Dodem Hjelm
Taideprojekti 2021
[Art Project 2021]
For this project, which I've named Ten Sprites Project like the creative mastermind that I am, I've created ten Fakemon (fan-made Pokemon) sprites from my own Fakemon designs.
Work on the project was done between late February to mid-April.
Process
The designs of the Fakemon were created by me in my free time, and some of them were tweaked before moving to the spriting stage.
The art for the project was done in three programs.
For the large character art, I started with Medibang Paint Pro, but some of the final ones were instead made in Clip Studio Paint, which I switched to mid-project.
For the pixel sprite animations, I used FireAlpaca and its built-in frame-by-frame animation mode.
What are Fakemon?
For those unfamiliar with Fakemon: Fakemon is a fan term for unofficial, fan-made Pokemon. They can be created by anyone and often mimic official Pokemon designs - they are created in a way that they would fit into a real Pokemon game. Many people create entire Pokedexes' worth of Fakemon, and these projects typically mirror the design principles of the real main series games - three starter Pokemon with three different stages being the notable one here, as it is in real Pokemon games.
For this project, in terms of the Fakemon, I chose to create my starter Pokemon for my Finland-based fan-made region, Falde. The starter Pokemon of a region are arguably the most important and most iconic ones of any generation.
The Starter Pokemon of my fan-made region:
Fangrain, Slinder and Perble
Fangrain
Grain Mink Pokemon
Type: Grass/normal
#1
This Pokemon is rare in the wild nowadays, having almost disappeared due to harsh competition. It grows grains on its long tail - but not for itself! This Pokemon is a vicious predator that lays a trap for its prey, leading them straight to its den. It plucks off these grains, laying them on the ground; and when a Pokemon shows up to the feast, it finishes them off with a gnarly Bite!
Fangrain's sprite was the first one I worked on, so the process was very experimental. FireAlpaca's system treats LAYERS as frames, so you can only work with single-layer images unless you pile things into folders, and then have FOLDER frames instead. I went through the process by first making the lineart for each frame, and then going back to add colors to each frame one color and layer at a time. It took absolutely forever. I made a few more sprites like this until I realized how much faster it is to merge all layers and just distort the sprite as a single-layer entity, then just going back and fixing the mess left behind.
Fangrain is based on some kind of mustelid, but I can't remember exactly which one I based it off of. It is also themed after grains, specifically wheat, which is what its tail is based off of. It was surprisingly hard stylizing the tail to make it recognizable as wheat, but not having it be too cluttered and taking too much detail from the Pokemon itself elsewhere. The design is not one of my best, but it at least passes, and people who have seen it seemed to enjoy it. That's the ultimate goal in things like this for me, personally.
#2
Farmink
pitfall Pokemon
Type: Grass/ground
This Pokemon is a diligent hunter. It has tough claws that seriously pack a punch, but this Pokemon prefers to hunt using wits rather than raw power. It digs deep holes into the ground and covers them up afterwards, waiting for prey to fall in as it patrols its territory. Because it digs its territory full of these dreaded pitfalls and its territory often overlaps with human settlements, it was considered a pest - but people of old also appreciated this Pokemon for its ability to dig up wells and help with farming.
Farmink's sprite was pretty simple to do, although I had a lot of trouble getting the size and stature of the creature correct. Chronologically, it was not the second sprite I created - I created the sprites in sets, so I created the first stages of the Starter Pokemon first, then moved onto the second stages, and then finally the last ones. I did it this way mostly to get some nice sets of sprites to present before they were all done, and also to try and get the hang of sprite animation before moving onto the more complicated designs. Farmink was probably the fourth sprite I worked on, in that sense.
Out of all the starter mid-stage designs, Farmink was probably the most inconsistent due to me not knowing what to do with the tail. The middle stage of a Pokemon line is supposed to tie the first and last stages neatly together, but it also has to be unique enough to be able to stand on its own and make an impression. I feel like at the end of the day, Farmink turned out pretty well in that aspect. I based it off of a mink, and continued the grain motif by making it a digging creature, in reference to tilling the ground for planting crops.
