Tag: Art
News God Of War's Art Director Strikes Back With 3D Takes On Cuphead Characters
Cuphead, Mugman and villains, too!
Cuphead may well be one of the most well-received 2D run 'n gun platformers of recent times, but how would its standout aesthetic have looked if everything was in 3D instead? If you've been hoping to find the answer to that very specific question, you're in luck. Raf Grassetti, art director on God of War, has...
Random Check Out These Voxel Renditions Of Structures From The Legend Of Zelda
Home Advisor commissions tributes to famous video game architecture
We've seen many incredible renditions and artistic recreations of classic game locations and spaces over the years. Back in 2016 we saw some areas from A Link To The Past reimagined by a French artist with voxels in place of pixels. Now, a content creation agency has built voxel...
Gallery See Kanto Like Never Before In This Beautiful Series Of Pokémon Paintings
Kanto in real life
For many of us who adore the Pokémon franchise and its ever-growing world, the region of Kanto was where everything began. The setting of Pokémon Red and Blue - and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! since then - is likely just as fresh in the mind of the series' biggest fans as...
News This £125 Pac-Man Sculpture Looks Like It Belongs In An Art Gallery
Available to order now
Bandai Namco is releasing a brand new Pac-Man figurine this week, available to pre-order as we speak. If you like to decorate your house with quirky, artistic pieces, perhaps this would be something to consider? The sculpture has been designed by Richard Orlinski, a French contemporary artist whose art can be found in more...
Random God Of War Artist Shows Us How The Battletoads Reboot Should Have Looked
Can you imagine?
Beloved Rare franchise Battletoads made an appearance at this year's E3, albeit sadly not for a Nintendo platform, in the form of a new three-player beat 'em up. It all looks pretty fun and all, but just imagine if it looked like this. The artwork comes from Raf Grassetti, Art Director at God of War studio Sony Santa Monica. We've...
Gallery Fan Embarks On Year-Long Project To Draw Every Smash Bros. Ultimate Character
And they're all rather lovely
Over the past couple of weeks, we've been sharing galleries of fan-made art a little more frequently than usual and the response from you lovely lot has been nothing but wonderfully positive. Continuing this current trend, we've stumbled across a project encompassing every character from
Gallery Artist Imagines The Skeletons Of All 151 Original Pokémon, And It's Terrifying
Ever wanted to see the inside of a Ditto?
If you've ever felt the very specific desire to examine the insides of the cute, cuddly monsters from the Pokémon world, this gallery is absolutely for you. Instagram artist Quincy Robinson, a toy developer from South Florida, has been working on an almighty Pokémon skeleton project, drawing up one...
Gallery These Pokémon x Super Mario Crossover Designs Are Wonderfully Weird To Behold
All original 151 Pokémon in the works
Plenty of Nintendo franchises are known for their adorable cast of cute, cuddly and colourful characters, many of which stay with us through our childhood and beyond. Super Mario and Pokémon are prime examples of this; with literally hundreds of character designs between them, both franchises have somehow...
News God Of War's Art Director Continues Amazing Collection Of Realistic Smash Ultimate Drawings
23 characters down, lots to go
If you cast your minds back to February this year, you might remember that we shared a number of pieces created by God of War art director, Raf Grassetti. In his spare time, Grassetti has been using his talent to produce his own take on characters from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The results have been astonishing, and...
News Detective Pikachu Artist Completes Realistic Pokémon Sword And Shield Starter Line-Up
Perfect for a sequel?
The characters of Pokémon Sword and Shield may well have arrived a little too late to be included in the Detective Pikachu movie, but that doesn't mean that we can't see how they might have looked. RJ Palmer, a Ubisoft artist who was discovered online and asked to work on the Detective Pikachu movie, has now created realistic...
News Concept Artist At Blizzard Entertainment Creates Fashionable Smash Bros. Ultimate Artwork
Smashin' fashion
Nintendo's all-star brawler Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Switch has captured the hearts of players around the world and inspired many people in multiple different ways. One of these individuals happens to be the Blizzard Entertainment concept artist Oscar Vega. Not long ago, Vega decided to create artwork based on Nintendo's...
News Dead Cells Now Has Its Very Own Glorious Making-Of Artbook
'The Heart of Dead Cells'
If you're a fan of the super-popular Dead Cells and love nothing more than learning all there is to know about your favourite games, then this could well be absolutely for you. We actually reported on this book last summer when it was first announced, but it has now been released and is available to order as we speak. A...
