CAP 31 - Art Submissions

[Raakshi]

Final Submission

Long time lurker, first time feeling bold enough to submit! I was feeling a Egyptian-inspired hybrid design with the prompt and abilities. The broadness and wall-like build of the body is supposed to convey the imposing channeling power of a river dam- for Water Absorb- as well as the tankiness of the stats. The use of sandy coloration and Sphinx is intended to bring home the ground typing. The Sphinx elements also gave me a excuse to load it up with cut gem-looking pieces for Diamond Storm and compliment the high attack stat: a deadly, sturdy desert treasure.

Thank you for your time and best of luck to everyone, every CAP I'm in awe of the wild artistry that comes out for it!

Supporting Material
Full Resolution Version

 

[Ultra Shinox]

WIP
My 3rd attempt at making something, it's based of making something half-decent, it's based of of a calico box crab with a lil royal crown on it.

 

[DougJustDoug]

Final Submission

MAIN DESIGN

SUPPORTING MATERIAL​

Concept Art
Link to concept artwork showing various design elements and action poses:


(Click the thumbnail for the full-size artwork)

Design Progression
Link to an animation of my progress from sketch to finished artwork:

(Click the thumbnail for the full-size animation exceeding 500kb)

Description
I call this design "El Vaquero". I pulled inspirations from a mix of Spanish cowboys and gunfighters, flamenco dancing, western desert motifs and even a little bit of Zorro. My wife is a Mexican-American and I speak Spanish well, so I had a lot of fun peppering this submission with Spanish influences.

I think all the major CAP competitive elements are fairly apparent in this design. You can see illustrations of some of the major influences and design elements in the concept art, which also shows some of the little things that can't be seen in the main design. Things like how the cactus arms connect to the torso with a root-like base, or the little diamond "spurs" it has.

This is the first time I have ever done a final submission using colored pencil (well, colored pencil brushes in PS, but yeah). I always sketch in pencil, but with the ground typing for this CAP, I thought the grainy pencil look was appropriate here for the final render. It was also fun for me to do coloring and shading with pencil strokes for the first time in years. I hope you like my media choice.

As always, there are lots of great designs this CAP and congratulations to all the amazing CAP artists! ¡Ándale!

 

[Darek]

Final Submission

Stained Glass Lizard is pretty cool methinks

 

[Magistrum]

Final Submission

MAIN DESIGN

This is my CAP 31 design entry, based on the Anglerfish.

SUPPORTING MATERIAL

(Click thumbnails for higher res images exceeding 500kb)​

Design Justification

We all know Pokemon is no stranger to using water-dwelling animals and turning them into monsters on land. The Land Shark. The Desert Croc. The Soil Crab. The Sand Hippo.

NOW ENTER: THE CAVE-DWELLING ANGLERFISH.

The Diamond Storm cue is predominantly given away by the lure -- a glowing Yellow Diamond crystal chunk. This lure also doubles as an elastic limb to perform Power Whip with. Its glowing body parts are reminiscent of a Deep Sea Anglerfish's Bioluminescence, attracting would-be prey.

Stats and Abilities

70/120/105/65/130/90

Water Absorb and the above stats are justified by the Anglerfish's design alone -- all the canon Water Absorb mons who are non-cacti are water-dwelling animals after all. Furthermore, its fellow angler Lanturn also has Water Absorb which is a free pass in my book. The 70/105/130 bulk can be attributed to its round bloated fish bod while the 120/65/90 offenses are clearly shown by its massive jaws, rough protrusions and the spiky rock it uses as a lure.

You might think Serene Grace doesn't vibe well with this design, until you take a look at the mons that get it. Putting aside the legendaries, the ones that get it are a family of fat blobs, a family of winged fat blobs and a fat blob snek.

Supporting Art
AB
(A) Preliminary Sketch, (B) Proposed Size
(Click thumbnails for higher res images exceeding 500kb)

CLOSING REMARKS​

Yes, after 2 consecutive fails of finalsubbing on the previous CAPs, I got it done this time! Thanks Genshin. Despite submitting this late I still enjoyed making this derpy fat chonky fishboi, and I hope you like him too. Good luck to everyone!