#3
Wolveryene
Harvest Pokemon
Type: Grass/ground
These Pokemon patrol the vast woodlands of Falde in search of prey. As they keep watch over their territory, their scent is hidden by the smell of earth that emanates from the mud they cover their bodies with. Wolveryene craft and dry thick rings of mud on their tails - these are worn around their neck to shield the Pokemon from attacks to the throat. Back in the old days, farmers considered Wolveryene as a deity of harvests, with its appearance blessing families with healthy and plentiful crops. This Pokemon’s mud rings have long been considered to be lucky charms, which alongside some other factors caused it to be hunted to near-extinction before modern regulations were set in place.
Wolveryene's sprite was the first third-stage sprite that I worked on, but just working with a design this complicated and large without exceeding the limits of the canvas seemed like an impossible task. Even now, I think a better, more dynamic position for it would have been much more appealing, but I couldn't really pull it off. Even in the very slouched position that I managed to draw it in, there was barely any space left for animation. Even still, I feel like the sprite came out fairly well, and Wolveryene's design as a whole is one of my favorites.
Wolveryene gets its name and inspiration from wolverines, of course, thus finishing the evolutionary line's development from a little mustelid to a very large one. It still carries the grain motif from the very first stage, although it is better hidden - it has grain whiskers and two hairs on its tail just to tie the design together better. The "mud rings" on the design are actually designed after traditional Finnish rye bread. In terms of the design and the painfully bad pun name, Wolveryene is definitely one of my favorite Fakemon I've designed for my region.
#4
Slinder was the second Pokemon that I sprited for this project, which means that I made it in the same exact time-consuming way that I made Fangrain - every frame in lines first, then a unique color layer for each color in the Pokemon. I went very overboard with the animation for this sprite, but the end result came out as very fun and energetic, so I think it was a good choice despite being very eccentric.
Slinder has a very simple design that is still effective in my opinion. For a snake, it is very stubby and short, which increases its cute-value and makes it clear that it is a rookie.
Slinder
torch tongue pokemon
Type: fire
This Pokemon has a fiery tongue that it uses to repel predators. Despite its small size, it is a carnivore that swallows its prey whole, cooking them inside the scorching temperatures of its body. While its body temperature is incredibly hot, this Pokemon cannot produce such high temperatures on its own; it basks in the sun to soak up the rays and multiply its body temperature in mere minutes. When it’s all warmed up, it moves faster and spits out flames.
Slinder's name comes from the words cinder and slither, and it is based on a snake. It is specifically based on a smooth snake, which is technically not found in Finland at all, only Åland. I picked the species as a reference to it often being mistaken for the European viper, but not actually being venomous. Its fire-typing is based mostly on snakes' habits of basking in the sun and heating up their bodies that way; what if the acquired heat was much more extreme? Slinder is the answer to that question.
#5
fireper
omen pokemon
Type: fire/ghost
Fireper is a Fire/Ghost-type Pokemon, but its typing was controversial for a long time. It is a Pokemon that has been - and still is - largely feared across the Falde region. Countless mysterious deaths across the history of the region have been traced back to the bites of these Pokemon… which are completely painless, but deadly nonetheless. It was long thought to be a Poison-type Pokemon, but as research went on, it was discovered that it has no venom glands. It was then found out that this Pokemon’s bite kills its victims by draining out their life force. The age of this Pokemon can apparently be determined by the number of rings on its back; its body grows longer and more rings appear as it lives and absorbs the life force of others.
The change from Slinder to Fireper is a bit jarring, but I think it works well. The small, stubby snake turns into a somewhat evil-looking, long and slender one. When making snake Pokemon, it is somewhat difficult to not make them overlap with already existing ones, specifically Ekans or Dragonair in Fireper's case. Animating the patterns was a bit of a nightmare; animating the swirling, flaming orbs on the tail was pretty fun, however.
#6
Out of all the final starter evolutions, Viperdian's design was definitely the least consistent, changing almost completely multiple times. Making the sprite was challenging, and I wish I had more space to better work out the silhouette and animations of the character. Working out the spinning orbs on the neck was pretty fun. I enjoy the design of this Fakemon and the little details, such as the vaguely skull-shaped face pattern - but I am a little upset about how much its design overlaps with the water starter's final evolution. I really like them both and wanted Viperdian to look imposing, so people will just have to deal with that!
