A barista with a passion for illustration is on is on a mission to draw all 720 characters from the Pokémon video game.
Alec Jones, 29, who works at Starbucks at Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham, is a huge fan of the global media franchise, which started off as a game on Nintendo’s Game Boy console.
It now spans trading card games, comic books, toys, animated TV shows and films.
In it, humans capture fictional creatures called Pokémon and train them to fight each other.
The aim of the game is to catch every single Pokémon, and now Alec is taking that to a whole new level. In the original game there are a 151 to capture, which has since expanded to 720. Alec has drawn 75 so far – including fan favourite Pikachu.
They are all showcased on his Tumblr page www.everysinglepokemon.tumblr.com.
The talented illustrator, whose work has been showcased in exhibitions from Wrexham to London, says the Pokemon obsession is just a hobby.
He said: “I’ve set myself a massive challenge because there are hundreds of Pokémon. It’s going to take me years to complete. I started the Tumblr site two years ago. As far as I’m aware no other fan artist has drawn all of them.
“I’m a massive Pokémon fan, and have been since the first games came out on the Game Boy. I would have been about 11. I played it as a kid in the back of my parents’ car.
“I don’t have one favourite Pokémon. Pikachu the mascot of the series is great. I like Charmander the fire starter, Squirtle the water one, and Bulbasaur the plant one as well.
“I also do a lot of other fan art as well as the Pokémon stuff. I do another classic video game, Zelda, a lot. My favourite video games are from Nintendo.”
Former Darland High School pupil Alec, who lives in Wrexham, studied Art and Design for A Level at Yale College (now Coleg Cambria), before completing an Honours Degree in Illustration at NEWI (now Glyndŵr University).
He said: “I’ve been into drawing from a young age – since I can remember really. It’s always been my favourite thing to do.
“I’m inspired by a lot of things. I’m really into Japanese aesthetics. I always try my best to make things minimal and simple, which probably takes more time because I’m a perfectionist. I aim to make my drawings simple but with more depth, which is often more difficult.
“I like to experiment a lot and get out of my comfort zone because that’s what art is. I also do a lot of abstract shapes. The type of drawing I do has changed a lot over the years.
“There is a really good artist called Mararky who is a very big influence on me. He’s a London based street artist. He’s amazing. He changed my perspective on style. I learned about linocut techniques
“I’ve done a couple of exhibitions at Grove Park in Wrexham. That’s mostly landscape work.
“I draw a lot of landscapes. I love drawing the coastal paths. My favourite places to draw are Abersoch and Harlech. The coastline in that area is just amazing. It’s my favourite place in the world to go. I sell quite a few landscapes and it’s nice that people enjoy my work.
“My work has also been displayed in an art gallery in Shoreditch in London. It was to help promote the single of a band called Emperor Yes. One of my friends knew a member of the band and they found out about my work through him. It was an incredibly exciting thing to be a part of.
Eagles Meadow manager Kevin Critchley said: “I think Alec is an incredibly talented young man. We’re lucky to have so many interesting people working here at Eagles Meadow. Alec has certainly given himself a big challenge and I wish him all the best with it.”
