Artist Jed Henry tackles that rather curious question in a recent series of illustrations (like the one below and here) that suggest how, say, Donkey Kong and Mario, would have looked had they been painted or printed in the ukiyo-e style that came to life in Japan in the 1600s.
A number of other classic game franchises are given the same treatment in a series of pieces that can be found in Henry's deviantART gallery. Among them: Kirby, Metroid, Pokémon and Star Fox.
See also: 'Looks like I'll have to add Soul Bubbles to my DS wish list'
Yay you made a post about them! I'm totally jealous of that guy's talent, his work is just fantastic and I want that Star Fox one on my wall :D
ReplyDeleteAck! I completely forgot until you mentioned it just now that you were responsible for turning me on to this guy. Thank you for that!
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, I'm jealous of this talent, too. Here's hoping he comes up with more such pieces -- and soon!
No problem, I'm just glad more people will be able to see! :D
ReplyDeleteVery cool! WOW!
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Kimimi! As many people as possible need to see this guy's stuff :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Marco! Glad you liked it, too :)
ReplyDeleteThose are cool. I have a small collection of Ukiyo-e from the Edo and Meiji eras, they are my favorite type of Japanese art. The colors they have kind of remind me of a pile of Famicom carts.
ReplyDeleteAlso: I love that Edo era Mario!
That's awesome, Sean. I love the style, too -- and the colors! Anyway, yes, the Edo-era Mario is great, isn't he?
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing. Japanese wood cuts are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome! Even in the 17th century DK is still throwing barrels and Mario is using a hammer. Love it.
ReplyDeleteHey there, Sora! I agree. Quite an amazing art style, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteReggie: Mario's huge, 17th century hammer is the best, isn't it? Awesome touch, IMO :)
ReplyDeleteI love a great sendup of classic gaming art, and when it perfectly mimics a specific time period and at style, even better.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Justin :)
ReplyDelete