 

[noobiess]

So many creative entries!
Here is mine :)

Final submission

It is based on head-carrying, indian culture, matka pots (indian clay water pots) and strong motherly figures.

I see this pokémon as a very joyfull and caring pokémon and it is often busy taking care of others. Frequently they travel great distances to get water from rivers and transport is back to quench the thirst of their tribe/off-spring. Despite the weight of the pot, they never seem in a bad mood. However this pokémon is very protective of people and pokémon close to it, and will attack without hesitation if somebody poses a threat to them. It can squash opponents with its heavy pot or by spinning fast to fire off the tear-shaped diamonds on its body. The head piece can be used to deliver powerfull blows.
This pokemon can also change the porosity of its clay. As traditional matka pots, transported water is kept fresh this way by evaporative cooling. Sometimes, it is found in slow-current rivers or ponds, where it used the water to make the clay of the pot bendable again. It can thereby reshape the clay pot by spinning it on its head and using its head piece as hands.

Justification
I feel this CAP has been very challenging to design a fitting pokémon for. Making a pure ground type with diamond storm + water absorb without making it look rock/water type is not an easy task. So I tried to focus on that.
I already had an idea in the back of my mind of designing a pokémon around head-carrying one day, so I thought this would be the ideal moment for this.
Along the way I learned that aside from African culture, head-carrying is also big part of Indian culture and decided to go with that theme.
I tried to incorporate parts of the Indian culture in there (colors, clothes,...) without making it steriotypical. I hope I did it justice :)

Ground type: a concept around clay pots (Indian matka pots) seems very fitting for this
Abilities: Water absorb seems perfect, certainly because in Japanese it is translated as "water storage". Serene grace was a nice bonus ^^
Stats: 70/120/105/65/130/90 was the goal. As I had some flexibility in the proportions of my design, I used Claydol (60/70/105/70/120/75) a bit as a reference. Pot-related pokémon in general have a high sp. def. and a decent defence. My design also looks bulky but a bit more streamlined compared to claydol giving it a bit more speed (75 to 90). I didn't want to give my design super muscular arms or anything like that, since it wouldn't fit. Instead the strength is demonstrated with the carrying of the heavy pot on her head. For me it is still magic how these people are able to carry such a heavy weight on their heads for such long distances! It is also a bit of the reference of the strength of a motherly figure. Tsareena also has an attack stat of 120, so this felt fine.
Moves: For diamond storm, I added the drop-shaped diamonds. By rapidly spinning they could be fired off at the opponent. Rapid spin also looks very fitting for this. The recovery-move also refers to the refilling of the pot with water. I also see this design performing some kind of traditional dance, enabling it to learn swords dance. Moves like overheat also seem to match due to its vibrant colors (and a bit of a reference to angry moms ^^). Power wip could be done by using the headpiece.

 

[Amamama]

Final Submission

Design Justification

The Design is originally based on a visual pun on Tardigrades which are roughly called “cute little bear animals” in German (TIL that apparently they are called Water Bears in English, so that’s even better), which in the design translates to a bear shaped and sized animal with 6/7 limbs (depending on if you count the tail).

The second main component is the Calabash/Gourd shape, which gives it its iconic form.
This in turn ties in with the secondary visual elements like the banded face and body, that originate from the Yokai Tanuki, which is known for carrying around a Gourd bottle filled with Sake.

The Diamonds are justified by Tardigrades being some of the most durable animals that exist and much like Diamonds are hard to destroy.

Water Absorb is both justified with the Gourd shape being a literal Water Tank and with Tardigrades famously being able to entirely dry out and be revived by the smallest amount of water.

The colors take inspiration from Present day Sake Barrels which often are brown/white with bright green and red accents.

For the stats I tried to model the bulk of the body and leg as well as arm size roughly off Kangaskhan, which has the same Speed and is still fairly bulky looking. Obviously the round Gourd shape exaggerated these proportions, but I think that ties in well with the high defenses.
It’s physical strength is obvious with its 7 really strong extremities and tough sharp claws.

