Pokemon Go Avatar | Posted: Nov. 11, 2016, 1:29 a.m.

Media: 0.7 mechanical pencil and 0.8 Micron pen on sketchbook paper

Time: ~30 minutes

I drew this piece a few weeks after I went to the 2016 San Diego Comic Con. I had the opportunity to attend the Pokemon Go panel hosted by Chris Hardwick and Niantic founder John Hanke. It was amazing just to hear how and why John Hanke created Pokemon Go. He stated that as a child, he always viewed reading maps as a game. He realized that cities had so many cool features to offer their residents, like sculptures, parks, museums, etc. He wanted to make exploring a city fun and interactive. I also had no idea that Niantic was founded out of Google and Hanke had worked on Google Maps and Earth for years before he worked on Niantic projects.

So when I wanted to practice drawing in August, I immediately thought of my Pokemon Go Avatar. I drew most of the piece without using a reference. However, when it came to details, like the logo on the hat, I had to use a reference.

I attended a few figure drawing sessions on campus back in spring quarter of 2016, which definitely helped me improve my anatomy drawing skills. I still have a long way to go before I can draw dynamic poses without using references.

My goal for this year is to work on dynamic, especially action, poses.