Few artists have been as influential in the TCG space as Mitsuhiro Arita. A key part of the original Pokémon Trading Card Game design team, Arita helped establish the look of the original Kanto monsters and created indelible images for cards like Pikachu and Charizard.
Arita has hardly sat idle since that initial success, and has been a reliable contributor to the Pokémon Trading Card Game over the years, with nearly 700 cards to his credit. The artist has also specialized in card games based on other popular franchises, including Monster Hunter and Shin Megami Tensei.
Now, with the release of Magic: The Gathering’s Bloomburrow set, many MTG players are getting to know Arita’s work for the first time.
Lumra, Bellow of the Woods is one of Bloomburrow’s standout cards. This colossal Calamity Beast has a huge impact both on and off the battlefield thanks to its powerful mechanics and great variety of art variants.
Arita has illustrated one of the borderless variants of Lumra and the artist’s incredible technique is on display for all to see, with a style that might surprise those who most associate Arita with his original Pokemon designs.
We asked Arita a few questions about his process and experiences when he first started designing for Magic. We’re excited to share his translated answers—which have been lightly edited—with you, especially now that Bloomburrow has been released and received extremely positively.
Bloomburrow discussion with Mitsuhiro Arita
WotC/The Pokemon Company/Mistuhiro AritaDexerto: What was the experience like working with Wizards on Magic for the first time?
Mitsuhiro Arita: I enjoyed it because I like the feel of high fantasy. It was also great that my autonomy as an artist was valued.
When and how did Wizards contact you and ask if you wanted to work on Bloomburrow?
The cThe contact was made by email in the middle of last year. It was handled by Kogado Studio, a company thatmanages art inquiries in Japan.
Was the Lumra: Bellow of the Woods map given to you specifically to design, or did you create it yourself?
first the graphics and then Wizards built the card design around it?
There were rough sketches of Lumura drawn by Matt Stewart, and I had his sketches along with some
additional requests. I think game design was a priority.
The realistic style you used for Lumra: Bellow of the Woods is very different from most
your other artwork. Was this something that Wizards encouraged, or a decision you made to
Differentiate the work?
For this picture I simply asked myself: “What kind of Mitsuhiro Arita artwork would I like to have in
MTG?” That’s how I approach work in general – I don’t look for a consistent style, I just draw whatever I want.
I want to see.
Coincidentally, I have worked on a large number of similar projects, including the Culdcept
games, the Berserk movie and FINAL FANTASY. Many of the pictures can be viewed on my website
under Culdcept Artworks, so feel free to check them out.
Would you consider working on Magic: The Gathering again after your experience at
Bloomburrow?
Some jobs are not so cheap in terms of time and other conditions. But for this project,
I was very satisfied. Of course I would like to work with them again.
Are there any Magic: The Gathering cards you’d like to redesign?
Maybe Black Lotus… just kidding.
