For this edition of FanArt Friday, Pokémon Blog is honored to display the spectacular art of the talented Paula, also known by her pseudonym sadark_art. She has participated in the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth generations of the Pokédex Ilustrada, the ambitious project organized by the amazing team at Ilustradoras Unidas.
Defining her relationship with art is a challenging task for Paula because her journey has taken many twists and turns. After all, she began in the art world after completing her degree in geology.
“I always wanted to make comics, and I thought I could only achieve that dream by hiring someone else,” she confessed. “However, for many reasons, I ended up in a deep depression after I finished my bachelor’s degree, and I didn’t see any way out—until one day I started to experiment with an old digital tablet I had. I filled sketchbooks, watched a bunch of videos on YouTube, and even paid for some courses. Suddenly, I wanted to draw more and learn more seriously. I wanted to do something with geology and art—to build worlds, characters, and creatures—driven by the motivation to do it myself. Before I knew it, I was already enrolled in an institute to learn how to draw. Because of this, I think of art as something that gave me back the will to live and something I want to dedicate my daily life to, as difficult as it may seem at times.”
Pokémon is a franchise that has been in our artist’s life since childhood. She grew up watching the anime on TV.
“I have always loved the concept of capturing creatures, learning about their universe, the lore surrounding them, the world-building, and how everything works. As incredible as it sounds, I’m also a big fan of Jurassic Park, and it actually motivated me to major in Paleontology—the science that studies life from the past. Discovering new species feels just as cool to me as throwing a Pokéball,” she shared with the Pokémon Blog Team. “I got the chance to play the Pokémon games when I was older, specifically Ruby and Sapphire. Those were my first introduction to the world of video games. Then, I expanded to manga. I even collected Pogs, albums, and yogurt tops. I’ll never forget when I went to the movies to see the Mewtwo film and got my first card.”
According to Paula, life can be very unpredictable. Although the franchise has accompanied her throughout her childhood, teenage years, and now adulthood, she never imagined it would become a way to establish herself as an artist—or even turn into a professional tool.
“It all started with an Instagram challenge, and now I work with clients who like my style and commission illustrations of their favorite Pokémon or ask to expand the artwork on their cards. It makes me very happy every time someone requests a job or even just comments on something I share. My goal is to illustrate the complete Pokédex in my own style. I try to find as many free moments as I can to make progress on it, and I hope you all can see it very soon.”
Her favorite Pokémon is the most iconic Ghost-type of all time: the hauntingly beautiful Gengar.
“I love his face, his mischievous and malicious smile, his purple color, and his red eyes. Ghost is also my favorite type— it was a novelty in the first generation, since Gengar’s evolutionary line was the only one introduced in Pokémon Red and Blue. It really stood out, and I love all its stages,” she concluded.
Remember, you can follow our gifted featured artist on her Social Media Accounts:
You can see more of her extraordinary drawings and contributions to Pokédex Ilustrada below:
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