The[Crafty]Gamer: Alana Dunitz

This week The[Crafty]Gamer features Alana Dunitz from Canada. The Nintendo junkie has put a new twist on the Rubik's Cube adding panels featuring Mega Man, Mario, Metroid and more! You can even check out her hand-painted Mega Man NES. Read on for more.

The[Crafty]Gamer: Alana Dunitz

Age: 25

Hometown: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Occupation: I actually have two day jobs: Web site designer and business owner/artist

Creation: Nintendo Puzzle Cubes

Tell us about your work. What's the inspiration behind it?

My work is all video game-themed and Nintendo has had a huge influence on my art. I've been a huge Nintendo fan ever since the NES, so basically since I was 5. I have great memories of playing games with my dad and brother, and making video game-themed art reminds me of all those great memories when life was simpler. I figure if I can bring back feelings of nostalgia and fun times for people then I've accomplished my goal.

How much time does it take to create each cube?

The first cube took the longest to do since there was a lot of measuring involved to figure out how big each square had to be and how much black space I should have around each one. I ended up making a template in Photoshop, which I change and adapt to each new design I make. By the time I make the pattern, cut out the individual squares and stick them on it takes about three hours or so.

Are your puzzle cubes available for purchase anywhere?

My cubes are available for purchase at my etsy store Pixelbrush Designs.

Any other information you'd like to share about yourself (do you have a background in arts/crafts? favorite games? etc.)?

Art has always been a hobby of mine, though it wasn't until the last few years that I started to create video game-themed art. I will always have a soft spot for my painted Mega Man-themed NES. 
 
Over the last few years I've managed to collect nearly all of the Nintendo games I had as a kid, bringing my video game collection up to about 500 games over all the older Nintendo consoles, not even including Wii games. That makes it had to pick a favorite game, though I would have to say the retro games are my favorite with series like Mario, Mega Man and Ninja Gaiden.

Web links to any other work?

Check out my business Web site Pixelbrush Designs and my extensive portfolio on deviant art with all my game-themed art.

The[Crafty]Gamer is currently looking for submissions. Check out the submission guidelines and e-mail me at [email protected].