Aya Kusube
128 cards illustrated by Aya Kusube.
Aya Kusube brings a children's-book sensibility to Pokémon, and it makes complete sense once you know she's a picture-book writer and illustrator away from the cards, who also plans and edits children's publications. She's been drawing Pokémon cards since 1998 — properly old guard — and that storybook warmth runs right through her work: gentle, friendly, made to put a smile on a kid's face. In a game full of dramatic chase cards, artists like Kusube are the quiet heart of it. A lovely name to collect if you like your cards warm and welcoming.
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