Supporting Material

Make sure to click on the Thumbnail-Titles to see the full images.

Character Sheet	Graphic Novel	High Resolution Image

 

[Scizivire]

Final Submission

Design Justification

This design is based on the broad-tailed gecko, with different geckos and lizards used for the patterns. The Ground type is mostly justified by the colors, and the pattern resembling specks of muds on its body. For Water Absorb, it as an inflatable sack in its tail which is used to store water in a similar way that various gecko species store any excess energy in their tails. It can use Diamond Storm by pressurizing the stored water, which shoots the crystals on its tail out.

Supporting Material

Proportions, inflated tail, face

 

[Bloopyghost]

Final Submission

A searing wind sweeps by, practically evaporating the sweat off of your skin. Another step, another light crunch from beneath your feet. And just how many steps have you taken thus far? Must be thousands at this point. The valleys of endless sand have yielded nothing despite how long you've been searching. The tomb in which riches beyond your wildest dreams lies. Was it all a fabrication? All this time walking and looking at nothing but sand, sand and more sand; was it all for nothing? As your last glimmer of hope begins to fade, you catch a glimpse of something. Something that isn't just sand. Something that you've been looking for.

With your eyes widened and heart pounding, you rush towards the sandstone structure, daring to enter and raid its limitless treasures. Say though, is the sand sinking a bit more than usual? Before you can second guess yourself, the pyramid you were just about to barge into suddenly begins to shake and rise. The sand around you swirls into the air, knocking your ass off your feet. And right before your very eyes, the sand takes on the form of a giant serpent. A pair of pupils appear from the pyramid's dark entrance, which is now standing atop four scaly legs built like tree trunks. Suddenly, a rhythmic tune starts to echo from the pyramid's chamber.

Inspirations

Inspirations

• My design is inspired by the Egyptian pyramids along with other Egyptian iconography.
• The pyramid acts as a sort of shell for the Pokémon to evoke a tortoise, a reptile accustomed to desert life and there also are Egyptian tortoises.
• The sand serpent is specifically modeled after a serpopard, a mythical feline with an incredibly long neck that can be found in ancient Egyptian art.
  • The decision to use a serpopard was actually inspired by the character Eliza from Skullgirls, specifically her standing medium punch Siren Serpopards.
    • The intertwining serpopards and Eliza's ability to morph her blood/body were also the inspirations behind the swirling shape of the sand and the Pokémon's main power respectively, although the power to control sand is not an uncommon one in media.
• The sand serpopard's crystal eyes were loosely inspired by the Eye of Horus, one of the most famous ancient Egyptian symbols commonly depicted in ancient Egyptian jewelry and amulets, though here it is greatly simplified to reduce visual clutter.
• The yellow diamonds were inspired by Libyan desert glass, a mineral of apparently unknown origin that was often crafted into Egyptian jewelry to be worn by pharaohs.
  • While the origin of Libyan desert glass is uncertain, other kinds of glass are typically formed from compressed and heated sand. The status of Libyan desert glass as a precious mineral along with its association with sand matches well with a Ground-type that is able to use Diamond Storm. I decided that this Pokémon, in addition to being able to freely control sand, has the power to rapidly heat and compress sand to form sparkling yellow gems as its means of using Diamond Storm.
    • Mummified pharaohs were often decorated with jewelry and their tombs filled with treasures, furthering the connection between Diamond Storm and this design's Egyptian theming.

Supporting Material

Development

1st iteration, from a batch of quick warmup doodles

2nd iteration, went for a treasure turtle look

3rd iteration, incorporating Egyptian themes, basis for final render

4th iteration, warmup sketch

final sketch

Neutral BG	Rough Size	Alternate Angles + Expressions	Extras

 

[T-Okay]

Final Submission

 

[Gaboswampert]

Final Submission

It is based on crabs, hermit crabs, pirates, chests, and one of its eyes is an red X, making reference that where is an red x, there is a treasure

Supporting Material

Support Art

All of what i did since the 1st wip

Okay so, i had planned to have some ideas, and then see what ideas where better... that didnt happen =)
My fav first ideas (without counting the mole of the first wip):

