fakemon is like. Typically, the in-game Pokedex is made up of two sentences, one with a comma normally.
Creating base stats, a movepool, height, and weight.
To create a height and weight, start off with height, because height can determine weight. Once you choose an ideal height, choose a fitting weight. Typically, slender Pokemon are proportionately light, and bulky Pokemon are heavy. However, type affects this. Often metal and rock type Pokemon are very heavy, however, ghost types are always very light. To create base stats, look at your Pokemon. If it is big and bulky, with huge muscles, it will have high HP, Defense, and Attack, but have low Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense. Base your Fakemon's base stats off of its appearance. Creating a movepool can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are hundreds of moves to choose from. Typically, start with very weak moves at very low levels, and then make them get stronger and farther in between as the Fakemon's level increases. For Pokemon that evolve with stones, typically they learn very few moves, and mostly base moves at that. When you determine the egg group a Pokemon is in, choose egg moves for it to gain that seem logical for it to learn. The same goes with TMs.
Summary
Creating Fakemon can be an entertaining but long process. It takes creativity, ingenuity, and patience to produce realistic Fakemon, but if you do it right, the end results are worth it. I hope you take my advice and become inspired to pick up a pencil and start drawing.
Thanks, patrick329
Here are a few more examples of my Fakemon:
This Fakemon is named Arow, a corruption of the name Arrow Crab, from which this Pokemon is named. It is water-steel.
This Pokemon is named Telapaleaf, from Telekinesis, and leaf. It is grass-psychic.
This Fakemon is named Botrun, after bough, like the bough of a tree, and dragun, which is dragon misspelled. It is grass-dragon. Notice how the right leg is too close to the left. I should have placed them farther apart at the knee.
Sources:
Credit for the image of Tentaquil and all information pertaining to it goes to www.knowyourmeme.com
Credit for Information about Mewthree comes from www.youtube.com and www.bulbapedia.com.
All other information and all other images come from my personal experience, drawings, and knowledge.
Introduction
Hello. My name is patrick329, and I am going to do my very best to teach you how to draw Fakemon. Over the years, I have developed and refined my style, creating many Fakedexes and card games similar to Pokemon, from Fusion Monsters to Ramposaurs. Through practice and criticism from many people, including the ones on this website I have learned techniques and tricks that help me draw. If you are sincerely reading this article, I hope you find what you need to start making great Fakemon.
Here is a key to this article:
Red is a new section.
Blue is for a new sub-section.
Features within the design and background knowledge.
What is a Fakemon?
First of all, lets explain the term Fakemon. Fakemon is a combination of the words Fake, and Pokemon. Simple enough, right? A Fakemon can be any design drawn by a fan that's purpose is meant to be a Pokemon, whether just for viewing purposes, to create Fakedexes, or to create entire games. A Fakedex is a fake Pokemon Pokedex. Some of these Fakemon designs become quite popular, used as avatars on forums. Possibly some of the most well known Fakemon are Mewthree and Tentaquil. Several other common Fakemon are eevelutions, since Eevee is the "evolution Pokemon."
Why make Fakemon?
People draw Fakemon because they are fun to make. They allow you to show your creative style and share it with your friends. It allows the drawer to share ideas they always have thought would be good ideas for Pokemon with other viewers, and discuss them. Fakemon are also created by some pranksters as hoaxes. Once again, one of the most common of these hoaxes is Mewthree. There are many videos of people who have hacked there games so that people will believe Mewthree exsists. These videos are dangerous, because to "obtain" Pokemon like Mewthree, you often have to delete your save file and start over. Pokemon like Mewthree do not exsist in the games, and the goal of them is to ruin people's previous games.
What styles of Fakemon are there?
There are many styles people use to draw Fakemon. Many people hand-draw them, like the ones in this article. These are called line-art drawings. Two types involve actual sprites. The first style is when a person recolors a sprite to make it a different type or just look different. The second is when you get two sprites or more, and combine them to make a somewhat unique looking Fakemon. This type often uses recoloring to make the image appear more like one figure, and some artists are good enough to make Fakemon that look nothing like the Pokemon they used to make them. This is because they only use small features from each Pokemon. Some artists use applications like paintbrush on Mac to make original Fakemon, however, I believe these are the most difficult to do and often look sloppy. Another form of spriting that is similar to the second sprite style is to create Fakeballs. (Fake Pokeballs.) Fakeballs use both spriting techniques listed to create unique Pokeballs, such as ones with wings or fur, and different colored pokeballs. The last style of Fakemon I will mention is creating types. This creates room for a wide range of Fakemon, and several common fake types are light, (the counter to dark,) and technology.
