30 Second Pokemon

My name is Max, and I'm an artist.  I want to improve my digital art!  I know that I struggle with speed in digital art, and I struggle with committing confidently to a line.  In an effort to break myself out of this, I've started this project.  I can't promise I'll post every day, but I'd like to do it most days.  The rules here are simple.  Each time I sit down to work, I pull up Bulbapedia and a random number generator.  I roll a random number, pull up the corresponding Pokemon, and give myself 30 seconds to look at it, followed by 30 seconds to draw it, with the reference still up.  The sketches on this blog are the results.  I'm not expecting to post anything good, but many of them are funny, and the more recognizable I can make them, the more successful I consider them.  Anyway, enjoy these monstrosities!

[30secondpokemon]

Today we have Team #11!

Featuring:

#113 - “Actually Almost a Chansey”

#222 - “This Wasn’t Meant to be a Galarian Corsola, But it Sure Doesn’t Look Healthy, Does It”

#255 - “Just a Little Torchic”

#422 - “This Doesn’t Look Hardly Anything Like East Sea Shellos But Oh Well”

#628 - “There’s Like a Hint of a Braviary in This I Guess”

#686 - “This Inkay is Probably the Cutest Thing I’ve Drawn for This Project”

[Image Description: A very rough black-and-white digital sketch of six Pokemon.

In the top left is Torchic, looking mostly accurate, if a bit too skinny.

To the right of that is Inkay, missing its leftmost head tentacle, but otherwise very cute and recognizable.

In the top right is some lines that hint at a Braviary.  The face is mostly defined, along with one wing.  The other wing and the tail are just a few unconnected lines.

Below that is an East Sea Shellos, but really only the top of the outline.  It has no bottom to its body and very little detail to the top of it.

To the left of that is a fairly recognizable, if somewhat lumpy, Chansey.

In he bottom left is an attempt at a Corsola, but the characteristic coral-like protuberances on its back are very crooked and poorly defined.  /End ID]

[30secondpokemon]

Team the 10th!

Featuring:

#035 - “A Happy Hint of a Clefairy”

#190 - “Some Days, You Jus Can’t Draw an Aipom, and That’s Probably Fine”

#211 - “The Grumpiest Qwilfish You Ever Did See”

#594 - “Are You Seriously Telling Me This Alomomola Isn’t Related to Luvdisc?  Wild”

#645 - “Gods I Hate Drawing These Genie Men (Landorus Edition)”

#770 - “Hey This Palossand Actually Came Out Pretty Well”

[Image Description: A very rough black and white digital sketch of six Pokemon.

In the top left corner is supposed to be an Aipom, but it’s just awful.  The face is vacant and crooked, the arms are nubs, the hand on the tail has long and stiff fingers, and the ears are horribly mismatched.

To the right of that is Qwilfish, who is a bit lumpy and looks very annoyed, but is oherwise fairly accurate.

In the top right corner is Landorus in its Incarnate Forme, but missing its hair and the markings on its tail and body.

Below that is Alomomola, looking somewhat smug and poorly proportioned, but otherwise recognizable.

To the left of that is Palossand, which is a bit round and simplified, but overall surprisingly accurate.

In the bottom left is Clefairy, but missing its legs and also the lines that define its torso.  /End ID]

[30secondpokemon]

Sorry for vanishing for a week!  Sometimes, your computer breaks, and your brain breaks too in solidarity.  But I’m back, with number 9!

Featuring:

#157 - “Typhlosion Doing a Big Yell”

#319 - “Sharpedo is Slightly Disgusted”

#385 - “An Empty Shell of a Jirachi”

#386 - “Deoxys (Normal Forme) Comes Slightly Unraveled”

#394 - “What if a Prinplup...But Bad”

#829 - “Hold My Flower (Glossifleur Edition)”

[Image Description: A very rough black and white digital sketch of six Pokemon.

In the top left is a Glossifleur, who looks extremely ready to fight.

To the right of that is a Jirachi, but lacking in several details, including pupils, which gives it a very vacant expression.

In the top right is a Typhlosion, with only the head, arms, and flames defined.

Below that is the Normal Forme of Deoxys.  It lacks a torso, and its DNA-strand arms seem to be unravelling.

To the left of that is a Prinplup, but it’s missing its torso.  Its face is also very crooked, with mismatched eyes looking in different directions.

In the bottom left is a Sharpedo.  It looks mostly accurate, except for a crooked mouth, which looks approximately like a disgusted grimace.  /End ID]

[30secondpokemon]

Today we have the 8th attempt!

Featuring:

#305 - “I Promise This is Lairon, Not Onyx”

#310 - “Manectric Take 2 Looks an Awful Lot Like Manectric Take 1″

#329 - “Vibrava, But a Little Nervous”

#381 - “Naught But the Shell of a Latios”

#471 - “Imagine a Glaceon Costume But Like For a Weiner Dog”

#641 - “Hey I Don’t Like This Man, But His Name is Tornadus (Incarnate Forme)”

[Image Description: A very rough black and white digital drawing of six Pokemon.

