#SUPER MARIO 64 PROMOTIONAL ART HOW TO#

Kotabe also redefined the look of other characters in the series. With the instructions of Miyamoto, Kotabe created the image of Mario that became the new base for the visual development of Nintendo's mascot.

#SUPER MARIO 64 PROMOTIONAL ART HOW TO#

Kotabe learned that Miyamoto was its artist, so he asked him many questions on how to draw Mario. As Mario was pixel art, the only reference was the package illustration for Super Mario Bros. Miyamoto also asked Kotabe to do many illustrations for Mario. Miyamoto wanted it to move like a real rug, and so he asked Kotabe 'Please, draw me a rug!' However, Kotabe's smoothly moving animation had too many frames, so their number had to be reduced while still keeping a smooth movement. The first video game work Miyamoto requested from Kotabe was to draw the magic carpet in motion found in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. According to Miyamoto, the first animation Kotabe drew for Nintendo was of Luigi spinning around in circles, but it couldn't be used in a game as it had too many frames at the time. However, for a while after Kotabe joined Nintendo, he didn't work on animation at all and instead sat around doodling whatever came to his mind, as he said in an interview. When they showed him the game Super Mario Bros., Kotabe saw the movements Mario was performing in the game, and he thought that video games were now doing what the original animation industry was forgetting. The flying carpet, seen in its final in-game form.Īt Nintendo, Kotabe was introduced to Shigeru Miyamoto and other developers.

He left Nintendo in 2007 after 21 years, and is currently active as a freelancer. Prior to joining Nintendo, Yochi Kotabe worked in the animation industry, primarily for Toei Animation where he was animator on productions such as Hols: Prince of the Sun, Panda! Go, Panda! and Heidi, Girl of the Alps. He also worked as an art supervisor on various Pokémon games. Kotabe was the primary artist on the Super Mario franchise, drawing much of the 2D promotional artwork for the games and refining many of Shigeru Miyamoto's early sketches into the character's definitive designs. Yoichi Kotabe (小田部羊一 Kotabe Yōichi) is a Japanese animation artist and former employee of Nintendo. “When I first saw all the movements Mario was performing in Super Mario Bros., I thought that video games were now doing what the original animation industry was forgetting.” - Yoichi Kotabe, Iwata Asks Illustrator for various 2D character artworks, animator

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