Pokémon Legends Z-A Countdown!
Are you an artist? Do you love Pokémon? Are you excited about Pokémon Legends Z-A? You're in luck!
To celebrate the release of the new Pokémon game, we're organizing a fan-run countdown, starting on September 1st! The plan is to post at least one drawing counting down to October 16th every day.
If this is something you'd be interested in participating, sign-ups will open on Sunday!
You can see our general information here and our art guidelines here.
Or, if you're on the mobile app, you can click on the read more below!
Look forward to it!
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General Information
What is this?
This is a fan-run project to count down the days until the release of Pokémon Legends Z-A, led by Samifer (@insecateur). The goal is to have one piece of art for each day, counting down from 45 days before October 16th. Why 45 days? It seemed like a good compromise between 30 and 50, and it means the countdown will start on September 1st, which is an easy date to remember! The timezone for the event will be CEST (Central European Summer Time) aka UTC+2.
How do I sign up?
Sign-ups will be open from June 29th to July 6th via a Google Form. You will know if you’ve been accepted by July 10th. From there, another form will be provided for you to send your finished piece.
What are the requirements for applying?
The base requirement is being able to draw a finished picture. That’s it! As long as you can provide something you consider “finished”, you can apply. We will not be looking for specific styles or skill levels. The point of the countdown is to have fun and celebrate Pokémon! For specifics about what you should or shouldn’t draw, and other information regarding your piece, please see the Art Guidelines below.
When is the deadline?
Your deadline will depend on which day you’re drawing for! To account for differences in timezones, your hard deadline will be three (3) days before your art is to be posted. Please let us know as soon as possible if you won’t be able to complete your piece.
If the countdown starts on September 1st and ends on October 16th, isn’t that 46 days?
The release day will feature one special artwork to end the countdown. You’ll find more information about this in the sign-up form.
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Art Guidelines
Rules & Requirements
Your piece must be fanart of Legends Z-A, and therefore must involve characters from Z-A and/or Pokémon from Z-A (or Kalos.) Please refrain from featuring characters that have not been officially announced (i.e. please do not include anything you know from “leaks” in your art.)
Your piece must be finished. What this means depends from person to person, but basically, no rough sketches, no obvious WIP, and some quality control (i.e. please check to make sure you haven’t missed a spot when coloring, that sort of things.)
Your piece must be larger than 600 x 600 pixels, but not go beyond 1500 x 1500 pixels. Landscape and portrait are both fine. File types can be PNG or JPG. No animations. (Sorry!)
Your piece must be wholly yours. No tracing, no copying, no using genAI. Collaborations (such as one person doing the lineart and the other doing the coloring) are fine as long as it is made clear upon signing up.
Your piece must be new and kept secret until the end of the countdown. Once the countdown is over, you’ll be free to share it wherever you want.
Your piece must be safe for work and not contain offensive content. The countdown is meant to be PG.
Only one piece per artist. This means that if you decide to collaborate with someone, it will count as your only entry for both of you. (Note: this last rule might be revisited (and expanded to two pieces maximum per person) depending on the number of sign-ups. This also does not extend to potential pinch-hitting! More information can be found on the form.)
FAQ
Where can I get references?
The best places to find visual references are Bulbagarden and (for the human characters) the official Legends Z-A website. You can also find information about the Pokémon known to feature in the game as of now on the Bulbapedia page for it.
Are there style or medium requirements?
No. You can create in any visual medium you like, and you can do so in your own style! If you only draw chibi, or only do pixel art, please go ahead. Just keep the size requirements in mind, and in the case of traditional mediums, make sure to get a clear picture of your finished result.
Can I only draw Pokémon? Can I only draw humans?
Yes! Both are fine, so long as the involved Pokémon and/or humans are featured in Z-A. This includes Mega Evolutions. Pokémon can be shiny, and you can use their alternate forms (such as the various Vivillon patterns or Furfrou trims.)
Do I have to reserve specific Pokémon/characters?
No! For the countdown pieces, everyone is free to draw whatever they want, and there’s no need to worry about drawing the same Pokémon or character(s) as other people.
Can I draw characters from Pokémon X&Y?
If they’re accompanied by characters from Z-A, yes. Please do not only draw characters from Pokémon X&Y, as the point is to celebrate the upcoming Z-A!
Can I draw shipping art?
Implied shipping is fine, but we’d prefer that it not be the focus of your piece.
Can I draw OCs?
No. Only canonical human characters, please.