# Whimsical Gamer Depictions Jed Henry Creates Modern Japanese Ukiyo-e Style Paintings By Courtney Scharf | Published 2012-05-20 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jed-henry1 References: [io9](http://io9.com/5911405/classic-video-game-characters-drawn-in-the-style-of-japanese-ukiyo) & [jedhenry.tumblr](http://jedhenry.tumblr.com/) In a playback to historical Japanese paintings, artist Jed Henry has debuted a series of reimagined [gaming characters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/louis-de-guzman-1). Painting using classical ukiyo-e style, the pieces feature more graceful, yet also recognizable gamer favorites. Featuring gaming personalities such as Samus, Megaman and Link, the series uses a wide variety of inspiration and does a great job giving its subjects a very old-school makeover. The paintings, which fairly delicate looking, are dark in color and tell a powerful story about each character. With many of the subjects being placed in a battle of some kind, the pieces are decidedly more emotive than most [gamer illustrations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/asus-5) of its kind. Unexpectedly whimsical, Jed Henry's work strikes a balance between culturally current and historical. Eye-catching and bound to strike the interest of more than a few gamers, these pieces are a nostalgic take on [beloved personalities](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/riki-8bit-game-collection). ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.7/10 - Popularity: 34% | Activity: 38% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/games) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Reimagined Gaming Characters:** The use of classical ukiyo-e style in depicting gaming characters creates a disruptive innovation opportunity for merging traditional art forms with contemporary pop culture. - **Emotive Gamer Illustrations:** The incorporation of powerful storytelling and emotive elements in gamer illustrations offers a disruptive innovation opportunity for creating more engaging and meaningful visual representations. - **Nostalgic Gaming Art:** The nostalgic approach to portraying beloved gaming personalities through classical painting techniques presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for bridging the gap between traditional art and modern gaming culture. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Art and Design:** The reimagining of gaming characters using traditional art forms opens up disruptive innovation opportunities in the art and design industry by bringing together different artistic styles. - **Gaming and Entertainment:** The incorporation of emotive storytelling and historical painting techniques in gamer illustrations creates a disruptive innovation opportunity in the gaming and entertainment industry for enhancing the visual narrative of games. - **Pop Culture and Merchandise:** The nostalgic depiction of gaming personalities through classical paintings presents a disruptive innovation opportunity in the pop culture and merchandise industry for creating unique and highly desirable collectible items. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Sci-Fi-Inspired Classical Posters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sen-donnan.md) - [Artist-Designed Gaming NFTs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/amano-special-nfts.md) - [Japanese Artwork Keyboard Accessories](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/traitors-keys-ukiyoe-keycap-set.md) - [3D-Printed Gaming Console Docks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/holoprops-japanese-cloud-dock.md) - [Playing Card-Themed Apparel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nintendo-5.md) - [Gaming-Inspired Anime Figures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gaminginspired-anime-figures.md) - [Intricately Designed Lush Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kunitsugami-path-of-the-goddess-1.md) - [Video Game-Inspired Side Tables](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pac-man-side-table.md) - [Vibrant Artistic Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/japonisme-1.md)