In the top left is a Manectric.  It has the general head shape and tail, and indications of front legs, but it’s missing the rest of its body.

To the right of that is a Lairon, but only the face and the beginning of its spine plates.

In the top right is a Tornadus.  It has a head shape, a mustache, and crossed arms, but all other lines are just failed attempts to indicate any other features.

Below that is a Latios.  It’s missing many of its interior details, including its face and all but one limb.

To the left of that is a Vibrava that looks fairly recognizable, but it has a somewhat nervous expression on its face.

In the bottom left is an oddly stretched Glaceon, missing all of its legs and looking like it’s been draped loosely over some other form.  End ID]

[30secondpokemon]

Here in the 7th attempt, we have some things that...actually sort of look like creatures.  Wild.

Featuring:

#048 - “Veno-Not Too Terrible”

#184 - “The Haunted Shell of an Azumarill”

#218 - “Slugma is Trying Very Hard Not to Punch Their Racist Uncle at Family Dinner”

#350 - “Almost a Milotic”

#365 - “Walrein Who Just Told a Dad Joke”

#610 - “I Just Wanna Axew A Question” (I know that pun was low-hanging fruit but that’s honestly what his expression makes me think)

[Image ID: A very rough black and white digital sketch of six Pokemon.

In the top left is a Slugma, looking like its left eye is twitching from strain.

To the right of that is a Walrein, but its tail is missing and it’s wearing an expression that looks like it’s waiting for you to laugh at a joke it was very proud of but that wasn’t very funny.

In the top right is a Venonat, looking mostly accurate, except that its body is smooth, lacking the characteristic fuzzy texture.

In the bottom right is an Azumarill, but it lacks pupils in its eyes and any sense of depth to its form, giving it a hollow and haunted sort of look.

To the left of that is Axew, but only its head, tail, and left arm.  The arm is held out in front of it as if to stop someone talking, as if it’s interrupting them.

In the bottom left is a very minimalist Milotic, with the body shape and head outlined, but not much else.  End ID]

[30secondpokemon]

Attempt the 6th!

Featuring:

#156 - “Quilava’s Punk Phase”

#187 - “Hoppip’s Just Happy to be Here, Guys”

#221 - “An Acceptable Piloswine”

#668 - “At Least the Head Shape of a Pyroar”

#845 -  “This Bird Looks Too Reasonable to be Cramorant”

#888 - “I Don’t Know What I Expected From Trying to Draw a Legendary in 30 Seconds (Zacian Crowned Sword Edition)”

[Image ID: A very rough black and white digital sketch of six Pokemon.

In the top left is a Pyroar, but with only the outline of its mane, face, and tail.

To the right of that is Zacian’s Crowned Sword form.  It consists of a sword, a vague sketch of a face, and individual lines that hint at legs and wings.

In the top right is a Hoppip, which actually looks relatively accurate and very excited.

Below that is a Quilava, but with the flames only on its head, looking like a very spiky punk-style hairdo.

To the left of that is Cramorant, but devoid of any details that identify it as Cramorant, instead of just a generic cartoon bird.

In the bottom left corner is a lumpy and crooked Piloswine, but it is otherwise recognizable.  End ID]

[30secondpokemon]

Anyone looking for attempt number 5?  No?  Well, allow me to inflict it upon you anyway.

Featuring:

#042 - “Golbat’s Shittiest Sephiroth Cosplay”

#355 - “ A Pile of Soft-Serve with a Duskull Mask”

#826 - “Orbeetle, but Actually Just Not”

#828 - “That’s Just Sly Cooper (Thievul Edition)”

#841 - “The Original Flapple is Great, but I Would Die for this Anxious Fellow”

#859 - “Impidimp, Only Worse”

[Image ID: A very rough black and white digital sketch of six Pokemon.

In the top left is Impidimp, drawn with most of the right features, but not lined up very well.

To the right of that is Duskull, who looks relatively accurate, except that his ectoplasmic body looks a bit more like soft-serve ice cream than like smoke.

In the top right corner is Orbeetle, but the body shape is so poorly rendered that it reads more as a small humanoid figure with an extremely high collar than anything else.

In the bottom right is Flapple.  It’s missing some details, and its face carries an expression of deep uncertainty.

To the left of that is Golbat, who only has the hint of one wing.  It is entirely missing its right wing and foot, but the rest of it is mostly present, if a bit lumpy.

In the bottom left is Thievul.  It is missing its eyes and most of its legs, but it has its ears, mask, and tail, which make it more reminiscent of Sly Cooper than of a Pokemon.  End ID]

[30secondpokemon]

And here we have the fourth attempt at this silly game.

Featuring:

#053 - “Persian, But With a Literal Wandering Eye”

#124 - “This Only Looks Somewhat Less Racist Than The Original Jynx And I’m Sorry For That”

#137 - “The Saddest Porygon You Ever Did See”

#239 - “Elekid on a Mission”

#588 - “At Least I Captured Karrablast’s Fight Me Energy”

#600 - “Oh, I See How I Should’ve Approached Those Gears (Klank Edition)”

[Image ID: A very rough black and white digital sketch of six Pokemon.

