From October 10th, 2008 to February 9th, 2009 I drew a new picture of Nintendo's mascot character Mario every day. Some were straight homages to the game series, many were humorous, others were juxtapositions of the character into entirely new art styles.
The project was first and foremost a personal creative challenge to boost my creative output and improve my drawing skills, but I like to think I made it entertaining to follow along with, also. I suppose you can be the final judge of that.
The "128" derives from the infamous Super Mario 128, a promised sequel to Super Mario 64 that was hyped by Nintendo for years but which never materialized. I suppose "64 Marios" would have been more obvious, but 128 seemed like the right length for the project.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Archive Links
Look for this near the bottom right of most pages to browse through the archives manually!
Top Marios
15 of the better pieces from the archives (in my opinion, anyway).
Style Parodies
Mario drawn in the art style of other games, TV shows, etc.
(Note that this doesn't account for non-art style specific parodies, of which a great many more exist in the archives)
Powerups
Different forms Mario has taken in his many adventures.
Holidays
Celebrate festivities with Mario & co.
Months
I gave Mario a sort of day off to enjoy himself every month.
Bottom Marios
For the sadomasochists in the audience.
Pro Tips
I learned quite a few things from doing 128 Marios, which is enough in and of itself to have made the project a success. A few choice bits of wisdom for any artists in the audience who are thinking about doing something similar in the future:
- Don't waste too much time on your ideas. This isn't to say you shouldn't be ambitious, but understand what level of ambition is appropriate for whatever you're working on. Too often, especially early on, I'd find myself getting far too caught up in the minutia of a Mario - and yet, not only did the extra work not come through in the art, these pieces actually got consistently less positive feedback then the ones I hammered out quick and painlessly! Maybe it's just irony, but I think there's a value to spontaneity in art (even if the artist's first instinct is to fight it).
- Buffers of content are not as great as they sound. A lot of online cartoonists suggest working at least a week ahead of your update schedule. And yeah, it does spare you the initial anxiety of having to get your next update hammered out before the deadline rolls around. Personally, though, I find that it's in working through this anxiety, and in knowing that your work will be seen by someone as soon as you're finished with it, that you're able to put the most spontaneity (I'm using that word a lot) and creativity into your work. I feel like the quality of my work on this site shot way, way up once I stopped worrying about how far ahead I was.
- It's really not that hard to keep a schedule. Unless you make it hard for yourself, anyway. This is sort of in opposition to the suggestion above, and yeah, you'll need to create small buffers at points where you know you literally won't be able to make it to the tools of your trade. In general, though, if you really care about what you're working on you will find a way to make time for it, no matter what. (Or maybe I'm just saying that because I'm a jobless college student.)
Special Thanks
Like any proper game ending, I have a list of weird names to read off! Huge thanks go to the following ladies and/or gentlemen:
- Rei, official #1 fan of 128marios, whose promotional efforts and support have been invaluable to the site.
- Max, Deebee, and everyone else who commented on the procession of Marios via the inter-net. Without your support, I never would have made it this far.
- My parents, for being enthusiastic and supportive of the site as opposed to insisting I simply "mind my studies". Also for creating me, I guess.
- My brother, for his continuing enthusiasm and also for suggesting a few of the more popular Marios.
- Shigeru Miyamoto, without whom none of us would be here.
- Myself, for doing all of the actual work!
#128/128 - 128 Marios
(Click above to view full size)
...and that's the end! Come back tomorrow for my closing thoughts (and some extra content, too).
Sunday, February 8, 2009
#127/128 - Saved!
Thank you, Mario!
Your quest is over.
...well, not quite yet. Tune in tomorrow for the ending!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
#124/128 - Mario Valentines!
We won't be making it to the actual holiday, so I figured I'd be pre-emptive.
This one is not as simple as it may initially appear!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
#119/128 - Money Mario
(Click above to view full size)
The idea for today's Mario was submitted by Andrew M., age 11. Thanks for following the site, Andrew!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
#112/128 - Lurking Danger (pt. 3) -- OR -- Hi, I'm Daisy
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
#106/128 - Attack of the Koopa Kids!
(Click above to view full size)
I finally got around to the Koopa Kids!
The earliest memories I have of drawing are of copying illustrations from the Super Mario World instruction manual, and these guys were always my favorite subjects. I had originally planned to dedicate an entire week to depicting duels with each individual Koopaling for 128 Marios, but as I figured such a self-indulgent detour so close to the end would leave people cold, I tried to cram them all into one picture instead. The final product's a bit more rushed and crowded than I'd have liked, but there you are.
...wow, these posts sure are getting text-heavy! I'll try to cut down on the rambling.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
#105/128 - Mario the Rapper
In the rain or in the snow
Draw the draw the Mario
...yeah, though, Parappa the Rapper! Familiarize yourself.
Friday, January 16, 2009
#104/128 - Tanooki Suit
(Click above to view full size)
Another obscure item from the games! There sure are a lot of them, huh?
Thursday, January 15, 2009
#103/128 - Spring Mario
Yeah, I phoned this one in a lil' bit - I have been pretty sick as of late, so that is my excuse!
As an aside, this is probably my least favorite power-up from the Mario series. Yes, it lets you jump higher, but it's so much harder to control! More like a power-down, says I.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
#100/128 - New Life
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
#94/128 - Pulp Mushroom
"You know what they call a Goomba in Japan?"
"They don't call it a Goomba?"
"Nah man, they call it a Kuribo."
"Kuribo!"
Monday, January 5, 2009
#93/128 - Mario Mario: Ace Attorney
The Phoenix Wright series - it is great! And parodied by this piece.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
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