CGC Artist Showcase: Yukina Suzuki

When it comes to trading cards, the artwork featured is — to put it mildly — significant. Some collectors focus their collections on a particular artist (or artists) due to a preference in art style, proving just how impactful an artist’s work is to a product’s success.

The CGC Artist Showcase is a celebration of these artists’ accomplishments and contributions to our favorite TCGs. But this installment comes with a twist… We’re showcasing Yukina Suzuki, who sketched and signed cards as part of a series of CGC Signature Series signing events starting in December 2025, not because she created the art printed on Pokémon cards; rather, she uses the cards as canvas for her own interpretations of the characters.

About Yukina Suzuki

Yukina Suzuki is a celebrated artist who is recognized worldwide for her hand-painted illustrations, many of which she sketches on Pokémon cards. Suzuki turns ordinary energy cards into stunning Pokémon illustrations, usually showcasing iconic characters like Pikachu, Gengar, Mew and Charizard. In addition to creating her own Pokémon illustrations, Suzuki also offers commissions and showcases her illustrations at shows and exhibits. Yukina has also designed mascots for several companies and brands.

On December 5, 2025, CGC hosted a CGC Signature Series signing event with Yukina in China, marking her first-ever appearance at such an event. There, Yukina sketched and signed dozens of Pokémon illustrations on cards, which were then graded and encapsulated with the iconic CGC Signature Series yellow label. Here are some of our favorites:

Pikachu Looking Back Sketch

During Pokémon’s 25th anniversary, The Pokémon Company released a special promo box in collaboration with the Japanese postal service. The box contained several Pokémon-themed collectible postage stamps, a pre-built Pokémon TCG deck and two promo cards. One of the promo cards included is “Pikachu Looking Back,” a card based on the famous “Beauty Looking Back” stamp, which was originally illustrated by Hishikawa Moronobu and released in 1948.

Yukina re-created the beautiful woman and the Pikachu on her shoulder in a stunning sketch on this Lightning Energy card. Unlike the Japan Post promo, Yukina chose to adorn Pikachu in a Mario outfit, complete with a mustache.

Mega Charizard X and Umbreon

Don’t let Yukina’s cartoonish art style fool you — her illustrations capture even the toughest Pokémon (like this Charizard) with just the right level of ferocity and grace. Using markers and bold colors to highlight Mega Charizard X’s blue flames and sleek body, Yukina re-created this iconic Mega Evolution promo on the front of a Water Energy card. The blues from the original card shine through the sketch, highlighting Charizard even more.

Meanwhile, this Umbreon sketched by Yukina follows the same theme as the Vincent van Gogh crossover hosted by Pokémon in 2023 to celebrate the Van Gogh Museum’s 50th anniversary. Like Van Gogh, Yukina used bold strokes and lines to depict Umbreon looking at the moon, and even included a blue felt hat on Umbreon’s head as a nod to Van Gogh’s famous self-portrait.

If you liked these cards featuring Yukina Suzuki’s artwork, be sure to check out her Instagram for more illustrations. Also, keep an eye out for more Artist Showcase columns in the future.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.

CGC is part of the Certified Collectibles Group, a global provider of expert and impartial authentication and grading services for collectibles. Since 1987, the Certified Collectibles Group companies have certified more than 110 million collectibles, including coins, banknotes, comic books, cards, autographs and stamps.