Collecting basics3 min read
By House of Holos
Collecting Pokémon cards by illustrator
Where to find the artist on a card, who has drawn the most cards, ways to scope an illustrator collection, and how to track it.
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Every Pokémon card is drawn by someone, and many collectors end up with a favorite. Collecting by illustrator means gathering the cards one artist drew, across every set and era. It’s a way to build a collection around a style you love, and there’s always another card to find.
Find the illustrator on a card
The illustrator is printed in small type along the bottom of the card, after “Illus.” On most cards it sits in the bottom left corner, and it’s there on cards from the very first sets to the newest. On a card’s page on House of Holos, the illustrator’s name links to all of their cards.
Who drew the most cards
The House of Holos catalog credits more than 400 illustrators. A few have drawn cards for the game since it began:
- Mitsuhiro Arita drew the original Base Set Charizard and Pikachu, and more than 700 cards in all.
- Ken Sugimori is credited on more than 1,100 cards.
- Kagemaru Himeno and Kouki Saitou each have more than 650.
- 5ban Graphics, a studio rather than one artist, is credited on more cards than anyone: more than 1,700.
The artists page lists everyone, with the illustrators who have the most cards at the top.
Choose a scope
A long career can mean hundreds of cards, so it helps to narrow it down:
- Everything by one artist, for the completionists.
- One artist’s cards of one Pokémon, like every Pikachu a favorite illustrator drew.
- Full art and illustration rares only, where the art covers the whole card.
- One artist’s cards from one era, so the binder shares a look.
You can also mix both ideas: a living Pokédex where you choose each Pokémon’s card for its illustrator.
Track it on House of Holos
Each illustrator has a page listing every card they drew, from every set, like Mitsuhiro Arita’s. Signed in, the page shows how many of those cards you own and marks each one you have. You can also type an illustrator’s name into the search box to find their cards. See search tips.
For a binder, arrange an artist’s cards by release date to see their style change over the years, or by Pokémon. How to organize a binder covers page sizes and layouts.