Check out this awesome Pride art collab!
Pride Month may be over but that doesn’t mean support for the LGBT+ community has to stop, and this collab is a great example of continued celebration of LGBT+ Pride. The PMD Pride Project was an idea put forward by Reagentnein in which artists from the Pokémon community could draw their characters to be submitted for a series of Pride Pictures. Artists would draw their characters with Pride accessories representing their identities and then upload it to Deviantart with a transparent background. From there, Reagentnein would place them into a photo that fits their identity. To keep things concise and easier on Reagentnein, there would be five sections: Gay, Lesbian, Bi/Pan, Ace, and Trans/Non-binary. Other identities such as Demigirl or Demisexual would be sorted into one of these sections according to what they are most closely attributed. An artist could submit up to five characters for the project as a whole with a max of two per section.
We actually spotlighted this project when it first debuted last year and felt it was only right to give it a spotlight again this year. The project notably changed hands this year, being hosted by TheGalacticDragon, who put in a lot of hard work and elbow grease to get the backgrounds for these pieces finished within a month of the submission deadline. So without further ado, let’s check out the finished products down below!
This first picture, which is also featured as the thumbnail, is the Gay section of the piece. This piece is populated with seven different characters across six artists. On top of the characters all having some sort of pride accessory, TheGalacticDragon also brings out the gay pride flag element through a giant rainbow in the background while the characters rest in the clouds. Characters included are:
- Lance the Zorua by cinderdog23.
- Augustine the Zoroark by Mopruk.
- Valorent the Corviknight by PaintedSNEK.
- Yohann the Psyduck by Wooled.
- Pilot and Nathan the Pidgeot and Blastoise by Krisantyne.
- Pikaru the Pikachu by TeeterGlance.
Next is the Lesbian section! This picture has the largest group, boasting nine lovely ladies taking the stage to show off their pride. The accessories in this picture are some of my favorite because I love the scarves, outfits, and more that all of the characters are wearing. They’re all very stylish! Characters included are:
- Tashi and Esen the Pyroar and Lugia by TheGalacticDragon.
- Holly and Daniela the Bulbasaur and Skitty by EllaMayLowell.
- Dielle the Meowth by Wooled.
- Pumpkin and Shiso the Shaymin by NobleJanobii.
- Margo the Marshtomp and Dakota the Mawile by Accidental-Strix.
Up next is the Bi/Pan Pride section! This is one of the two condensed sections to save time on putting the project together. Unlike last year, this year the background is definitely more Bi oriented, likely due to the slightly higher majority of bisexual characters. Admittedly, it was a little disappointing to see only bi colors in the background this year given last year integrated both the bi and pan colors together so well. Since the two are separate identities with the distinction being important to many people, it feels a bit rude to group them together but then prominently celebrate one identity. Hopefully that can be rectified for next year. This section is also the smallest group, featuring five super cool characters Characters included are:
- Rune the Alolan Vulpix and Gossamer the Cresselia by Wooled.
- Midge the Mawile by Accidental-Strix.
- Mewie and Chrissy the Spheal and Vaporeon by cinderdog23.
This next section is another combination group, being the Trans/Non-Binary piece! This section features seven characters with most of the featured characters boasting transgender accessories, with a sprinkle of Genderfluid, Non-Binary, and Agender for some extra colors. This background is very cute with the pink and blue flowers on white hedges, but similar to the Bi/Pan piece, I was a little disappointed to see the lack of Non-Binary theming in the background. While Non-Binary does fall under the Trans umbrella, last year’s piece did make sure to prominently feature both identities in the background, so I am hopefully that they can be better blended together in the future. Characters included are:
- Stellar the Lopunny and Mawu the Hatterene by Shadowfuka.
- Kismet the Morgrem by Accidental-Strix.
- Inigo the Nidorina by Wooled.
- Shaylet the Shaymin by NobleJanobii.
- Cedric the Heatmor by Mopruk.
Last but certainly not least, the Ace pride section! Featuring a grand stage to house six characters, it’s the perfect piece to say curtains with and end it all. Characters included here:
- Rose and Judith the Charmeleon and Galarian Ponyta by NobleJanobii.
- Ronas the Mewtwo by Mopruk.
- Rain the Mudkip by TeeterGlance.
- Cinder and Domi the Quilava and Turtwig by cinderdog23.
Did you like what you saw? It’s great to see such collaborative efforts directed towards promoting the LGBT+ community. It serves as a reminder that while Pride Month may be over, we should never stop supporting the LGBT+ community and its members. And be sure to support all the artists featured here today as well. Until next time, see ya!
