This one was another "push myself" challenge! I wanted to try and draw something without trying to recreate it from a reference, so I figured I would try to reinvent a new version of an old character. That way, the reference is simply inspiration. The challenge I posed to myself: "What might Bowser look like as a human?"
I did three versions of this: one in the traditional "faceless" style I've been doing, one where a face has been added, and a third where there's a full body version.
If you've ever played a Mario game, you know Bowser's a mean dude! He even looks mean. Spikes everywhere, a shock of red hair (how does a dinosaur have hair?), and a wicked grin. Those were the main sources of inspiration I took for this! The head shape is loosely inspired by the shape of dino-Bowser's head, defined by his wide protruding cheekbones. I kept the red hair and spiked it into a mohawk, and for the minimal version, I wanted the eyebrows to be enough to let you imagine that wicked grin.
The dude also had to have plenty of green, so I gave him a green vest studded with all kinds of spikes and decorated with pins: a Goomba and a simple round button that says "MARIO STINKS".
I went full-body for this one because once I imagined the vest, I just had to complete the look: fingerless gloves, ripped jeans, and some big black boots.
The result? Human Bowser looks a little "Riverdale," but I'm confident the Mario Bros would've surely hated this guy in high school. And honestly? I had so much fun imagining this that I kind of want to complete the set... the Mario Bros in the days before they became a plumber, young and naive and pining after Peach and Daisy, who scoff and walk away because they don't need saving from Bowser... and a brooding, angsty Toad who tells us the whole story in between commercial breaks.
Frankly, I'd watch the heck out of such a show. So I might as well finish drawing it. :D