ONE SHOT: LAURA BIFANO’S HALF-REMEMBERED VAPOREON

My favorite illustration from one of my new favorite game/art sites is this Vaporeon, via Pokemon From Memory, a new undertaking from artist Laura Bifano, who by her own admission “hasn’t seen a Pokemon since [she was] 12”, and otherwise only relies on the descriptions sent in by request — basically, and awesomely, a 21st century version of 18th-19th century zoological illustrations from far-flung explorers.

In this particular case, the request came from Toronto indie dev Damian Sommer (he of the previously-featured Comics Vs Games submission The Yawhg), who supplied only that a Vaporeon has “a body sort of like a dog, except for its mermaid-like tail. It also has a short face, big black eyes and a raised spine. Its head has three fins on it, and around its collar is what I guess would best be described as a frill?” I’d say she basically nailed it.