How do you make Fakemon?
This is the first step into making realistic Fakemon. The very basis of a Fakemon is an idea. Think of a cool ability, or something that you want a Pokemon to have. I will give an example of ghosts. Ghosts are very cool, and although they have an entire type named after them and are common in Pokemon, many ideas are not expressed. For example, I want to make the ghost of a tree. To begin forming a good Fakemon, try to think of features that a Pokemon of this type would have. A grass-ghost type Pokemon based off of a tree would probably be based off of a dead tree, so I start with an upturned log. A ghostly phenomenon is the Will-O-Wisps, a mysterious glowing ball of light that settlers believed where spirits of the dead. These naturally occur in swamps, forest-like areas, so I give the Fakemon a Will-O-Wisp-like head. To add more detail to the head, I put a leaf on the back of its head. The hands float, because it is a ghost, and are like smooth wood. The trunk is gnarled, and has a branch extending from the lower left side of the torso, to make this Pokemon appear more interesting. Now, I have a Fakemon idea.
How to refine a drawing to look like the real deal.
Now is the part that I am writing this article for: Making your Fakemon look real. First off, it is important to observe techniques from the best Pokemon designer in the world: Ken Sugimori. Most of the final drawings of Pokemon are done by him. An important thing to notice is that there is no such thing as a sharp line. If you look very closely, you'll notice that all of the lines Ken Sugimori draws are very slightly curved, making it look like there are sharp points, but there aren't actually. Also, detail is added, but not stressed. Notice how Pokemon do not have individual scales or hair. To show lots of hair, Ken Sugimori draws a kind of zig-zagging line style. Also, most Pokemon with normal eyes have a white spot, showing a reflection of the sun, or some other form of light source. An exception to this rule is if a Pokemon has no pupil, a very small pupil, or a unique eye. Many powerful legendaries have small circular eyes, with several stripes around them.
Features outside of design.
Adding information to your design.
Another entertaining part of creating Fakemon is creating their Fakedex. You will want to have its height, weight, Abilities, moves, and Pokedex data. Not all this is necessary, but creating these features makes your Fakemon seem more real.
Creating a name.
Creating a name for a Fakemon may seem like a daunting task, but is rather quite simple. Go back to remember when you were thinking of Fakemon ideas. Pokemon names are often combinations of two words, or one word that has been slightly altered. Muk is based off of sludge, so its name comes from the word muck. This is where you go back and look at the original design ideas for your Fakemon. My Fakemon is based off a ghost and a tree. It is somewhat demonic in nature (go figure,) so I use a corruption of the old Irish word for demon, Fomori, and come up with Fomorea. For Gambold, the Fakedex says it is a trickster, a gambler if you will. It is also very bold, fooling even people, so I combine gambler and bold to create Gambold. When creating a name, it is often useful to first create its Fakedex data.
Creating your Fakemon's Fakedex data.
This is one of your easiest tasks. To create data, simply describe what your Fakemon is like. Typically, the in-game Pokedex is made up of two sentences, one with a comma normally.
Creating base stats, a movepool, height, and weight.
To create a height and weight, start off with height, because height can determine weight. Once you choose an ideal height, choose a fitting weight. Typically, slender Pokemon are proportionately light, and bulky Pokemon are heavy. However, type affects this. Often metal and rock type Pokemon are very heavy, however, ghost types are always very light. To create base stats, look at your Pokemon. If it is big and bulky, with huge muscles, it will have high HP, Defense, and Attack, but have low Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense. Base your Fakemon's base stats off of its appearance. Creating a movepool can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are hundreds of moves to choose from. Typically, start with very weak moves at very low levels, and then make them get stronger and farther in between as the Fakemon's level increases. For Pokemon that evolve with stones, typically they learn very few moves, and mostly base moves at that. When you determine the egg group a Pokemon is in, choose egg moves for it to gain that seem logical for it to learn. The same goes with TMs.
Summary
Creating Fakemon can be an entertaining but long process. It takes creativity, ingenuity, and patience to produce realistic Fakemon, but if you do it right, the end results are worth it. I hope you take my advice and become inspired to pick up a pencil and start drawing.
Thanks, patrick329
Here are a few more examples of my Fakemon:
Sources:
Credit for the image of Tentaquil and all information pertaining to it goes to www.knowyourmeme.com
Credit for Information about Mewthree comes from www.youtube.com and www.bulbapedia.com.
All other information and all other images come from my personal experience, drawings, and knowledge.