KoopaDasher - Ocarina of Time

[KoopaDasher]

So... I've been working on this box for almost three years now. I started it one fall, and intended to have it completed by Christmas that year, but it never happened. The original box was designed for a vertical N64 template, and I didn't like the idea. Besides that, the original art was horrible. Instead, I decided to make art that resembled the official Ocarina art as much as possible, and use a custom N64 template.

I started with the logo. I wanted it to closely resemble the Link to the Past style logo, giving the box a classic look like the older Zelda games. Here was the original logo:



After some deliberation, I decided that design didn't work for my custom art. The sword cut off too much of the art. So I went to this design instead:



I still wanted to use completely custom artwork. So here's the sketch that I started with... you'll notice I didn't originally draw the second half:



The intention was that the second half would have images of Adult Link, Sheik, Impa, and Epona, along with a picture of Ganon's castle. The entire image would be split down the middle by a line of gold that pierces the triforce/eagle emblem.

I started simple: focusing on the minor details, like the three Spirtual Gems the sages would hold:



And then I moved on to Link and Navi, who would appear to with a gold circle of light around them, as if he was teleporting in from another location, or possibly teleporting away.



Ruto came next... not the girl Ruto, but the adult sage Ruto, holding her Spiritual Gem



Finally, Darunia was made, holding his Spiritual Gem



I attempted to draw Saria as I have her in the sketch, with her hair blowing in a forest wind. Unfortunately, her art turned out badly. I put her inside of a combined image anyway, just to get an idea of how the design as a whole looked at that moment. I also added in a path of golden lights, which connect Young Link, all of the sages, and the triforce in the center, with the intention of continuing the gold path onto the second half as well, connecting Young Link to Adult Link:



And that... is where I stopped. The box has been sitting on my computer, unfinished, for nearly two years now.

What do you think?

[KoopaDasher]

To be honest, the art doesn't really work. I'm not really sure about this.

That's almost so vague that I can't use it at all. What doesn't work? The shading? The poses? The colors? the lineart? The only ones I'm not entirely happy with are Darunia and Saria. Saria I would just throw out and start over, Darunia needs a bit of touching up, but I like Link and Ruto.

[KoopaDasher]

It's hard to explain, but the line art just looks odd. Especially around Link's head. Maybe it's not proportional with the rest of his body, but it definitively looks off. Also, the style of the logo doesn't fit the art at all. It could just be me though.

Hopefully someone else can explain it better.

I guess it's a project I just need to throw out and forget about.

[willo10]

I guess it's a project I just need to throw out and forget about.

Well, It's a really good Idea, and I think you should finish it, but as UF said, some of the art looks strange. With Link's head, The face shape seems a bit too tall, and the eyes and nose are too high up. Also, the left eye is significantly higher than the other, and the positions should be switched, the right eye should be higher than the left, based on the angle of it. The body is fine though, just the head is off.
I really think you should finish this, it has potential to look really good.

[KoopaDasher]

Don't give up just because of my comment, see what everyone else has to say.

I've never felt very happy about the lineart. It just doesn't fit for some reason. Whatever it is, the look, the proportions, the color... I don't know what it is. I tried to copy the Ocarina art style, but something's missing. I'm not sure what. But you're right. Something about it looks wrong.

[TheNiceGuy]

I guess it's a project I just need to throw out and forget about.

NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO NONONONONONO
This is amazing, I personally think link's head is a little too big, but i think Saria's fine. you should get rid of that yellow line tho and add like hyrule in the back or something. PLEASE DON'T THROW THIS OUT!!!!!!

[KoopaDasher]

NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO NONONONONONO
This is amazing, I personally think link's head is a little too big, but i think Saria's fine. you should get rid of that yellow line tho and add like hyrule in the back or something. PLEASE DON'T THROW THIS OUT!!!!!!

Hyrule is already in the back. Look at the sketch to see how the final version would look. Hyrule Castle is in the background, along with the Deku tree and the owl guy whose name I was never able to pronounce. Ganondorf's head is across the top of both sides, showing that even as the time changes, his shadow is over both the past and future.

[KoopaDasher]

Here was the original version of Ganondorf's face that I made. This was the version that I made for the vertical template version of the box. The art I made for that box didn't have blended shading, which was actually the reason I ended up scrapping that box. But I still liked that drawing of Ganondorf's head enough to keep it. I just need to do more with the shading.

[KoopaDasher]

And in other, other news, this was a custom-art version of Oracle of Ages for the DS that I was working on as well. Though I also gave up this box. I guess if I was to start on this box again, I would make it for the 3DS...

[stevencho]

Ganondorf looks awesome.

[Daemon]

The Ganondorf art is pretty much flawless in every single way.

[TheNiceGuy]

Ganondorf looks like something that you would see on an official Zelda cover. It's just beautiful. And I think you should make the box the same as the sketch.

[KoopaDasher]

Ganondorf looks like something that you would see on an official Zelda cover. It's just beautiful. And I think you should make the box the same as the sketch.

Interesting story. I only drew/colored/shaded half of Ganondorf's face. Then I just flipped it to make the entire face. I knew I would never be able to draw the lines symmetrically, especially the things that mattered like the eyes, nose, and broach. So I just drew half, so that I knew it would be symmetrical.

[Higashi89]

I think you should put Princess Zelda somewhere in this group drawing.

You drawing skills are great, I don't see any problems with it. Continue this project, for god's sake!

[tmrd]

It looks really great but its kind of way too crowded at the moment.