Pokémon Art Appreciation, Day 17: Orbeetle 012/182
This post is part of a series for WeblogPoMo 2024. Each day in May, I’m sharing my appreciation for my favorite Pokémon card art. View all of the posts in this series.
Today’s card is Orbeetle from the Paradox Rift set. It’s card number 012/182, released in 2023, and illustrated by Oku. This is the card:
Oku is a relative newcomer to Pokémon card art illustration, having contributed the art for seven cards so far (all in the most recent Scarlet & Violet era). Their art style favors rich detail, which we can clearly see in this card.
Orbeetle is shown hovering in a dense thicket, his arms folded, an expression of skepticism (or maybe disdain) on his face. We see the spots on his wings lit; normally they’re a deep blue or purple color, but they light up in soft blue rings when his wings are spread.
The depiction of Orbeetle is solid, but where this card shines is the setting and background. First there’s the lighting, which is soft and dim, a blue-green hue dominating the frame. It might be early morning or dusk, or maybe this particular thicket doesn’t allow much sunlight to pass through. In any case, the color of the light is beautiful and feels very much like what you might experience in this sort of forest. Beyond the lighting, though, is the extraordinary level of detail. This is a card that wants to be blown up and zoomed in, with exquisite detail in all of the trees and plantlife. The longer you look, the more you see: the swirling lines of the tree bark, interrupted with various vines—each with intricately-shaped leaves; the various bushy plants springing up from the ground, each leaf casting a shadow on the ones below; the intricate growth on the forest floor, distant yet still somehow very detailed. The detail is simply stunning. It’s not an attempt at hyperrealism, but rather a gorgeous representation of a specific scene with very specific things growing there. Where other Pokémon illustrators might offer a more simplistic representation of a background scene, Oku goes full-blown “hold my beer” and draws the rest of the effing forest. It is absolutely wonderful.
Want to collect this card?
I earn a small commission from any purchases made with this link.