Pixel Painting - The Elite Four (Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow)

It was only a matter of time before a Pokemon-themed painting came about. The buyer gave me a few ideas to work with, and this is the final result. I did a lot of experimenting in terms of how I wanted to present this one.

Once we had decided on the Elite Four (Kanto Region), I had to decide how exactly they would appear. Some ideas we wrestled with were:

Would I use the map sprites or battle sprites?

Would it stretch over one long canvas, or be split into four separate ones?

Would I use the original Red/Blue sprites, or the updated FireRed/LeafGreen versions?

We eventually decided on Red/Blue sprites, battle mode, one character per canvas. The next step was determining color vs. monochrome. Monochromatic choices were grayscale or pea-green.

Color choices were harder. The default Super Game Boy colors were the best choice (in my opinion), but also pretty bland overall.

The buyer suggested the Yellow version, Game Boy Color versions. He said that was the most vivid memory he had of battling the Elite Four. So I checked those sprites out.

Ugly. As. Hell.

So I guess what happened was due to whatever technical reason (available memory, etc), the "colorization" of the sprites had to be at the lowest possible level. It figures like this:

1) The monochrome sprites have black, white, and two shades of gray.

2) Black stays black, white stays white.

3) The two shades of gray have to stay all the same color, so that leaves us two colors to "colorize" the sprite with.

4) Is everyone in agreement with bright yellow and red? Those seem like realistic colors for people, right? Man, I'm bushed! Coffee break time!

Obviously, there was no way I would use those disgusting-looking sprites, and the buyer agreed after seeing them. Things from your childhood are usually different in reality from what you remember.

I liked the FireRed/LeafGreen color schemes, and I took the challenge of re-coloring the sprites myself, using the GBA versions as a foundation. I also did some edge cleaning, as some pixels stood out as looking sloppy. I think they turned out pretty good.

Last question was background. I have become tired of solid-color backgrounds (unless it really works for the painting), so I opted for something more dynamic. I toyed around with several options before settling on a Mega Man-esque background for each. Each canvas measures 20" x 20".

Lorelei

Bruno

Agatha

Lance

Now the buyer can wake up every day and be immediately invigorated to take on the day's challenges! Awesome!

Commissions are always welcome. Price varies based on the size and complexity of the sprite/scene. I moderate comments, so leave one with your contact email and request.