Ash Ketchum (Pokemon)

I'm going to be a Pokemon Master!

After making my Vulpix and Eevee, I'd had the idea to make some more Pokemon Pops. Having watched the anime since I was a kid, I decided that the iconic forever-10-year-old wannabe Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum, would be a suitable choice.

For the head I looked though Pops with hats, to see if I could avoid having to make one myself. I ended up choosing Glenn from TWD, as he not only had a cap on, but also had a spiky black tuft of hair poking out from under it that was very Ash (though facing the wrong direction, I acknowledge). I repainted the hat and added spikes of hair sticking out on the sides. I was tempted to try to do the little lightning bolt makes on his cheeks, but decided that it wasn't worth risking stuffing it up.

The Governor from TWD had good clothing to form the basis for Ash's body, though there were obvious obstacles. It would have been nice to have been able to put a Pokeball in Ash's hand, rather than the machete, however pose didn't allow for this. I went through my box of dissembled Pops to see if I could just steal someone else's hand for this, but none matched the size and angle that I was going to need. As such, I just sliced off the machete and put the Pokeballs on his belt. I trimmed down the watch and wristband and used those as the tops of his gloves. I also added in the cuffs on his pants. Then it was just a matter of painting.

I'm quite happy with how Ash turned out. I think that any Pokemon nerd would be able to recognise who it is supposed to be, which for me is mission accomplished. In the future I think I'll attempt a Pikachu custom to go with him, probably out of the newly released GITD Gir, since the original one is a bit pricey. Let me know what you think!

The Run Down:

Base Pop/s: head- Glenn (The Walking Dead 35), body- Governor (The Walking Dead 66)

Biggest Challenges:Trying to get some of the detail work done neatly, such as the logo on his hat.

How I'd Improve It: Fine details like the black outlining on his shoes. I still wish I could have found a hand that would have held a Pokeball nicely, too.

Eevee (Pokemon)

Eevee, I choose you!

 

After making my Vulpix earlier, I felt inspired to turn GoT Ghost into another favourite Pokemon of mine, Eevee. If I ever have a daughter, Eevee is on the shortlist for names, so it seemed like a cute addition to join the custom family.


Unlike Eevee, whose pointed foxy face worked well with Ghost's, Eevee has a much flatter face. As a result, I did a lot of remodelling of the face. I ended up using the back of the original head as my face. I also needed to do a lot of work on the ears, completely creating new ones from clay to replace the little ones already there. The body at least was just a straight forward paint job, with only a little extra clay added to make more of the ruff round the neck.

Because I'd used the back of the head, I didn't have any eyes to work from. I ended up cutting off the eyes of another pop and glueing them on to get around this issue. You don't want to have seen my attempt at painting them on myself. I immediately felt a strong sense of shame. To give you a rough idea, it reminded me of that episode of the Pokemon anime where the Ditto couldn't get faces right. Scary...

The Run Down:

Base Pop/s: Ghost (Game of Thrones 19)

Biggest Challenges: Face shape and eyes

How I'd Improve It: Make the ruff bigger, make the head a bit more smooth.

Vulpix (Pokemon)

Vulpix, I choose you!

 

I've loved Pokemon since I got Pokemon Blue and a Gameboy Pocket for my 10th birthday. I think I was born at just the right time, the Pokemon sweet spot, because I was old enough to enjoy it and grow up with it. In 1999, year 5 at school, I had an assignment on what I thought was the greatest invention of the millenium. Did I choose anything that has had widespread influence on our society? Yes, yes I did. Pokemon. I got an A, naturally.


My favourite has always been Vulpix. It's an adorable little fire-type fox with 6 tails. Vulpix can be calm, graceful, beautiful, but don't piss it off or you'll get a flamethrower to the face. I like that; I can relate to that seemingly innocent exterior. A couple of years ago I cemented my love for Vulpix with my first tattoo. Now that I've gotten in Pop customs, it seemed only natural to create this cute little spitfire.

I used Ghost from Game of Thrones because it not only gave me a pretty good starting shape to work with, but the white colour made painting an easier task down the track. For the tails, I put one layer of the six using the original tail as a support structure. I baked this, then proceeded to slice away most of the original tail before doing the back of the tails. If I hadn't done this, they would have been far too thick and ugly. I also added some little touches to give it personality, like the foot raised and the head cocked. I don't know about you, but I think it's just the cutest!

The Run Down:

Base Pop/s: Ghost (Game of Thrones 19)

Biggest Challenges: Making the 6 tails of Vulpix

How I'd Improve It: Getting the base colour a little different. Everything I tried to mix just didn't feel right, but in the end I went with what was closest.