News This 3D Model Of Super Mario World Is Breathtakingly Beautiful
We'll take ten, thanks
If you love Super Mario World anywhere near as much as we do, you're going to love this 3D model based on the game's overworld, too. Shared on Twitter by Matt Brailsford, this gorgeous little creation features all of the key areas seen on the game's famous map. Everything from the little world numbers, the Yellow Switch...
News Designer Shares Switch And Joy-Con Mock-Ups Based On Every Nintendo Home Console
Which would you pick?
The vibrant colours available and the ability to mix and match different designs make the Switch's Joy-Con an attractive - and highly noticeable - part of the console. Not only can you show off your own personal flair (we're rocking one neon blue and one neon pink right now), but you can also change this to reflect your current...
News This Stunning Super Mario Odyssey Artbook Launches In North America This Year
The Art of Super Mario Odyssey
If you're a regular visitor to Nintendo Life, you probably don't need us to tell you just how beautiful Super Mario Odyssey is. Featuring multiple Kingdoms, each home to their own distinct aesthetic, this game is up there with the prettiest on Switch, and this book aims to show it off in style. The book, called 'The...
News Detective Pikachu Concept Artist Draws Realistic Sobble From Pokémon Sword And Shield
Amazing stuff
Just yesterday, an official poll told us that the water-type Pokémon Sobble was the most popular Pokémon Sword and Shield starter amongst fans. If you're also on #TeamSobble, or perhaps just a fan of the series in general, then this art piece may well appeal to you. If you cast your minds back to last November, you may remember RJ...
Video Fan Creates Touching Speed Drawing In Tribute Of Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé
Our bodies still aren't ready
As you probably already know by now, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé is set to retire from his position this April. Reggie has become such a huge part of the company over the last 15 years that it's hard to imagine Nintendo without him, and his enthusiasm for the role, appreciation of his position and...
News God Of War's Art Director Is Still Posting Incredible Realistic Smash Ultimate Designs
We're not jealous of his talent at all...
You'll have to forgive us for revisiting this project for a third time, but God of War Art Director, Raf Grassetti, is still working on his collection of realistic Super Smash Bros. Ultimate designs and we can't help but share them for you to see. Last time, we shared Grassetti's takes on the likes of Diddy...
News Nintendo Shares Gorgeous Concept Artworks From Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Can we get these framed for the office?
Sitting firmly in the 'adorable' section of our Switch game library is Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, a puzzle title which was actually formed as an extension to mechanics first introduced in Super Mario 3D World on the Wii U. If you've played it for yourself, you likely don't need us to tell you that the...
Gallery These Awesome Switch Mock-Ups Can Make Your Dreams Become Reality
(At least, in image form)
Spending anything more than ten seconds looking through a Nintendo-based online community will tell you that Switch fans want pretty much every game that has ever existed on the console. Super Mario 64? Yep. Red Dead Redemption 2? Absolutely. The 2005 PS2 and Xbox title, Big Mutha Truckers 2: Truck Me Harder? Probably. If...
Oh BOY
Earlier this month, we shared a selection of art pieces from God of War Art Director, Raf Grassetti, all of which were coming together to make a realistic-looking set of designs for characters from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Whatever your thoughts on the designs, it's undeniable that an awful lot of talent has gone into each piece's...
News The Lovely Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Art Book Has Been Delayed Due To Unexpected Demand
Luckily, you won't have long to wait
Just last week, Nintendo and Kadokawa shared the news that a gorgeous Xenoblade Chronicles 2 art book was set to arrive in Japan. It has now been confirmed that the book's release has been delayed slightly after the product received an unexpectedly high number of pre-orders. The news comes via this tweet below...
Random It Turns Out That Kirby Has A Skeleton
Update: Source material found to be unofficial
Update: It has been confirmed that the image in question comes from a book published by Kadokawa/Media Factory. While this publisher does release official Nintendo works, the particular book in question is not an officially licensed release and instead depicts the author's imagination of how Kirby might...
News Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Is Getting A Gorgeous New Art Book
And pre-orders are now live
Nintendo and Kadokawa are set to release a brand new Xenoblade Chronicles 2 art book called 'Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Official Artworks Alrest Record'. The book will feature illustrations from the game's main character designer Masatsugu Saito, four special illustrations by rare blade designer CHOCO, and contains art from...
Gallery Check Out These Amazing Artwork Pieces Based On Your Favourite Games
We NEED that Star Fox one
In just a couple of days' time on 11th January, Los Angeles-based art gallery Gallery 1988 is hosting a new exhibit which will focus on a lovely collection of video game prints. The artists have now shared some of these images online for all to see, and they're pretty incredible. The exhibit is set to feature the work of...
Video Watch Kirby Star Allies Developers Create A Lovely Time-Lapse Art Piece Before Your Very Eyes
"Cuteness Maxima!"
