Link and Epona

In a Realm beyond sight,
The sky shines gold not blue.
There, the Triforce's might
Makes mortal dreams come true.

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Close-up of Link's portrait can be found here: [link]

"The Sky Shines Gold"

This was meant to be for the 25th anniversary of one of my favorite game franchises of all time, The Legend of Zelda. It took me a little longer than I expected. I wanted to draw Link without all of his usual garb and weaponry -- sort of like after he's saved Hyrule and is taking a much deserved break. So, I dressed him in a simple tunic without a hat to accentuate his newfound freedom. For the setting, I placed Link in Hyrule Field from Twilight Princess. My favorite thing to do there was splash in the little ponds with Epona. I wanted to add a little ferocity to Link's eyes just like we see in his wolf form. I didn't use any references for his face to give myself a challenge. My brother helped me with his pose.

For Epona, I was greatly inspired by a kid's t-shirt I saw at a store. I've been studying up on horse anatomy lately, too, with muscle placement and all that happiness. I'm sure some things are off, but for the most part, I'm hoping I did Epona justice.

Happy 25th Zelda

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Brushes used:

's awesome brush [link]
Thank you! It does wonders for skin texture!

Trees with some of my own modifications to them - midnightstouch/Brusheezy [link]