PERSONAL PROJECT — 2026
POKÉMON:THE WESTERN SERIES
ORIGINAL PAINTING SERIES · VISUAL STORYTELLING · WORLD-BUILDING
Pokémon: The Western Series is an ongoing personal painting project that reimagines familiar Pokémon characters inside a darker, post-apocalyptic Western world.
The series began as an exploration of what would happen if these characters were removed from the world we recognize—without their trainers, without the safety of their original environment, and forced to survive in a landscape shaped by the aftermath of a catastrophic event.
Each painting introduces another piece of that world. Characters are given new roles, motivations and relationships while still preserving the personality traits that made them recognizable in the first place.
DISCIPLINES
Concept Development · Visual Storytelling
Character Development · Acrylic Painting
FORMAT
Original Painting Series
YEAR
2026 — Ongoing
CHARACTERS
Cubone · Eevee · Arcanine · Gengar · More to Come
02 / THE WORLD
THE TRAINERS
ARE GONE.
A catastrophic event has reshaped the Pokémon world.
Most humans are gone. Pokémon have been separated from their trainers, communities have collapsed, and the world they once understood has become a dangerous landscape of abandoned places, hidden settlements and unanswered questions.
Without trainers to guide them, Pokémon have been forced to adapt. Some travel alone. Others form new communities. Some protect what remains.
And somewhere in the shadows, Team Rocket survived.
THESE AREN'T NEW CHARACTERS.
THEY'RE FAMILIAR CHARACTERS FORCED TO BECOME SOMETHING NEW.
The Western Series explores how personality, loyalty, fear and identity might change when the world surrounding these characters disappears.
03 / CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
FAMILIAR CHARACTERS.
NEW LIVES.
The characters in The Western Series aren't redesigned simply to fit a Western aesthetic. Each one is given a new purpose shaped by what happened to the world around them.
I begin with recognizable elements of each Pokémon—their personality, history, abilities or visual identity—and ask how those traits might evolve in a harsher world without trainers.
The result is a growing cast of survivors, protectors and threats whose individual stories gradually reveal the larger world.
01 / CUBONE
THE SURVIVOR
The storyboard called for a clear before-and-after view inside the trash bin, but a standard bin made the interior difficult to capture on camera.
I developed a practical solution: remove a section of the bin wall while preserving the recognizable exterior, giving the camera an unobstructed view inside.
ROLE
Wanderer / Survivor
TRAIT
Resilient · Guarded · Independent
STATUS
Unaffiliated
02 / EEVEE
THE RUNAWAY
Eevee enters the story in motion—running through the darkness from a threat the viewer cannot yet see.
Her story intersects with Cubone's, expanding the world beyond his solitary journey and suggesting that something more dangerous is moving through the landscape.
ROLE
Runaway / Survivor
TRAIT
Adaptive · Alert · Vulnerable
CONNECTION
Encounters Cubone
03 / ARCANINE
THE WATCHER
Arcanine isn't wandering.
From elevated ground, he watches the surrounding landscape and evaluates those approaching a hidden Pokémon community. His role is part protector, part gatekeeper—using experience and instinct to decide who may be a threat and who may be allowed inside.
Through Arcanine, the series begins revealing that Pokémon haven't only survived individually. Some have rebuilt together.
ROLE
Protector / Gatekeeper
TRAIT
Perceptive · Disciplined · Protective
ALLEGIANCE
Hidden Community
04 / GENGAR
THE WEAPON
Gengar reveals the other side of this world.
Captured and altered by Team Rocket, part of his body has been replaced with machinery—including a weapon integrated into one arm and technology connected to his head and vision.
His natural abilities haven't disappeared completely, but they are restricted. Team Rocket's technology allows them to regulate what he can do while turning what remains into something they can control.
ROLE
Hunter / Enforcer
TRAIT
Dangerous · Unpredictable · Controlled
ALLEGIANCE
Team Rocket — Involuntary
04 / VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
FROM STORY
TO COMPOSITION.
Once a character's role in the world is established, I begin developing the image around the story I want that painting to communicate.
Composition, perspective, environment, lighting and pose are chosen to reveal something about the character before the viewer knows the larger story.
Rather than treating each painting as an isolated portrait, I approach it like a frame from a larger film—a single moment that suggests something happened before it and something is about to happen next.
05 / THE PAINTING PROCESS
LIMIT THE TOOLS.
TRUST THE DECISIONS.
Once the composition is established, the project moves from visual development into physical painting.
I deliberately work with a limited set of tools, reducing the number of brushes and materials available to me. Instead of relying on more options, the limitation forces me to make clearer decisions about shape, value, texture and where detail actually matters.
The goal isn't to reproduce every piece of information in the reference. It's to identify what the image needs in order to communicate the character, atmosphere and story—and remove what doesn't contribute.
THREE BRUSHES.
For some pieces in the series, I intentionally restricted myself to only three brushes—even with many more available.
The limitation removes unnecessary choices and forces me to solve problems with what is already in my hand.
06 / THE SERIES CONTINUES
ONE WORLD.
ONE STORY AT A TIME.
The Western Series is designed as an evolving story rather than a collection of unrelated paintings.
Each new character reveals another part of the world. Cubone introduced the survivor. Eevee suggested that something was hunting them. Arcanine revealed that Pokémon had begun protecting and rebuilding communities. Gengar exposed the larger threat operating behind the scenes.
The complete story isn't predetermined. The world continues to develop as new characters, relationships and conflicts are introduced through each painting.
FROM THE STUDIO TO THE SHOW FLOOR.
The series has also become part of how I connect with audiences in person. I've brought the paintings to Nona Nerds Pokémon events, exhibited the originals and continued developing new pieces through live painting.
Seeing people stop, ask about the characters and engage with the artwork has reinforced what interests me most about the project: creating familiar imagery that makes someone curious about the larger story behind it.
THE PAINTING IS THE IMAGE.
THE STORY IS WHAT CONNECTS THEM.
THE WESTERN SERIES — ONGOING / 2026
LET'S WORK
TOGETHER.
Have a project, opportunity or idea you'd like to bring to life?
I'd love to hear about it.