What is it that makes the difference? Pokemon so enduring? Many people can point out the millions of merch that is sold each year or the well-produced video shorts and other media as being a major influence on pop culture. The true secret to this sauce is the Pokemon designs. The Pokemon Company has created a method that makes nearly 1,000 creatures feel cute, fierce and cool — sometimes all at the same time. This has been possible for 26 years. There have been thousands upon thousands of fans for the game, who created their Fakemon with their artistic talents.
Fakemon: The Ambition of Imagination
Fakemon is by definition a term created by fandom that refers to fake Pokemon. This includes fan-made Pokemon by artists.
Ron Sroor is a trained animator and artist who draws Fakemon. Truegreen7 is Sroor’s YouTube name. He has a reputation for being one of the best Fakemon artists. “My first Fakemons were just copies of generation 3 Pokemon. Fakemon were something I used to draw even in school. I had several books with similar pokedexes.
Many Fakemon artists get started early in their art journey, drawing their own monsters and some later refining them.
Noted artist, “I would buy Pokemon Cards and Pokemon Books and just draw all of them in alphabetical or numerical order. It’s just a way to practice,” DarkandWindie. “I did my first Fakemon drawings before I was 10, but the two that I drawn resembled Eevee quite a lot, and the other was a random type of ghost-alien wearing a mohawk.”
Many of these designs are still in existence with the artists who draw their inspiration from mundane and big ideas.
Sroor stated, “I am a big fan of walking. Just go for a stroll and listen to some music. My first art videos were just me going on walks and creating Fakemon using what I saw.” “That was the start of the art side of my channel.”
“I think, like any kid who really likes something, creating my own characters to fit into the world of Pokémon was a natural inclination for me,” stated Jack Burke, a professional artist with the YouTube channel Subjectively. “I can remember coming up with the idea for a fan-game with my sisters before I knew what a game was. We called them “Jade and Opal Versions.” Although I don’t recall any of the designs that we created for those games’, I would love to see those old sketches.
Designing new Fakemon Friends
While creature designs will always reflect the design sensibilities and creators of the creatures, what makes Pokemon so special is their ability to be believable as real-world creatures. The gaming community is able to share bits of the official Pokemon design process. Artists are given the task of designing something based upon their typing, their region, or the level of complexity depending on whether they are a starter or legend.
Sroor stated that Pokemon are the best balanced in terms of creature designs. They are adorable but not too cute, cool but not too cool. They are simple but appealing enough to make toys and merch.
While some of this can be attributed to inspiration from real-world situations, it is also evident that the process of creating believable creatures has evolved into an art form. Fakemon artists often try to replicate parts of this process in their own work.
DarkandWindie said, “I make a list with concepts and information for the design using the following format: Inspiration; Name; Name Origin. Typing; Category.” “So I do a lot research on strange animals and yokai as well as other mythical creatures, objects. After that, I compile a list of ideas and create names and typings. From there, I just keep going.”
My artwork is generally concept-driven. Burke said, “I come up with stories or themes I want to explore and then try to design characters that best embody those themes.”
“For example, one of my favorite Pokémon that I designed was Mayzmen. The Maya creation myth about the Hero Twins, who created humanity out of an ear of corn, was the inspiration for the concept. I took that inspiration and worked it into a more general theme of community, and tied it together with an iconic Pokémon visual trope of having multiple heads and personalities on one character. Because I thought it would be fun, I also made a popcorn-split evolution.
Designing itself presents many challenges.
DarkandWindie stated that although I tend to use simple shapes in my designs, sometimes I come across strange and unexpected things that people might not have considered.” “For instance, one of my ‘regions’ only has designs that are based on Coldplay songs, whether it be the lyrics, the music video, the song name, or the song’s themes. I enjoy doing out-of-the box things like this. Some people may like it, others may think it’s dumb. It is something that I love.”
Sroor stated that Fakemon creators are big fans of the real-world. They are inspired by animals, culture, architecture, plants, and everything else that is real. This is why Fakemon is so popular.
Real-world inspiration doesn’t just include objects and concepts. It also includes an understanding of other disciplines, such as biology or paleontology. These ideas show a level of curiosity and education that goes beyond what is written on paper.
Burke advised that you don’t have to draw Fakemon. “Explore every aspect of illustration, visual art in general. Explore everything! Study ancient cultures. Learn about modern cultures. Learn more about animals, plants, rocks, and fungus. Find a cause that interests you! All of your interests can be combined and made into artwork. Fakemon is more than a horse with fire or a taco with a dragon. Like any illustration, a good Fakemon design reflects the vision and interests of the artist.
