My eldest nephew turns 17 this year and enjoys video games, so I thought I'd make him a bitmapped Super Mario birthday card, cut out of paper. He likely has no idea what low resolution images are really like, since he's never played a 16 bit video game. Yes, I'm THAT old! Hello Asteroids and Pac Man — so what's old is new again.
I like using textured paper and the way each color layer overlaps one another to give Mario life. Some of the small pieces are welded together to make it easier to glue. Take a close look at his blue overalls.
I like printing on metallic card stock because it makes the colors look metallic too. The free font I used is called Millennia by Fonthead Design. I took a sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch paper, trimmed it to 5.5 x 11 inch, then folded it in half to 5.5 inch square, and glued Mario in the middle – he's perfect for Instagram now.
I'm giving away my files so make your own Super Mario birthday card. Please comment below and let me know if your teen is impressed by their card – I love hearing about it! There are two versions for you to download:
- SVG file for electric cutting machines such as Cricut Explore, Silhouette with Design Edition Software, Sizzix...
- Printable PDF for hand cutting