'Don't get yr hopes up'

I know I tend to present myself as a rather peppy and positive person on line, but believe me when I tell you I have a cynical side. (Just ask my husband if you want confirmation.)

I share that to explain both why I like the painting below--the title of which serves as this post's header, by the way--as well as why I've liked pretty much every piece of art New Zealand-based deviantart user melonjaywalk has produced.



It also should help explain why I got such a kick out of a note melonjaywalk published along with the painting, which was inspired by a scene in Sonic the Hedgehog 3: "Was originally just a landscape before I decided that I just needed to ruin it somehow. So, text."

To see more of melonjaywalk's stuff, go to melonjaywalk.deviantart.com or melonjaywalk.tumblr.com.

If only Nintendo's Takashi Tezuka had such fond memories of Super Mario Bros. 2

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but in case I haven't: Super Mario Bros. 2 is my favorite of the two-dimensional Super Mario Bros. games. (Note: I don't consider Yoshi's Island to be a "mainline" Mario game.)

I'm not alone, apparently. Although he doesn't say so in the description he penned for the work-in-progress painting (below and here) that he posted on deviantart.com earlier this year, I have to imagine WayForward's Austin Ivansmith has similarly fond memories of the game that's known in Japan as Super Mario USA.

(By the way, I have to admit that I very much like Ivansmith's painting as is. I love that I knew, the second I saw it, which characters, and which game, it was supposed to bring to mind--despite the fact that it's made up of just outlines, noses and eyes. OK, and a pair of pixelated mustaches.)



Another person who seemingly prefers Super Mario Bros. 2 to the rest of the classic series' releases: Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto. At least, that's what "the man who made Mario" says in this recent ign.com article.

Sadly, it seems unlikely Miyamoto's colleague, Takashi Tezuka, feels the same way. In the aforemented article, for instance, Miyamoto says, "The Mario games of that type are really in the hands of Mr. Tezuka at this point. Because he didn't work on [Super Mario USA] ... he doesn't have memories of developing it that he would draw on to re-create concepts in the New Super Mario Bros. series now."

Are any of you as crushed as I am to hear that it's unlikely Nintendo will be making another Mario game that's akin to Super Mario USA/Super Mario Bros. 2 anytime soon?

My kind of art

You know what I'd do if my husband and I ever won the lottery? Well, besides retire and buy my family and closest friends anything they want (hey, we'd only buy tickets for one of those "mega" lotteries), I'd use a chunk of my portion of the winnings to buy a second home and fill it with all of my games and game systems.

Oh, and I'd cover its walls with game-related art. In fact, I think I'd have to devote an entire room to the console-centric pieces recently created (and shared on Flickr) by Aaron Kraten.

For instance, there's this PC Engine painting (technically it's "mixed media" on wood):

And there's this NES painting, too:

Kraten's also produced similar pieces that focus on the Sega Genesis and the SNES.

Sadly, it's unlikely the hubs and I will win the lottery anytime soon, so my little "game house" will have to reside in my head for now. Oh, well, at least I can check out Kraten's Flickr photostream whenever I want.

The most adorable (and interesting) Pokémon illustrations you're ever likely to see

When I first read about the Pokémon Battle Royale art show that's taking up space at Minneapolis' Light Grey Art Lab through May 11, I was jealous that I no longer lived close enough to check it out in person.

Now that the show's 151 pieces--each of which are based on the the original 151 Pokémon--can be viewed on line, though, I no longer feel so envious.

Pokémon Battle Royale features so many fabulous works of art that it's hard to pick a favorite, but if I were forced to do so I'd probably single out Andrew Kolb's Ivysaur, below.

That said, I'm also quite smitten with Shane Richardson's pooping Pidgeotto:

And Diego Garcia's pixelated Paras:

Really, though, all 151 pieces are worth a look (here) if you're even the slightest bit interested in the Pokémon series.

See also: Chic Pixel's recent write-up about the same show

Mario doesn't call me a fag ...

New Zealand-based artist and blogger SUIKA recently showcased the piece of art below on his blog, IDC (I Don't Care).

