Throughout thePokemon TCG, illustrators havemade distinctive cardsusing a variety of creative methods, whether that be with traditional digital art, materials like clay, or even CGI. One Pokemon illustrator, Asako Ito, became popular among TCG fans due to her amigurumi artwork, using the method of crochet to make Pokemon out of yarn.
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As well as the yarn Pokemon themselves, Ito uses felt and other kinds of fabric and materials to present backdrops that help to highlight the Pokemon’s environment. As soon as you see one of Ito’s cards, it’s immediately apparent who it’s by, thanks to Ito’s delicate work.
10Bat In The Night: Zubat (Battle Styles #089)
Unlike a lot of Ito’s other cards that depict idyllic environments, such as a relaxing meadow and aquatic homes, this Zubat card has a moodier atmosphere, with Zubat flying through a dark forest. As a nocturnal Pokemon, Zubat uses sound waves to avoid obstacles in its surroundings, and you can almost imagine the Zubat in this card dodging the trees in its way.
As the background is slightly blurred, Zubat is the focal point, adding to the mystery of the forest, as you’re only able to see the silhouettes of the bare trees. The lighting used by Ito also makes Zubat’s mouth appear deep black, accentuating its sharp, poisonous fangs.
9Child-Like Wonder: Phanpy (Lost Thunder #111)
Phanpy’s endearing appearance issimilar to an elephant calf, and Ito recreates this well in yarn. The yarn material accentuates the Pokemon’s roundness, along with its tiny tail. The backdrop of this card, depicting a meadow surrounded by flowers, hills, and fluffy clouds, is stylized with distinct blocky colors.
Vibrant and fun, the atmosphere of the card is perfect for Phanpy’s childish temperament. The scene Ito has chosen to depict is picturesque, as Phanpy looks delighted as it walks through the landscape beneath bright blue skies.
Ito’s creative methods shine in this card depicting the Tadpole Pokemon Poliwag in its natural environment, perched on a lily pad. As expected of Ito, a lot of attention to detail is present in this card to capture the idyllic atmosphere. Ito’s interpretation is cute and shows the finer details of Poliwag’s design.
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Different colored yarn is used to emulate a gradient effect on Poliwag’s tail, and the highlights in its eyes give it a sweet expression. A nice finishing touch on this card is the felt lily pads and fabric clouds that add to the cartoony environment.
7Something Out Of A Dream: Munna (Sword & Shield #087)
Ito’s Munna card ispart of the Sword and Shield setand shows the Psychic-type Pokemon floating in a colorful forest with a big smile on its face. Ito’s crochet work is particularly impressive in this card, as she’s managed to capture the whimsical essence of Munna.
The floral pattern on Munna’s body immediately makes the Pokemon recognizable, as the stitched-on flowers add depth and a 3D effect to the interpretation. Ito even included Munna’s eyelashes, which look especially adorable when paired with the Pokemon’s smile. The colorful background also complements the dream-like scene depicted, and the layered effect brings the whole thing together.
6Shockingly Good: Tynamo (Burning Shadows #44)
In this Tynamo card, Ito successfully uses a range of materials to depict an underwater landscape. Ito skillfully used yarn to bring the Elefish Pokemon to life, replicating the intricate shape of its body,similar to real-world electric eels. To capture the finer details of Tynamo’s design, Ito used black and yellow to create the contours of its body.
What makes the card so effective is the colorful use of felt in the backdrop to make Tynamo appear as though it’s swimming under the water. Ito created rocks, seaweed, and air bubbles, imitating depth with different shades of fabric.
5Love Is In The Water: Luvdisc (Celestial Storm #44)
In this card depicting the Water-type Pokemon Luvdisc, Ito placed it in its natural environment, as it’s said to inhabit “warm seas,” according to multiple Pokedex entries. Luvdisc is heart-shaped, which is in line with the tradition of giving one to your partner as a symbol of eternal love.
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Ito neatly replicated this shape while using felt material to make its eye and cheek blush. The coral reefs that Luvdisc make their home in are the subject of this card’s backdrop, as Ito used felt cut out into the shape of coral, seaweed, and bubbles to imitate the Pokemon’s habitat.
4A Smile That Bites: Gible (Unified Minds #112)
The Land Shark Pokemon Gible’s personality shines through in this card that shows it emerging from a cave, mouth agape to show off its jaw lined with sharp teeth. Gible has quite a complicated shape, which Ito was able to replicate in yarn, ensuring it has its distinctive jet-engine-shaped horns, as well as the shark fin atop its head.
Ito incorporated hand-made elements in the background of this card, including boulders, patches of grass, and tiny stones. Despite deserts being typically barren, this one is brought to life by Ito’s handiwork.
3Chimes In The Breeze: Chimecho (Vivid Voltage #072)
The Wind Chime Pokemon Chimecho is the focus of this card - it shows the Pokemon floating near the top of a tree. In fact, many Chimecho’s Pokedex entries say that it uses the wind to travel, which Ito emulates by using small paper leaves, making it look like a breeze is passing by.
Chimecho’s wind chime shape is perfectly replicated using yarn, with red yarn used to accent its pattern. The composition of the card is also effective, as Chimecho is angled in a way that looks as though its tail is blown back, similar to the tag of a wind chime.
2High Voltage: Electrode (Team Up #39)
Despite Electrode’s simplePoke Ball appearance, this card showing the Pokemon manages to be one of Ito’s most detailed creations, due in part to the incredible work put into the background. As Electrode is most commonly found in power plants, Ito chose this setting for the backdrop of this card.
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Boxes with caution tape and tubes are used to replicate a power plant setting; however, the best part of the background is the machine on the left-hand side, as Ito used felt to make various buttons on the device, as well as a piece of string to show the machine’s frequency. Electrode isn’t the only star of this card, as there are smaller yarn Voltorb in the background, making it seem as though you’ve stumbled upon their territory.
1I Want Candy: Swirlix (Silver Tempest #083)
This Swirlix card taps into the Pokemon’s candy appearance as it lies on a bed of pastel wool decorated with bows, candy, and lollipops. The top-down perspective is unique in comparison to the other yarn cards, as Swirlix is incorporated into the sweet background while still being the focus of the card, thanks to its white body that complements the pastel colors used throughout.
Swirlix isn’t the only yarn creation, as yarn balls are used in the background to add dimension to the pieces of candy. Swirlix definitely appears to be enjoying itself in the realm of candy.
