Sometime earlier in the year at my last 95, I was sketching on break with no direction, having fun as I normally would. In my pieces at the time, I had been exploring more simplified illustrations and line, exploring character a bit more. Upon this sketch session, I drew up this fun little Mario piece. Mario, or Super Mario Bros. as commonly referred, has been around for DECADES. Each game evolving within the series from graphic elevations to costume changes to voice add-ons. Nothing reminds me of Mario fun more than "Here we gooooo!".

One of my favorite in the series was that very game, Super Mario 64. This title in the long-running series helped catapult Mario, and gaming, to a whole new level. You could now control Mario in a three hundred and sixty degree environment! You had much more exploration and for us who were there to experience the change in gaming, you were mesmerized how much more awesome Super Mario Bros. had become.

However, most notably was the absence of Luigi and the two-player aspect many of us had come to love. Considering all the new environments, character reinventions, and exploration of camera angles, many of us didn't really care and just took turns attempting levels or team-working on passing the level and collecting Stars & Red Coins. Poor Luigi, lol. I remember in the game while exploring the galleries (worlds) if you let your controller site idle, Mario would make comments directed to the player. Eventually, if left alone long enough, Mario would express his fatigue and take a nap. I think subconsciously I drew him in that same sleepy state as, at the time, I was feeling very similar. After creating this sketch, I knew immediately that he was going to need the vector treatment.

I brought the sketch into Illustrator and quickly through the linework down. I initially had flat colors with no gradients or background. It was unsettling so I added some gradients, including one in the background. Still unsatisfied, I was approaching my go-to halftones for the background to give it a bit more flare when the coin-pattern idea struck me. I finished the piece up with my new, more design-savvy logo and added some shadows for depth.

Here we now have yet another tribute to the Super Mario series. Although different from previous entries, I have decided to include this one in my Video Game Visionaries series of illustrations. I can honestly say, I'm starting to feel bad for leaving out Luigi myself having now explored Mario and Princess Toadstool. Guess he's entering this series sooner than later.