Link Rework

Reworked this old piece and added a background to it as well as some rim light diluting :D

Legend of Zelda: Link

It is told in legend that whenever evil threatens the land of Hyrule a hero is chosen by the Goddesses to protect it. A hero has appeared throughout many generations to answer to the threat and it has been custom to clad the hero in the green and don the name Link.

This Link is an orphan of Hylian blood raised in the forest by the Great Deku Tree after his dying mother delivered him there from a burning Hyrule. But the boy was destined to leave the forest one day and fulfill his place as a knight of Hyrule. When Ganondorf broke into the Sacred Realms to take the Triforce for himself, it split into three pieces and Link was imbued with the power of one of the Triforce fragment: the Triforce of Courage. With that power he is the one person able to wield the Master Sword, the blade of evil's bane said to be crafted by ancient sages to hold the power to repel evil and is the only known weapon that can defeat Ganon and return peace to the land.

Ganondorf - Reworked

Well, always not completely satisfied with a painting :P Decided to rework some of the things that bugged me about the Ganondorf painting. I thought a lot of the values were lost in the background and lacked a bit of 'punch.' I used the concept art trick of throwing in more light sources and add in some rim lights to help define the forms more. In future I think I can have a bit more economy of details involved with these type of paintings, not everything needs to be detailed and defined but can be suggestive especially if they are just off in your peripheral vision.

Some tutorials I found: here and here

Ganondorf

Ive been feeling like playing a Zelda game lately but since I dont have my old games with me and the new one isnt out for a while I thought instead I'd try redesigning some of the characters from the series. I havent quite done a decent fan art of my favorite games franchise in a while and it is the series that got me most enthusiastic about games and subsequently got me drawing the characters. In my research diggings I found some non-canon mangas that Ive been reading. Check them out here.
Ganondorf is the main antagonist to Link and Zelda. He is the leader of the Gerudo people, a tribe of thieves that dwells in the desert west of Hyrule. Every hundred years a single male is born into the clan that consists entirely of women which by Gerudo law makes this male the king of the Gerudos. Ganondorf's desire is to possess the Triforce, the ruling power of the lands giving by the three goddesses which will change the world to match the heart of those who touch it. Upon touching the Triforce, it shattered into three segments and found its host in the individuals most suitable for their attributes: power, wisdom and courage. Ganondorf managed to retain the Triforce of Power and seeks the remaining shards to realize his ambitions in ruling the world.