Pixel Painting - Bowser (Super Mario All-Stars)

Commissioned by a friend for their child's birthday. The kid is a big fan of classic-era games (even though he is only 6 years old), and dressed up as Bowser last Halloween, so it seemed like a perfect fit. I like the NES Koopa sprite, but felt it was too simple for this particular project. I also had enough forethought to take pictures during the process and not just at the end. The whole painting was spread out over four days in whatever free time I could find.

Day 1

Started with yellows/oranges. I made a distance mistake with the hair and had to do that part over again, which is incredibly frustrating on this kind of project. When you mix a certain color, think you're done with it, but then have to try and mix that same color again later because you messed up, it makes you want to strangle something.

I also opted to fully grid out the canvas before I started, which I don't do any more because it takes too much time, and most of the grid is covered in a solid color at the end anyway. Lesson learned.

Day 2

Filled in all the white and grays. I also made this painting have more texture than others I've done. Usually I try and make everything very flat and uniform, but for this I wanted certain aspects to be a little more bumpy. Namely because Bowser is scaly. His hair and shell would also have non-smooth textures.

Day 3

Filled in the rest of the body and the entirety of the shell.

Day 4

All that was left was the background. I choose a very dark gray as opposed to a straight black. The whole thing looked great, I was pleased with how it came out. The darkness of the background really helps the white (claws, fire, etc.) stand out. I also changed the inner-most shade of green on the shell, as I felt it didn't blend well enough before. As daunting and time-consuming as some of these paintings seem initially, the finished product always encourages me to start the next one.

Commissions are always welcome. Price varies based on the size and complexity of the sprite/scene. I moderate comments, so leave one with your contact email and request.