The Slinder evolution line borrows traits from each of the three snake species that exist in Finland. Fireper is mainly based on the European viper, which is where its infamy and vindictive, venomous bite comes from, but it also gets traits from the ringed snake. As vipers are feared and hated in Finland, so are Fireper in the Falde region. I originally planned for it to be a Poison-type, but then realized it would be much more interesting to design a Pokemon that people assumed to have a venomous bite, just to find out it has no venom glands at all - yet is still lethal without question. It adds to the mystique of it all.
viperdian
soul fire pokemon
Type: fire/ghost
Slinder’s final evolution is Viperdian, a Fire/Ghost-type Pokemon. The fire on the outside of this Pokemon’s body is harmless… until it utilizes its mysterious powers, causing the flames to glow a bright blue. Viperdian harnesses the spiritual energy of creatures that are caught in its smoke, and stores it in the pearls on its body, but it rarely utilizes this energy. This may be because in most cases, just the chilling stare of this Pokemon makes its target shudder, and anything trying to hurt this Pokemon will ultimately just harm itself. In the old times, these Pokemon were considered the guardian deities of farms and households, and were warmly welcomed in with a bowl of milk. Legend has it that if it were harmed, an inhabitant of the house it lived in would mysteriously fall ill.
Viperdian has my favorite lore out of all my starter Fakemon. It is still based on a viper, but thematically, it is very much based on the ringed snake - which I learned has a very in-depth mythology surrounding it in Finnish folklore. The mythology included in the text above is very, very closely based on what was really believed to be true of ringed snakes, and it was all a very beautiful coincidence. I knew I wanted a snake Fakemon before I even knew what kind of final design I was going for, and was honestly kind of stumped in terms of theme. Well, life finds a way, or should I say "frantic Wikipedia scavenging" finds a way.
#7
perble
bubble blower pokemon
Type: water
This Water-type Pokemon makes its home in lakes far inland, but it’s become exceedingly more rare due to overfishing and warming climates. Its case is not exactly helped by the fact that it is famously very good-natured, and maybe a bit dim-witted. This Pokemon is able to thrive in very cold waters due to its intriguing adaptations. It expels cold air from inside its body in the form of bubbles, which leaves it feeling nice and toasty even when the temperature is freezing. These bubbles are apparently very cold to the touch.
Perble was the third sprite that I made for this project, and it was definitely the most fun. The animation loop wasn't hard to create, but every single bubble was individually created, and the bubble popping animation brings the sprite some serious personality. Perble's design is colorful and turns a basic fish design into something very lovable in my opinion. It has some of the energy of a little kid blowing bubble gum.
#8
When it came to the Water-type starter, I thought: What is Finland perhaps the most famous for? Definitely the inland lakes, so I figured the starter had to be a freshwater fish. Perble is based on a perch and a young prince, and while Finland isn't a kingdom, we technically used to be. Perble just might be my favorite out of the first stages of the starters.
perprince
crown pokemon
Type: water/ice
This Pokemon is very rare and elusive. A single Perprince in the wild will claim a whole lake as its own, often traveling miles and miles across streams and even stretches of land to find a lake of their own to settle into. Although it is territorial, it is not violent and territory disputes between Perprince are settled with a simple competition to see which competitor can create the largest bubbles. The bodies of water it lives in are easy to tell apart due to the frozen bubbles it creates, which float up to the surface of the water. Although it lives in harmony with other inhabitants of its lake, it will hide away in the depths when it senses outsiders and will rarely show itself to such visitors.
Out of all the second-stage starters, Perprince is definitely the most traditionally designed one. It looks a lot like Perble, but older, ties together the first- and last stages pretty seamlessly, and looks a bit awkward. While the sprite animation for Perprince is quite simple, I enjoy the feel of the sprite and think it might be the cleanest one. The muted, less saturated versions of Perble's colors make it a much more mature-looking Fakemon, rather than the bright, childlike colors of its pre-evolution. The patterns of its body are based on clothes of royals.