DarkandWindie said that “the appeal is simply being in a position to create whatever you desire without any limitations.” “Pokemon designers always continue to push the boundaries and blur the lines of what can and can’t be a Pokemon, which can cause fans to start disliking them and claim that, ‘Pokemon designs are terrible now,’ ‘Can we go back to Gen 1?,’ ‘This isn’t Pokemon anymore,’ and many other complaints/criticisms. At the end of the day though, it doesn’t matter, as Pokemon are Pokemon, and their designs are going to vary whether people like it or not.”
Fakemon art for a commercial medium
Fakemon artists often face the greatest challenge of being able to express themselves creatively, though sometimes with limited options.
Sroor said, “My Fakemon were made especially for my videos, so my design process is recorded every single time I make them.” “Because I don’t rush, I am not rushing. However, for example, the design process for sketching takes an average of one hour. Fakemon artists might take several days or weeks to develop their ideas. I have no time for that as I’m creating a video.
Sroor’s YouTube channel has seen a lot of popularity in the last few years. It features videos of his designs as well as workshops with Fakemon members. He also hosts the Calm Mind podcast alongside Bird Keeper Toby.
Sroor admitted that his art is affected by this fact. “I don’t have the time to make many iterations and it would be more beneficial to make those Fakemon.”
However, the designs are still evolving. Sroor mentioned how some of his designs are refined by dynamic posing.
Sroor stated, “I would say that my Fakemon are characters and that is a strength I have.” “I treat them as characters in anime. I think about what type of personality they might have and how they would behave.”
Burke said, “A good design is not something that can be described in one word.” A good design should reflect the intention of the artist. A good character design should reflect the theme of a story.
Burke’s channel Subjectively is more than just Fakemon designs. However, the Fakemon are a big draw since the channel was started in 2018.
I would be foolish to stop creating fake Pokemon content for my YouTube channel. People love it, I love to it, it inspires other artists to create their artwork, and it brings a lot of traffic,” Burke said. But, Burke also admitted that he doesn’t want his legacy as an illustrator limited to the creations of fake Pokemon. Me and my fiancé’s goal, when we first made Subjectively, was to create a channel that would get people excited to talk about art and help them think about their favorite video games, movies, and comics from a more critical perspective. Going forward, I want my videos about Pokémon to focus more on the art aspect, and I have a few ideas to accomplish this goal that I’m excited to start working on.”
Burke remains optimistic about the growth that he sees within himself, despite this.
“I have learned a lot about drawing Pokemon and it applies to all my other artwork. No matter how much experience you have, I believe that every artist should be considered a student. You should always be open to learning new things and trying new techniques.
Burke isn’t the only artist who has reservations about Fakemon’s future. DarkandWindie, who has been leading his fan project for many years, created 20 fake Pokemon regions with more than 2,500 Fakemon designs.
“When I was 13, and just started this project “seriously”, the original goal was simply to make more Pokemon than Gamefreak (which was 649) at the time. DarkandWindie laughed. “I was able to achieve that goal in one year. I decided to go higher and create the most Fakemon.” “It was a very stupid goal, admittedly, since the design process is a lot longer for the official designers, and there’s more that goes into a Pokemon generation than just designs.”
DarkandWindie is now begun work on Generation 20, with over 2,300 out of the 2,500 designs created before he plans to stop.
“There are designs that I haven’t touched in over five years that aren’t really up to par with my more recent designs,” admitted DarkandWindie. “I had planned to revisit the older designs that needed more work and I was able to do so at some point. But, at the same, I’m ready to part ways with the project, or do more without worrying about the constant renovations.
Fakemon World
The best thing about Pokemon design is not knowing what you’ll get next from GameFreak. Every generation anticipates the arrival of new monsters in the region. They also predict how they will fight and function. And, every generation is inspired by their creations.
Fakemon will not die, and the artists who live in this space now are creating fakemon monsters, regions and their own storieslines. This creative exercise is a powerful tribute to the GameFreak process that began with Red and Green. These artists have made a greater fan base of dreamers, artists, and gamers.
Sroor stated that Pokemon has the most loyal fanbase of any media franchise. Also, because it is the highest-grossing media brand, you can be confident that Pokemon will continue to be popular for many years.” “We (the fans) are all on the same page. Even if we disagree with the current trajectory of Pokemon, we know how it will end. You can form bonds based upon Pokemon that you know will be there for a long time.
Ron Sroor (and Jack Burke) and DarkandWindie are very grateful for taking the time from their busy schedules to speak to me. You can check out their videos, designs, and social media pages linked in the article.