Then, the ideas didnt really seem good, and i just suddently had this idea, a sand sculpture queen, i think i really liked how it looked, but i didnt saw the many flaws it had, and that i also added some new inspirations, so i had to change the design:

Then, i started doing sketches of the base idea of the sand sculpure, but now it was a rook, and a castle, this one was considered the best one:

But this one was by far my preffered one, in fact, im doing an evo line inspired of this design =):

Then, i also got the idea of a squid, that i will probably use:

I also had this idea of a rhino or a mamooth... and i tottaly forgot rhyperior and mamoswine existed for 2 days, i also didnt know how to relate it to the ground type, or the sand, so i didnt show it:

And thats it =), after that, i got the idea of doing the crab, and it was my best idea yet.

 

[Unsee]

Final Submission

moo

Design Justification

Based on Georgia O'Keeffe's cow skull paintings and a sprinkle of Día de los Muertos.

Water Absorb: man give this friend some water please she is very thirsty and her body is tearing apart and crystallizing

Serene Grace: sparkly and bloomy

 

[Pinesmoke]

Final Submission

Supporting Material

It’s a cave salamander with armor and weaponry made from a mythical armadillo Pokémon. Each gemstone represents one of the stars in the Orion constellation, granting powerful magic abilities.

Ground-type: It lives in a cave.
Diamond Storm: It can throw its gem-studded club and shield.
Water Absorb: It’s a salamander that loves the water.
Serene Grace: The ability’s Japanese name, Heavenly Blessing, fits perfectly as it is literally blessed by the heavens, receiving protection and good luck through its mystical connection to the stars.

580 BST: It hunts and kills legendary Pokémon, and uses equipment made from their powerful bodies.
70 HP: At about 4 feet tall, it is smaller than most other Pokémon of the same power level.
120 Atk: It has a large club.
105 Def: It has armor and a shield.
65 SpA: It never went to school.
130 SpD: The magic gems protect it from special attacks.
90 Spe: Due to its small size, it is very nimble and evasive.

 

[BlorengeRhymes]

Final Submission

its a blinged up glove hydra, or something. it was originally just based off earthworms. i made this in 2 hours and want to go to bed thanks

 

[Yokaiju]

Final Submission

Based on a Toadhead Agama, as well as thorny devils/horny toads. It whips up sand(diamond)storms with its breath, adding the shards of its own spines to the mix.
Supporting art under spoiler-

Hide

Spineless+closed mouth
Diamond Storm
Water Absorb
Serene Grace

Stat justification-
BST 580- It's a large, fierce mon with a decent amount of detail-to-surface area; roughly comparable to a regi
HP 70- It relies on its crystal armour to protect it, so wouldn't be durable beyond it
ATK 120- Gigantic claws and jaws
DEF 105- The armour on its body protects it
SPA 65-It's more of a physical combatant, with not many ways to attack non-physically
SPD 130- The Crystals are very resistant to magical/nonphysical attacks
SPE 90-The kind of lizards' it's based on are capable of extreme bursts of speed

 

[lezzy cuttlefish]

Final Submission

Design Justification

PLAY BALL! This is an entire baseball diamond that is also a pitcher, except the ball is an actual diamond and the storm is a mean curveball. Water absorb is represented in the time honored tradition of ground-type sea creatures, in this case an ambush star - for both flatness, and for the predatory tenacity our high attack stat suggests. This design is lightly built but resilient to confer 31's combination of low HP and high defenses - and it is a spry athlete, appropriate to our high speed tier. It is able to lie flat on the ground to pretend to be a real baseball diamond, during which periods its disposition is utterly serene.

Supporting Material

-Its limbs are elastic, and may coil, stretch, or snap like rubber bands to add power to its pitches.
-It lays flat as camoflauge in order to lure unsuspecting prey; it's a reverse ambush star!
-The glove, baseplates and "socks" are part of its body. The hat is not.

 

[DougJustDoug]

Disqualifications:

• Moomany: Image is on transparent background, image does not have outlines around entire design.
• noobiess: "Final submission" isn't first line of post.

Everyone else advances to Art Poll 1!