Aside from the inland lakes, Finland is definitely famous for having rough winters, and many of the fish species are very resilient. I designed Perble's evolutionary line with this concept of cold-resilient fish in mind. In hindsight, the concept of this family expelling the cold out of their bodies in the form of bubbles is just a really odd version of a fridge. Perprince starts to embrace the concept of the cold bubbles more than Perble does, by having them around its neck like an expensive string of pearls. The bubbles on its nose are based on a moustache, but are also where nostrils should be, so it doesn't feel very out of place.
#9
It is known as the gentle ruler of lakes, living in harmony with the other inhabitants of its lake and looking after the weaker Pokemon. It is an elusive Pokemon that will seldom visit the surface of its home lake. It generates bubbles that radiate cold air, and as Royalota swims, the water temperature around it drops.This Pokemon’s coat of bubbles keeps its body cool during the hottest months of summer, but actually also insulates it during the winter. These bubbles are apparently sought after by humans for usage in freezers and refrigerating units.
royalota
snug pokemon
Type: water/ice
Royalota was a design that kind of just fell together, but I really struggled with finding a good name. Its final name ended up being a mixture of "royal" and "lota", from the burbot's scientific name, Lota Lota. It was the final starter Fakemon design that I both sprited and made the art for, and the art may look cleaner compared to the others because I made it after switching programs to Clip Studio Paint. The sprite itself turned out very well in my opinion, and there's even a little detail of the moustache bubbles swaying and overlapping with each other as they sway, which adds depth. Something nobody will actually notice unless I point it out, but I think it looks great.
Royalota is based primarily on the burbot, kings, and specifically Ahti, the god of water in Finnish mythology. It is meant to be a powerful yet kind and elusive guardian of its respective lake, and with the amount of lakes around, it's not like the competition is awfully tight. I really enjoy Royalota's design; it has a subtle gradient of colors and is generally made out of a lot of colors that are pleasing to the eye. The fins of the design form a royal crown and cape. The cluster of bubbles that connects to the cape is also meant to serve as something of a coat, but I ended up reducing the amount in the final design. The idea is that the coat of bubbles would insulate the creature, hence its categorization as the Snug Pokemon.
#10
Buffear
cape pokemon
Type: bug/fairy
They are known as Royals of the Plains, often seen dancing in open fields during the peak of summer. By vibrating their feelers, they are able to cause different emotions for people and Pokemon nearby. Their capes are actually modified pairs of wings, though they merely use these wings to glide, as they cannot truly fly. In spite of their cuddly appearance, their fur is infamous for causing relentless itching if touched.
Buffear was the final Fakemon I worked on for this project, and the only sprite with two versions made. The moth that Buffear is based on has distinct gender differences, so I wanted to reflect that in the sprites. As is probably obviously from the disparity between the sprites and art, I made the sprites after the art. When it comes to a Pokemon region, there is typically always at least one, if not two "early Bug-types" per region. Buffear isn't the main early Bug-type of my region, but it is a secondary early Bug-type, and I actually had already made a sprite of its pre-evolution, Irripillar, long before I even started this project!
Buffear is based on a type of moth called the Clouded Buff, but it is also vaguely based on hedgehogs and bears to bring it more of a creature-esque vibe and more interest. This is something of a visual pun based on the Finnish name of the species: karhusiilikäs. As for the name of this Fakemon - it was a nightmare! I realized WHILE I was typing this part of the project that I never came up with a finalized name, so I whipped one up at the spot, unfortunately.
In the middle is Buffear's pre-evolution, Irripillar, which is based on the caterpillar stage of this type of moth. They are black and incredibly fluffy... which is something that a child (me) would think right before picking it up to try what it feels like, just to immediately find out that the hairs are toxic and irritate the skin on impact. Well, some things you just have to find out the hard way.
I made Irripillar's sprite as a fun experiment before embarking on this journey, so it isn't exactly up to code, but since it exists I might as well include it.
Thanks for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed the Fakemon! This was a fun project overall, and I'm happy that I'm not the only one that got enjoyment out of it.