Meet Beachghost, the Internet’s Favorite Pop Mythologist

Enchanted and unnerved is what Beachghost wants you to be. A rainbow-spewing Pikachu melting away from its skeleton. Sailor Moon stares hard, pins in face à la Hellraiser. The chestburster from Alien donning a schoolgirl uniform, cheekily dubbed “Alien-chan.” For the Australian illustrator, it’s all an exercise in reclaiming childhood fears and turning them into something beautiful.

“Fan art” and “art” are no different, says the artist, born Jackson Howell. Though heavily inspired by the anime, manga, video games, and films from his youth, often incorporating these characters into his compositions, still nothing feels too borrowed. Like modern-day folklore, he reworks these figures and passes them on anew, creating a bridge between his world and tales of the greats.

Howell’s style is dreamy or nightmarish, depending on who you ask. In some pieces, creatures metamorphose and break open, spilling luminous beams or candy-hued guts. Others see cute Pokémon rendered with a more serene, Botticelli-like grace. Whether it’s him putting his own spin on beloved icons or conjuring up a cast of cyborg angels from his own artistic world, every work begs a few minutes of attention to really marvel and take in each devotional detail.

As Beachghost continues to amass a following online, Jackson Howell, the artist, keeps it low-profile. The moniker, which references Howell’s upbringing on the Victorian coast and penchant for the macabre, was adopted early on as a way for him to stay somewhat elusive and let the work speak for itself. “I had trouble figuring out how I wanted my artwork to look and how I wanted it to make people feel,” he told Hypebeast. “[It] just popped into my head one day and it seemed to get across the vibe I was going for.”

From early anime idols to that one monster scene you could never quite shake when the lights turned off, our personal mythologies are built on media just as much as memory. And through his work, Howell harnesses that nostalgia as if passing it through a chrysalis. What emerges is transformed, something that belongs to him and us, and to neither entirely.

For this latest Pen & Paper, we spoke to the illustrator about his Pokémon series, letting your audience rewrite your stories, his incredibly detailed process, and what it’s like breaking out of the “fan artist” box.

Hypebeast: How did you first break into illustration?

Howell: Like most kids, I started drawing for fun very early. I didn’t have any obvious talent, I simply never stopped. My twin brother and I would spend most of our time drawing monsters or silly little characters, and, gradually, it became integral to my life. It took time and dedication to transition my practice from a hobby to something all-encompassing.

Describe your illustrative style. What draws you into this psychedelic, sci-fi aesthetic?

The psychedelic aspect is incidental. I’d describe what I do as some form of symbolism: I like to play with visual metaphor and symbolism, and it often involves surreal imagery, representing familiar concepts in a non-literal way. My way of depicting these ideas just happens to involve a lot of color and detail.

I’m also drawn to colorful imagery out of instinct. I was exposed to a lot of gaudy design growing up in the ‘90s and ‘00s, and I’m attracted to images that evoke that same garish, overstimulating visual language.

How did you break into fan art, and why is it important for artists, and fans, like yourself?

I don’t see fan art as separable from work that isn’t, the only real difference being that the characters aren’t my own creations. I want to express what other people’s art means to me, or allow others to reconsider what it means to them. The stories of fan-favorite characters take on very special meaning within their respective communities, and reinterpreting these myths is akin to the way artists historically have treated folklore and mythology. It’s a way for us to add our voice to a cultural conversation and express how we interpret these stories.

With Pokémon 30 this year, your Pokémon series has been receiving a lot of love. What initially sparked the series?

I’ve been drawing Pokémon since the first games came out. I’m a dirty gen-1er, I’m ashamed to say. Playing the games, watching videos, and making art about them, is a source of great comfort for me. Ken Sugimori’s illustrations are what originally inspired me to try using watercolor after all.

Painting Pokémon became a fun way to experiment with my painting techniques and reimagine familiar characters from my childhood. My favourite Pokémon is Gengar. That whole line is so sick. And my favorite piece I’ve done is the shiny Sylveon.