Making Mario

I have a bunch of new items for sale in my Etsy shop! You can check out a few of them in the side bar -->

Lets take a look at my crocheted Mario...

This is the second Mario I've made. The first time I didn't write down the pattern. That wasn't too smart because only a few hours after posting it someone had bought it! I started on this Mario soon after and this time I wrote down the pattern.

Making your own pattern isn't that easy. I based the head and body off of another pattern, but the other body parts and hat had to be invented. I draw out what I want the finished product to look like so I can get a feel for the proportions. I believe that is the most important part in creating a toy.

If the proportions are correct you will have a cute product. Even though terms like "cute" are subjective there are several ways to make your product appealing. I choose to go the Hello Kitty route. If you look at Hello Kitty she has a huge head in comparison with her body and limbs. Also, her head may be large but her eyes and nose are tiny. In Mario's case he has a very large nose. It is one of his defining characteristics, along with his fluffy mustache. You have to pick which features to accentuate. Mario's hat also adds to the size of his head. Giant ears seem to be cute for some animals. It really all depends on the subject, and that is why I sketch out what I want it to look like first!

I also mark down what colors go where. I suppose since I did do this in photoshop that I could have colored it, but that might distract me from the overall design. And I like to print it out so I can work on it while away from the computer. Ok I lied! I usually sketch it out on real paper. ;D