Kirby is adorable. Fact. His friends are almost as adorable, too, making us fall in love with this short video faster than you can say "Dream Friends". Yes, shared online today by Nintendo UK, the video below is a time-lapse showing the creation of a particularly cutesy art piece. The artists in question are none other than Kirby...
News God Of War's Art Director Has Been Drawing Up Realistic Smash Bros. Ultimate Characters
Smash Bros. Remastered
God of War and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate were two of 2018's biggest games, both going on to sell huge numbers at retail and capturing the hearts of players all around the world. Now, those two worlds have combined in spectacular fashion. And it's awesome. Raf Grassetti, Art Director at Sony Santa Monica (the studio behind...
News This Awesome Hand-Drawn Ninja Gaiden Guide Brings Back Lovely Pre-Internet Memories
And you can have it for free
Before strategy guides and that pesky, know-it-all internet came along, completing tricky games was a serious challenge. There was a time when players couldn't simply Google "how do I unlock Simon Belmont's luscious locks in Smash Bros.", and instead had to figure everything out by playing over and over again. Often,...
Video Settle In For A Nintendo Story Most Spooky With Grimwald Gutfright
Every creepypasta boiled down into one
If there's one thing that's historically saturated the internet, it's horror stuff. More specifically, the entire subgenre known as creepypasta, a style of story that is infamously cliché and poorly written to the point that it's actually quite amusing. So in the name of Halloween, snuggle up and dim the...
News Nintendo Shares Gorgeous Concept Art For Kirby Star Allies On Switch
"Various directions were considered"
We've seen numerous pieces of concept art for a wide variety of games over the past few months - including a darker take on Zelda: Breath of the Wild, early King K. Rool designs, and even Nintendo's very
News This Gorgeous Bayonetta 2 Art Book Hits Western Stores Later This Year
Pre-order available now
A few years ago, coinciding with the game's initial launch on Wii U, an art book for Bayonetta 2 was released in Japan. An English translation of the book has since been in the works and western buyers should be able to get their hands on a copy very soon. The book, titled 'The Eyes of Bayonetta 2', features all the...
Feature Meet The Man Who's Turning Video Games Into 3D Works Of Art
"I had to follow my heart and find what makes me happy"
Of the many ways in which video game fans can pay tribute to their favourite titles, Steven Charles Gauntley's 3D "shadow box" pictures are one of the most visually appealing we've yet seen. Gauntley creates these unique, limited edition pictures via his company 8-Bit Boutique, and also...
Random Making Giant Pokémon Art From Rubik's Cubes
Gotta solve 'em all
We see a lot of artists take on the world of Pokémon here at Nintendo Life - just a quick ponder online will bring up dozens of super-talented people getting their masterpieces down on paper - but we don't usually see anyone using Rubik's Cubes. These images, uploaded by Twitter user epee415, show the awesome art pieces...
News These Early Zelda: Breath of the Wild Concept Designs Have Us Dreaming Of A Darker Sequel
Creepy stuff
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild turned out to be a near-masterpiece in the current climate of games, starting a trend that has seen some of Nintendo's top franchises taking bold new directions to fantastic effect. Because of this, we're rather happy that the big N finalised the game's development in the way it did, although...
Awesome Hand-Drawn Guide To Contra Proves The Pen Is Mightier Than The Keyboard
Tips to live by
If you grew up in the 8 and 16-bit eras then you'll no doubt be familiar with the concept of writing down notes and drawing maps to help you beat tricky games. In the days before the internet and readily-available guidebooks, players had to make their own luck - and that usually involved putting pen to paper and creating your...
Random These Zelda Propaganda Posters Are Mini Works Of Art
"Listen! Increased production is Ganon's destruction!"
Fernando Reza is a name truly dedicated Nintendo fans may already be familiar with; he created a series of posters based on propaganda imagery from World War II with the cast of Super Mario Bros. as the stars. Reza - who has had his work exhibited all over the world and designed...
News Former Super Play And Rare Artist Wil Overton Needs Your 'Get Well Soon' Wishes
"Nearly never made it but have just scraped through the other end"
Long-standing visitors to this site will no doubt be aware of the name Wil Overton - he's something of a legend if you were a UK-based Nintendo fan in the early '90s. His stunning illustrations graced every single cover of Super Play magazine, and Overton's talents would eventually...
Art Check Out This Incredible Zelda: Breath Of The Wild x Splatoon Mash-Up
Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl, Inkling Bokoblin?!
As you are probably aware, we're pretty big fans of Splatoon here at Nintendo Life. Then Breath of the Wild came in to our lives, and - even though it was only one year ago - we really don't know how we coped without it. Imagine our shock and delight, then, as we stumbled upon illustrator...
