When most people in the know look at Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong, they picture them in action in the video games that made them famous. But not Jed Henry. Instead, the 28 year-old American artist imagines how these game characters would have looked if they were around in the days of Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) from the Edo Period (1603-1867).

Until recently, Utah-based Henry has been best known as the illustrator / author of children's books, including "I Speak Dinosaur!" and the upcoming "Cheer Up, Mouse!" (which will be published in January). But lately he has been attracting attention online with his "Ukiyo Heroes" — a series of woodblock-print-style illustrations inspired by video games that feature iconic game characters in bygone Japanese settings.

The Japan Times talked to Henry about his work for the "Ukiyo" series.