If your like me, your hooked on old video games, you were raised on them. Recently classic video games have gotten a resurge of attention, with help from electronic acts that make “chiptunes” and artists that are making works that feature or are inspired by our favorit 8 & 16 bit heros, or villains.

The following artist, who calls himself 8BitArtist, is an acrylic painter who recreates scenes from classic games. What you’ll notice first about his work, is that he paints in pixels.

CM: Ok, so what got you into painting? was this something you dreamed of as a kid?

8Bit: I was always interested in the arts but never did it for whatever reason. I had a couple friends who were artists and one is now actually pretty established artist, those are who inspired me to pick up my paint brush and get to it. As a kid, dreaming of being an artist and having shows and such didn’t even cross my mind. I was always just interested in looking at it, not creating it. I actually didn’t start creating it until my early/mid 20’s.

CM: has there been any form of education that has helped you, or are you self-taught?

8Bit: I took a couple art appreciation courses while attending some college but no real art classes where they show you different techniques or styles. All that knowledge just came from looking at art books in spare time and such. I’m pretty modest with the Nintendo art I paint. I’ts a very simple yet very cool art form, least I think so which is why I started doing it as a hobby.

CM: Im a huge fan of NES as well, I think most from my generation have it in our blood. Is there any art you have done besides NES inspired?

8Bit: Very early on I did some non NES art. It was in the vein of the outsider type art, which is the type of art my friend Gus Fink, the guy that inspired me paints. I also did an abstract piece. Once I started doing NES inspired art, I never looked back just because it got such a massive reception with people.

CM: So whats your process like, do you lay down grids on the canvas, collect screencaps of games etc?

8Bit: I will use an emulator to screen something I find interesting or I would just piece together whatever sprites and make a scene. I try and pick stuff that really strikes a fond memory, memorable scenes that rush up your childhood and just put a smile on your face. After I get the screen idea, ill grid the canvas and start painting. I used to draw it out first, but that was taking to much time, so ill just look at my computer screen every so often and paint from that. I don’t mask at all cuz that would take way to much time and I also had people asked me if I projected the scene onto the canvas and painted it that way. I didn’t even realize people painted that way. haha.

CM: Have you ever been asked to paint something weird or sick with NES themes? Samus dancing a strip club pole, or Mario as a hitman, or Pit from Kid Icarus as a Junkie?

8Bit: hahaha, actually yes. I was asked to paint Samus naked. The guy wanted to hang it above his fire place. Never in my entire life would I have thought I needed to ask the question “so, uh, do you want samus’ pubes winter bush, airplane strip or shaved?” haha, luckily (or sadly) that commission fell through. That was right when I first started painting too, that was the only weird one

CM: Well hopefully some more will come soon, that Samus one sounds great. What do yo see for yourself in the future as far as painting goes, new styles, new mediums?

8Bit: Well, I did start doing 3-d sculptures of some NES sprites. I did a underworld goomba about a year ago and I just finished a 3-d paratroopa. I make them out of little 1/2 inch diameter wooden cubes. Its really cool to see the 2-d sprites in 3-d form yet still stay pixelated. Those guys are some of my most popular pieces but they are expensive to create and time consuming. Turning something into 3-d that you know so fondly as 2-d is challenging, which for right now is why I stayed with simpler subjects for the sculptures. I did also do some bead sprites in my spare time just because it was something different to break up constantly painting. I will be doing 16-bit in due time and actually my next project coming up is incorporating bead sprites and a painting. I will be painting a 16-bit background from SMB3 and make 16-bit bead sprites from SMB3. I’m going to try and glue a magnet on the back of the bead sprite and an opposing magnet on the other side of the canvas, this way you can move the bead sprites all around the painted background and basically recreate the entire scene as many times as you want.

CM: Thats sounds cool, very interactive as well. Have you shown or plan on showing at the yearly “I am 8 Bit” shows?

8Bit: Iam8-bit wont allow me into their shows. I contacted them back in 2005 about sending a piece to the show and I basically got this as a response “As perfect as you seem for this show, adopting the name 8-Bit Artist even, the concept for the show is actually try to avoid pixel art in exchange for wilder, crazier interpretations of the old-school characters we know and love. However, don’t let that be ANY evidence that we don’t like your work – you’re incredibly talented, and I respect what a steady, able hand you have to paint what you do. Seriously.” this year in 2007 my good friend Jude Buffum did 4 pixel art paintings for them entitled “happy endings” but i’m not sure if they contacted him or if he contacted them. his paintings weren’t exact screen shots but still used some of the sprites from the game. He does more original stuff, mostly on the political side. I’d like to be in the show but id have to contact them again. I think my 3-d pixelated sculptures are more than worthy enough to be in that show.

CM: Yeh it does look like they are overloaded with paintings, sculptures seem to be minimal. Are you into chipmusic at all?

8Bit: I’ve just gotten big into chiptune music. disasterpeace and amanaguchi were the first two too really get me into it but now i’m listening to stuff like phlogiston, rushjet1, virt, anonymouse, temp sound solutions and stuff like that. Also disasterpeaces new chiptune music label II (Pause) is doing great things. I’m also good friends with the man producing the Play music documentary on the videogame music/chiptune scene. Its going to be a great achievement once finished.

CM: Have you ever worked with any of these artists? Like making concert posters, or even album covers? I could see your work fitting quite well with artists such as Metroid Metal, 8bitpeoples, and all those at Micromusic.net

8Bit: I’ve had a few people ask me about making album covers, but the only problem is I have zero knowledge of illustrator/photoshop/etc… so id really have to hand paint something to try and make something. there was an idea floating around of me displaying art at the next blipfest but as of right now, its just that, an idea. Anamanaguchi will be playing along side some videogame rock bands Aug 25th in baltimore Md called 16-bit Genocide. myself, jude buffum and some other videogame artist will also be at the show. There have been quite a few videogame music/art shows around on the east coast.

CM: Any last thoughts?

8Bit: Last thoughts is thanks to Creep Machine for giving me an interview and stayed tuned for more NES and SNES goodness from me. Anyone interested in pieces by me can check out my myspace or email me at eightbitartist@gmail.com.

If you would like to see more work, or even commission a piece of work head on over to one of the following pages:

8BitArtist myspace
8BitArtist Homepage