In the top left is a Porygon, who is lacking in detail, but otherwise perfectly recognizable.  However, the shape of its eye indicates that it is very sad, possibly about to cry.

To the right of that is Persian, but really only its head and a few extraneous lines to hint at a body shape and a tail.

Below that and to the right is Karrablast, again missing details, and this time much less recognizable.  The shape is very lumpy, with very poorly-aligned features, but it does feature Karrablast’s typical angry shouting expression.

To the left of that, in the center, is a very wobbly attempt at a Klinklang, a Pokemon that really requires more that thirty seconds to draw, as evidenced by the complete lack of perspective and the fact that these vaguely round lumps only just barely resemble the intended gear shapes.

Below that, in the bottom left, is Elekid, who is fairly recognizable, though uncharacteristically wide, and looking extremely determined.

To the right of that is Jynx. It is missing its arms, and its features are too big, but it stands as a reasonable facsimile of an unreasonably bad Pokemon.  End ID]

[30secondpokemon]

More Pokemon(?) in Attempt the Third!

Featuring:

#152 - “An Adorable and Friend-Shaped Chikorita!”

#154 - “Meganium Doesn’t Need Eyes, Right?”

#529 - “Wow This Drilbur Sure Does Look Like a Psyduck”

#605 - “I Somehow Captured the Existential Dread That Lives in Elgyem’s Eyes”

#666 - “Vivillon, the One-Winged Butterfee”

#782 - “Why Did I Spend the Whole Time on Jangmo-o’s Face and Forget its Entire Body”

[Image ID:  A very rough black and white digital sketch of six Pokemon.

In the top left is just the face of a sad-looking Jangmo-o, with no body attached.

To the right of that is a minimalist take on Meganium, missing its eyes, toes, and any other real detail besides the basic outline.

In the top right corner is a Vivillon, but with only the body and one wing drawn.  The other wing is just a single line.

Below that, there is an Egyem that’s lacking in detail and also has a blank-eyed expression of dread on its face.

To the left of that is Drilbur, who looks excited, but was drawn poorly enough to look more like a Psyduck than a Drilbur.

In the bottom left corner is a Chikorita who is surprisingly complete and coherent and just looks happy to be here.  End ID]

[30secondpokemon]

I meant to start posting these something vaguely like every day, but my computer immediately decided to be broken when I started this project.

Anyway, here’s my second attempt at some 30-second Pokemon!

Featuring:

#310 - “Surprisingly Recognizable Manectric”

#571 - “Sandshrew’s Edgy Sonic OC, aka Zoroark”

#621 - “That’s a Digimon!  No, Wait, it’s Druddigon”

#704 - “I Promise That’s Actually Just What Goomy Looks Like”

#785 - “I’ve Never Seen This Pokemon in my Life, but Here’s Tapu Koko I Guess (abstract)”

#853 - “Imagine Grapploct but With the Volume Turned Down”

[Image ID: A very rough black and white digital skecth of six Pokemon.

In the top left, there are a bunch of angular lines that are theoretically supposed to be Tapu Koko, but are honestly just a mess.

To the right of that is a Druddigon that’s missing many of the lines that make up its torso and back legs, but it has the mouth, wings, and tail.

In the top right corner is the top half of a Manectric.  It has no legs, but otherwise looks relatively accurate to the original Pokemon.

Below that is just a rough silhouette of a Grapploct.  The only detail that made it into this shape is its eyes.

To the left of that is Goomy, who just looks a bit thinner than normal and is looking somewhat annoyed.

In the bottom left corner is Zoroark, but missing many important lines.  It has the back fur, a very rough face and ear, and some stick arms.  End ID]

[30secondpokemon]

Here’s my first attempt at 30-second Pokemon sketches!

Featuring:

#130 - “Essence of Gyarados”

#134 - “Hint of Vaporeon”

#368 - “Wow Gorebyss is kinda just a noodle, huh”

#601 - “Gears are hard (Klinklang edition)”

#667 - “Litleo, but they’ve seen some shit, man”

#698 - “If I had known this Pokemon beforehand, I might’ve even guessed that this was Amaura”

I’d like to maybe someday, if I get some followers, start a game where I don’t include the numbers or the names and I have people guess which Pokemon they are.

[Image ID: A black and white very rough digital sketch of six Pokemon.

In the top left, there is a very excited Gyarados that doesn’t have much of a head around its face.

In the top right is a Litleo with front legs and very little body and a dead-eyed expression.

Below that is an Amaura with no legs, an unusually large head, and a vaguely angry expression.

In the bottom right, there is a Gorebyss whose body is sort of lumpy and whos chest seashells are far too small.

The bottom middle is meant to be a Klinklang, but frankly it’s just a poor attempt to draw some gears.

The bottom left is just the ears and back ridge of a Vaporeon.  End ID]

Note: This is my first time attempting image descriptions, so if you have any feedback on that for me, please let me know!