This week’s Pure Nintendo Featured artist is Ben Staniford. A talented artist who uses his 3DS to create awesome Nintendo character art. You can checkout his Miiverse account where he frequently posts his artwork, so be sure to follow him at NinBendo1. Also Ben is always up for requests if you’d like to send him over some ideas via twitter (contact info below). Enjoy!
The Girl Next Door
KD: Hi Ben! Thanks for taking the time to show us some of your artwork. What program did you use to create these awesome Nintendo character pieces?
BS: Pokémon Art Academy on the 3DS! Without promoting the game, I must say it’s been an excellent tool for me to use.
Leaf’s Bass
KD: Have you always been interested in illustration or was Pokémon Art Academy a source of motivation for you?
BS: Here’s the story. I was clearing things up in my room one afternoon and discovered a “How to Draw The Legend of Zelda” book. Intrigued, I opened it the Deku Link page. I was seriously confused, as each drawing had only four steps, but, to challenge myself, I booted up the original Art Academy on the DS. To my surprise, after (a rather long) four hours, I actually did a good drawing for the first time in my life. I took this further and drew Waluigi, again, to a
surprisingly high quality. So, taking full advantage of a Club Nintendo promotion in Europe, I got Pokémon Art Academy as a completely free download, and I’ve been taking requests ever since!
Shockingly Blue
KD: What is your favorite piece that you’ve done so far? Is there a certain game that inspires you more than others when drawing?
BS: Although in terms of popularity on both Twitter and Miiverse, the Palutena drawing is the most successful, my personal favorite is my Phoenix Wright drawing. It just came to me one day as something that I wanted to draw. I asked someone if they wanted it dedicated to them,
and it thankfully went to a huge Capcom fan. I put real time and effort into it, even the head alone took a good two hours to get right. Thankfully, the end result was absolutely superb in my eyes, and I’m extremely happy with it. Picking what to draw is as simple as going through my list of requests and saying to myself, “Ooo, I’d love to draw that now.” It’s a lot like picking a character in Classic Mode on Smash Bros.
A Boy and his Baton
KD: What’s your favorite Nintendo game or series to play, why?
BS: There’s an ill-known game series starring a rather plump Italian plumber who has an addiction to mushrooms. His games are full of wonder, imagination, and my childhood. I’ve spent thousand of hours on his games, and own far too many T-shirts and McDonald’s toys based on him. Trouble is, I can’t quite remember the name of that mustachioed hero…
All-Seeing Goddess
KD: Would Pokémon Art Academy be a good reference for beginning artists or have you found another drawing program that you would recommend more?
BS: Pokémon Art Academy is a fantastic tool for anyone wanting to get into drawing. Not only are there lessons that take you through how to draw various Pokémon, but there’s also a Free Paint mode. This lets you either draw from scratch, or use a reference image that’s saved to
your SD Card. This is what I do. Using a grid, I do a pencil sketch, then fine line over it, and end with the coloring. Sure, it sounds simple, but most drawings take a good five hours or so. The end result is definitely worth the work, though.
OBJECTION!
KD: Are there any upcoming projects or drawings you’re working on that you’d like to tell us about?
BS: At time of writing, I’ve got a whopping thirty-six drawing requests, ranging from Rayquaza and Olimar, to Pit and the inkling from Splatoon. However there are some things I’d like to try drawing myself. In particular, the art for Super Mario Strikers is certainly… striking. I adore the sketchy, rough feel, so that’s somethin you can definitely look forward to seeing in the future.
Soon to be Hatched
KD: Thanks Ben! Before we go, do you have any online profiles or web pages where our readers can view more of your artwork?
BS: Miiverse is the best hub – all of my work is there. My NNID is NinBendo1, if it interests any readers! Plus, I’m always taking drawing requests, so if you’d like a Nintendo character drawn for you, don’t hesitate to tweet your request to me – @NinBendo1! I hope you enjoy my art!
A Gentleman’s Point
Overdressed Hero
The Mayor’s Shadow
