Mamma mia! Artist and digital illustrator Miguel Alfaro designed a Super Mario-style map of Quebec and it's absolutely incredible.
From Saint-Joseph's Oratory to the Château Frontenac, some of the most iconic Quebec landmarks take fantastical form on the detailed illustration. The design is now available on Alfaro's website, The Geography Pin, as a print or t-shirt.
MTL Blog had a chat with Alfaro about his process and what inspired him to create this awesome map.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Miguel Alfaro | The Geography Pin
What's your background as an artist?
I think every artist begins the same way. I was that kid that would draw in the back of his notebooks in school. I would draw anything really, and I eventually chose the path of graphic design as a grew older.
I wanted to create my own things without feeling some sort of drawback, just like the old times when I was a child. And something that I loved as a kid was Mario. So I began creating these maps. I know that doing maps in the style of Mario Bros has been around almost as long as the game itself, but I wanted to do it with my own approach.
Why maps? What's your inspiration?
I draw maps because I love them. You're seeing a representation of something that actually exists and that you can visit.
You can get to know a lot about a place just by searching out maps, you can see their road network, their elevation, their population or cities. You can actually imagine the reasons behind current geopolitical events and it reminds me of games I used to play as a kid.
Do you plan to do maps of other Canadian provinces?
Yes! I plan to do all provinces and territories.
So far I have done New Brunswick, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. I don't know when I'm going to have all of them done but I look forward to it.
You can find all of Miguel Alfaro's work on The Geography Pin.