When I was a kid I used to love the instruction books almost as much as the games. Not because I liked reading warranties or anything weird, but because at the back some of them had illustrations of the little bad guys, along with their names and a description of what they do. Games were all pixels back then, which retrospectively were cool but I adored seeing clear drawings of what the little minions and monsters looked like. The instruction book to Super Mario Bros. 3 was particularly precious to me, with all of Bowser's minions listed in the back. There were times later in my life where I'd read the book before playing the game... That you can call weird.
Now that I think about it, that hasn't really changed. Game manuals sell really well not just because they help you through the game but because they're full of artwork and facts.
In the first Mario game, these guys were quite mean looking pixels. They weren't big and scary, but they were... they were pointier, to me. Now that graphics are so much better and Mario was always intended to be a cartoony game, the bad guys have become cute. And that's fine you know, if I want a mean bad guy I'll play something else. The point I'm making is that crushing these guys underneath the boot of a heavy-set plumber feels crueler and crueler with each graphic development.
I drew these today purely because I was sat at my computer with pen in hand and wanted to chill with something simple. I almost didn't, I felt it was a crime not to purposefully draw something big and complicated. I shouldn't feel guilty about relaxing for once. In fact, I should do it more.
I'll probably come out with more of Mario's minions later this month.
