Everyone has that one crumpled notebook page from third grade. You know the one. It’s a Pikachu that looks more like a dehydrated lemon with rabbit ears than the face of a global franchise. We've all been there. Figuring out how do you draw a pokemon isn't actually about being a "natural" artist or having some secret Nintendo-sanctioned stylus. It’s about understanding that Ken Sugimori, the legendary lead designer for the series, basically built an entire universe out of circles, triangles, and very specific line weights.
Drawing these creatures is a weirdly technical exercise disguised as fun. If you look at the early Generation 1 art, it has this watercolor, jagged energy. Fast forward to the modern era, and everything is sleek, vector-based, and mathematically balanced. To get it right, you have to bridge that gap. You need to see the skeleton underneath the fluff.
The Secret Geometry of Pocket Monsters
Stop trying to draw the outline first. Seriously. If you start with the ears of a Scorbunny, you’re going to run out of paper by the time you get to the feet. It’s a classic rookie move. Instead, you have to think in "primitive shapes."
Most Pokemon are just clusters of spheres and cylinders. Take Gengar, for example. He’s basically a big, purple egg. If you can draw a slightly lopsided oval, you’ve already done 70% of the work. The trick is the "cross-contour" lines. Imagine your drawing is a 3D ball and draw faint lines across the middle to show which way it's facing. This is where most people mess up when asking how do you draw a pokemon that actually looks like it could move.
Eyes Are the Window to the Soul (And the Pokedex)
Pokemon eyes are highly stylized. They aren't human eyes. They aren't even really "anime" eyes in the traditional sense.
- The Classic Oval: Used for "cute" starters like Bulbasaur or Squirtle. These usually have a large pupil and a tiny white glimmer at the top.
- The Angry Triangle: Think Primeape or Mewtwo. Sharp angles denote power and aggression.
- The Simple Dot: Used for the "ditto-esque" or ultra-simple designs like Quagsire or Wooper.
If you get the spacing of the eyes wrong, the whole thing falls apart. A good rule of thumb? Most Pokemon have eyes placed quite far apart on the head. It gives them that prey-animal, cute aesthetic. Close-set eyes usually make a design look more "villainous" or humanoid, which can feel "off-brand" for a standard monster.
Line Weight: Why Your Drawing Looks "Flat"
Ken Sugimori’s original style used varying line weights. This is a fancy way of saying some lines are thicker than others. If you use a single thin ballpoint pen for the whole thing, it’s going to look like a coloring book page. Not great.
To make a Pokemon pop, you want the outer silhouette to be slightly thicker than the interior details. If you're drawing a Charizard, the line defining his belly should be thinner than the line defining his back. It creates an illusion of depth. It makes the character feel heavy.
Also, avoid "chicken scratching." You know those short, hairy-looking lines people make when they’re nervous? Don't do that. Pokemon designs are clean. Use long, confident strokes. Even if you mess up, a bold wrong line looks better than a shaky right one.
The "Squish and Stretch" Rule
Pokemon aren't statues. They’re organic. When you’re learning how do you draw a pokemon in an action pose, you have to apply the principles of animation. If Pikachu is jumping, his body should stretch out. If he’s landing, he should squish down like a marshmallow.
Reference the Pokemon Art Academy lessons—this was a real software for the 3DS that taught these exact concepts. They emphasized that these creatures have "volume." They aren't flat stickers. They have weight. If you draw a Snorlax, every line should sag downward to show just how heavy that boy is.
Digital vs. Analog: Choosing Your Tools
Honestly, it doesn't matter if you're using an iPad Pro or a greasy HB pencil you found under the couch. The fundamentals are the same. However, digital art does give you one massive advantage: Layers.
- The Sketch Layer: Use a bright blue or red "pencil." This is where you go wild with circles and squares.
- The Ink Layer: This is where you commit. Use a black brush with "stabilization" turned up to avoid the jitters.
- The Flat Color Layer: No shading yet. Just the base colors.
- The "Sugimori" Highlight: Use a soft brush to add those iconic white-to-transparent gradients on the top curves of the body.
If you’re working on paper, start incredibly light. You shouldn't even be able to see your initial circles from three feet away. Only darken the lines when you're 100% sure about the shape.
Common Pitfalls (And How to Fix Them)
The most frequent mistake is overcomplicating the design. Pokemon designs are, at their core, very simple. Look at Voltorb. It’s a ball with eyes. Look at Diglett. It’s a thumb with a nose. People often try to add too many scales, too much fur texture, or too many glowy bits.
Stay away from "over-detailing." If you're drawing a Lucario, you don't need to draw every individual hair. You just need a few "tuft" shapes at the joints. Simplicity is actually much harder to master than complexity because there's nowhere to hide your mistakes.
Another big one: Proportions. Most Pokemon have heads that are disproportionately large compared to their bodies. This is the "chibi" influence. If you make the limbs too long or the head too small, you end up with something that looks more like a Digimon or a generic RPG monster. Pokemon are "stumpy." Embrace the stumpiness.
From Tracing to Creating Your Own "Fakemon"
Once you’ve mastered the art of "how do you draw a pokemon" by copying the classics, you’ll probably want to design your own. This is where the real fun starts. The "Pokemon look" follows a specific formula:
- Pick a Base: Start with an animal, an object, or a myth.
- Add a Twist: A fire-type cat is boring. A fire-type cat that is also a pro-wrestler (Incineroar)? That’s a Pokemon.
- Keep the Color Palette Tight: Most designs only use 3 to 5 colors. If you use the whole rainbow, it becomes a mess.
- The "Silhouette Test": If you filled your drawing in with solid black ink, could you still recognize what it is? A good design has a distinct, readable shape.
Actionable Next Steps for Aspiring Artists
Stop reading and start sketching. Grab a piece of paper right now. Don't try to draw a Rayquaza; you'll give up in ten minutes. Start with a Kirby-adjacent shape like a Jigglypuff.
Focus on getting that one perfect circle. Then, move on to a Bulbasaur to practice combining a plant shape with an animal body. Use official Sugimori reference sheets—search for "Pokemon character sheets" or "Pokemon settei" to see how the official artists draw them from the side and back.
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Practice drawing the same Pokemon five times in a row. By the fifth time, your muscle memory will take over. You’ll stop thinking about "how" and just start doing. That’s the moment you stop being someone who "tries to draw" and start being someone who just draws. Consistency beats talent every single time in the world of fan art. Keep your lines clean, your shapes simple, and your eraser handy.