News Got Bob Wakelin's Original Art For NES Contra? You're Sitting On $100,000
Game art collector wants to hear from you
When the legendary Bob Wakelin passed away last month he left behind an incredible legacy of artwork. Wakelin's associating with British publisher Ocean resulted in a flood of amazing covers, but he also did work for other companies, with the NES version of Contra being one of his most famous pieces. Now,...
Art These Fantasy Nintendo Hardware Breakdowns Are Just Magical
NES, SNES, Game Boy, DS and more get opened up (kind of)
Consoles like the NES, SNES and Game Boy may just be fashioned from circuit boards, chips and plastic, but they're a portal to a seemingly limitless world of possibilities and will, for many players, have provided a wondrous backdrop for entire childhoods. London-based artist Jing Zhang was...
News Legendary Cover Artist Bob Wakelin Passes Away
Leaving behind a legacy of amazing covers
It is with great sadness that we have to report the passing of Bob Wakelin, one of the most prolific video game cover artists of his generation. The name might not be familiar - especially if you're reading this in North America - but Wakelin's creations will be instantly recognisable. A one-time Marvel UK...
News The Art of Shantae Launches Sometime in 2018
Ret-2-go!
Shantae is a series that owes a lot of its success to the Nintendo audience; it’s always felt like something of a second party game to a certain degree. And with the latest success of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero on the Wii U and Switch, that series has no doubt been gradually accruing a much larger fanbase. As something of a gift to...
Random This ARMS And Popeye Fan Art Mixes Nintendo's Past And Present
"I am what I am"
Nintendo has a long association wth the comic character Popeye. The company produced licensed NES and Game & Watch titles based on E. C. Segar's hero, and Donkey Kong - its first smash hit - was originally supposed to feature the spinach-gulping sailor. Now, artist Ed Peppe has fused Nintendo's past with its...
Gallery Revel In This Ridiculously Retro 3-Bit ARMS Artwork
Yes, we mean 3-bit
8-bit artwork and musical recreations inspired by modern games are nothing new in anyone's books; most have a healthy (or unhealthy) nostalgia for the past and that can be encapsulated by the limitations of one or more 8-bit gaming machines. If you take that technology back a step or two further you can get even more retro...
News Here's Your First Look At UDON's Shovel Knight: Official Design Works
Coming in August this year
We reported last month that an official Shovel Knight art book was on the way, and now Yacht Club Games has shown off a few pages from the publication. Created in conjunction with UDON Entertainment - which can count Street Fighter, Okami, Mega Man, Dark Souls, Bayonetta and Sonic the Hedgehog amongst its other...
Art Xenoblade Chronicles Demake - Going Back to the 16-bit Era
It's still Reyn time
Earlier this week we shared some rather handsome Banjo-Kazooie reimagined as a Mario RPG artwork, as the first of what we plan to be daily posts celebrating amazing fan art. Now we have more pixel art, this time in honour of an iconic Wii / New 3DS title. AbyssWolf on DeviantArt - real name Daniel Oliver - was recommended to us...
Art Banjo-Kazooie Reimagined in the Mario RPG Style
It's a bear necessity
As a daily treat this year we're going to take a little time to step away from wondering about how leaky Nintendo has become, and simply focus on some lovely fan-made art. We've occasionally shared some stand-out examples in the past, but now we want to make it a daily occurrence; the only objective is to highlight some cool...
News You'll Want This Sonic The Hedgehog Art Book On Your Coffee Table
Shipping April 2017
Sonic turned 25 this year, and Sega marked the occasion by confirming that the popular character would be getting two new outings next year, one of which is the gorgeous-looking Sonic Mania. Art house Cook & Becker also has something special for fans of the Blue Blur coming next year - a coffee table book which shows off a...
Art This Guy Has An Insane Amount Of Original Western Mega Man Cover Artwork
Boxing clever
This promotional image for Game Players Magazine unites two of Greg Winters' cover subjects - he also did some covers for Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog While it can't always be said that western cover artwork is superior to that seen in Japan, it's important to remember that for many gamers growing up during the 8 and 16-bit eras, it was...
News 'Sonic 25' Fine Art Collection Pays Homage To The World's Fastest Hedgehog
Needs more blue
Sega Europe has joined forces with the UK's leading fine art publisher to create 'Sonic 25', a collection of 25 original pieces which pay tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic 25 sees a series of Washington Green artists - including Dan Lane, Paul Kenton, Frédéric Daty, Louis Sidoli, Stuart McAlpine Miller, Robert Oxley, Craig...
