Introduction: Mario Game Post-its - Daily Animations
This isn't exactly a prank per say, but it is fun to do and see from the outside. This is basically a scene from Mario using the windows of your apartment and post it notes to make every pixel. Apologizes for the poor photos, my camera's not that great, and it's hard to get good panoramic shots from the outside. I'm only in Day 2 of my animation, but it's been really fun so far. My plans right now are thus:
Day 1: Mario starts off the game.
Day 2: Mario beats the Koopa and launches the shell.
Day 3: Koopa shell hits the Goomba.
Day 4: While Bowser is jumping and approaching Mario, he's gotten under and past Bowser.
Day 5: Bowser drowns in lava; Mario unites with Peach!
Day 1: Mario starts off the game.
Day 2: Mario beats the Koopa and launches the shell.
Day 3: Koopa shell hits the Goomba.
Day 4: While Bowser is jumping and approaching Mario, he's gotten under and past Bowser.
Day 5: Bowser drowns in lava; Mario unites with Peach!
Step 1: The Materials
For this, you'll need very little materials.
1. Colored post it notes. The amount and colors varies depending on the size of the character, how many characters, and what characters you are doing.
2. Tape
3. A window!
I spent about $10-$15 on post it notes, but you can probably find them cheap. The smaller the post its, the easier as window space is pretty limited depending.
1. Colored post it notes. The amount and colors varies depending on the size of the character, how many characters, and what characters you are doing.
2. Tape
3. A window!
I spent about $10-$15 on post it notes, but you can probably find them cheap. The smaller the post its, the easier as window space is pretty limited depending.
Step 2: Getting the Right Picture
After you've collected all your materials, find a good image to use of your character. This would be an 8-bit or vector art. If you have any type of picture editing software, you'll want to add a grid over top of it. Even if you have just paint and have to manually copy a square over and over again to make a grid, I'd recommend it. This makes figuring out the size of your character and sequence of colors a lot easier.
Step 3: Making Your Character
This is where the fun comes in! But also really long and really tiresome. You'll want to either have a printed copy of your image, or have your computer nearby.
Start by measuring out the size of your window. This means using a ruler to see the exact size of the window and then measuring out the size of your post it notes to be very exact, or if you don't mind wasting post it notes, go ahead and just stick a line of post it notes on your window to make your own ruler.
It's easiest to start from the top and work down. Allow the post it notes to overlap each other slightly,
or, if you are lacking window space, overlap it a lot more to make enough room.
Start by measuring out the size of your window. This means using a ruler to see the exact size of the window and then measuring out the size of your post it notes to be very exact, or if you don't mind wasting post it notes, go ahead and just stick a line of post it notes on your window to make your own ruler.
It's easiest to start from the top and work down. Allow the post it notes to overlap each other slightly,
or, if you are lacking window space, overlap it a lot more to make enough room.
Step 4: Prepping the Character
After you're done making your character, you'll want to tape the entire back of the character with tape. I did mine by adding lines up and down the character. If you're planning to make this a moving scene like I am, this is necessary. If you're just doing this to make your windows look awesome, this isn't too necessary.
For characters you are planning to animate, like my jumping Mario, and want to reuse pieces, examine your two shots to see what can be salvaged. Cover each piece with tape, making sure the tape doesn't overlap other pieces.
For characters you are planning to animate, like my jumping Mario, and want to reuse pieces, examine your two shots to see what can be salvaged. Cover each piece with tape, making sure the tape doesn't overlap other pieces.
Step 5: Moving the Character
Now that you've finished taping the character, if you're planning to move the character like I am doing, you'll probably want to do this over a daily basis. Since they're all taped up, they're a lot easier to remove. Just pull up from the bottom and they should pretty much detach with ease. This is harder when you're splicing the characters, as some tape may have overlapped, or the sticky parts of the post it notes may try to refuse to unstick. Remove, rearrange, and paste! And then go outside and look at your lovely creation.