What prompted SUIKA to produce this acrylic-on-canvas painting that combines a saucy bit of text and a blown-up sprite taken from that 16-bit classic, Super Mario World?



According to the man himself, the piece is "half a response to the question, Why do you like video games so much? Well, Mario's not gonna' complain about the state of the economy, or call me an abomination and tell me who I can't marry or criticize the way I dress. So, how could I not prefer video games to real life?"

I can't say I disagree.

To take a better look at this creation--which SUIKA calls "Super Mario Fag"--check out the artist's deviantart gallery here. (A similarly cool and uplifting piece, which includes a sprite pulled from Pokémon Silver, can be seen here.)

'The old hero' by Pakoto

I've long drooled over the paintings created by Spanish artist Pakoto, so whenever he produces a game-inspired one I do my best to spread the word about it.

Which game did Pakoto turn to while working on his latest masterpiece? It's pretty obvious, don't you think?

Pakoto produced "The Old Hero" for one of my new favorite blogs, by the way--that being fillupyourhearts.blogspot.com.

To see more examples of this talented artist's abilities, check out his blog at pakotoo.blogspot.com.

Cool custom consoles

You know, I've always thought my bog-standard Dreamcast, GameBoy Advance SP and PlayStation systems were pretty slick ... and then I came across the custom-painted consoles seen below.

This Parodius-branded PlayStation may be my favorite of the bunch:

That said, this Samba de Amigo-inspired Dreamcast is awesome, too:

And then there's this slick, Scott Pilgrim-themed GameBoy Advance SP:

All of these were created by French artist Oskunk, by the way. To see more (many more!) of his creations, check out his blog, custom-art.blogspot.com, and/or his Flickr photostream.

(Via doyoulovepuppiesido.blogspot.com and tinycartridge.com)

Poor li'l grim reaper

Until now, I'm pretty sure I've never felt sorry for the grim reapers--or any of the other baddies--that populate Capcom's arcade classic, Ghosts'n Goblins (aka Makaimura).

You can't help but feel sorry for the little guy that's being assaulted in the painting below, though, can you?

This piece was produced by artist Alex Leighton for the "8-Bit Champions" show that's set to open in Paris on Sept. 15, by the way. Check out more of his stuff at xanderthurteen.deviantart.com.

(Via theautumnsociety.com)

Edward Hopper x Leisure Suit Larry

Have you ever thought of Edward Hopper's iconic "Nighthawks" painting while playing a Leisure Suit Larry game? I sure as hell haven't. Of course, my only memory of this Sierra On-Line series is of sneaking into my uncle's office as a teen to play Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards on his Apple IIGS while he and my parents drank margaritas and played cards (hey, we were on vacation), so maybe I just haven't spent enough time with these saucy point-and-click titles.

Anyway, although I'm sure I'm not alone in having never imagined a visual mashup involving Leisure Suit Larry and "Nighthawks," at least one person has imagined such imagery: artist Aled Lewis, whose resulting illustration (below), titled "Just Another Sleazy Joint," is included in the SUPER iam8bit show that kicked off in Los Angeles last night.



Also included in the above-mentioned show are three similar mashups: One ("Divine Intervention") involving Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" and Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel, another ("How Appropriate, You Fight Like A Post-Impressionist") involving Vincent Van Gogh's "Cafe Terrace On The Place Du Forum 1888" and The Secret of Monkey Island and a third ("Indiana Jones and the Persistence of Memory") involving Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure.

A pixelated present

My sister-in-law, Jan Schowengerdt, made me and my husband (her brother, duh) the following painting--which she calls "Digital Cherries," appropriately enough--for Christmas:

At first I thought she had pulled a sprite from Mickey Mousecapade, à la Ashley Anderson, but it seems that's not the case. Rather, she found an image of two cherries on line, altered it, pixelated it and then used it as a reference while she recreated it (using acrylic paint) on a pencil-drawn grid.

Anyway, isn't it cool? We're going to hang it in our kitchen as soon as my husband can get around to it. (He's handy like that.)

Go here (and here) for a clearer and closer look at these "Digital Cherries."