This selection was really hard to make. Thank you to everyone who entered and made this so difficult and amazing at the same time. I hope you will join us again next year. And thank you for bearing with me; it's been over a week since the contest deadline passed and I know how long that must have felt. There were over 30 pieces on the table that could have been the final picks, (and that wasn't including the ones I loved but knew would be harder to read when printed,) and really: any of those would have been great choices. While I originally narrowed it down by doing things like, selecting ones that I thought fit the theme the best, seemed well thought out, inspired, would print well, were the most "skillfully" done, had good polish, and were ones that just spoke to me or were pieces I thought would speak to the most fans: Out of those, what ended up influencing the very final choices was that I, basically, tried for the most variety.
Artist's Name:
Shadottie
Website:
http://shadidraws.tumblr.com/
Image Location:
http://shadidraws.tumblr.com/post/36891967996/this-moment-in-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of
Artist's Summary:
"This Moment"
This moment in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will always be special to me. I was really young when this game was first released, and there were many things that terrified me in game. But I pressed on, got through my fears, even if it took years, and made it to the end. It was incredibly rewarding to finally defeat Ganondorf, hit the credits, and find that all the people of Hyrule were gathered in one place, celebrating this victory. Hyrule can finally live peace and prosperity.
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: The artist managed to take a scene from the game, one that I did not even like originally, and they turned it into something I love. It really gives that moment life & it's just got a great feel as an art piece. They way they used the sage's colors was really fun and, while the vibrant colors are throughout the whole piece, they don't come off as being too overbearing. Like all great art, they seem to have found the right balance. Including detail, and lack there of: it's really the right amount of everything. Plus, the composition is just really good and the whole thing reads very well~ even printed. It's also a celebration of one of the most important moment's in Hyrule History: the triumph of the Hero, instead of Hyrule's fall into the Era of Decline. So it's a HUGE one for the theme of the contest.
...And doesn't it make a great piece for bringing in the New Year? It's every friend out celebrating under a brilliant night sky. Perfect!
February
Artist's Name:
Hadece
Website:
http://hadece.deviantart.com/
Image Location:
http://hadece.deviantart.com/art/Zelda-Until-the-last-Breath-340206714
Artist's Summary:
"Until the last Breath"
"Young lad, do you plan fighting the mighty beast Ganon? It once was a proud man, blessed with a bright mind and immense power by the goddesses. But he strived for too much. So when he gained the land he desired for, his mind fell to the darkness.
The man was swallowed, leaving behind a struggling beast. Now it is not more than a wild animal, blind of anger and desperation, waiting for someone to finally release it.
Will you have the courage to strike the giant, young lad?
So go on.
But it is dangerous out there. Take this."
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: Well, for one: It's goregous. The detail is awesome and it's so well done. It doesn't just
look like it: it
feels like it's taking place in an old, lost, realm. Some place that is not use to being disturbed. Some place that you
shouldn't be disturbing. Just like how it can feel sometimes when you wander alone through an empty cave, ruined castle, or old forest. (Or; like how the old Zelda often games felt to me.) Somehow it feels quite, and eerie, like the moment is frozen- like you're catching your breath: It really is the moment of realization that the power of destruction is going to be crashing towards you. I love how the pillars are showing the history, they're so much fun to decipher. The lighting composition is amazing.
Maybe I picked it for the February slot because it has a cold, almost lonely, feeling to it. Link is alone and has that to face. And February has always felt like the coldest month to me.
March
Artist's Name:
Mikey Patch
Website:
http://irontree.deviantart.com/
Image Location:
http://irontree.deviantart.com/art/The-Legend-of-Zelda-Shadow-of-Katirok-End-Duel-340525578
Artist's Summary:
"End Duel"
This is a scene from the final battle between Link and the Sheikahn dark wizard Agahnim in the "Shadow of Katirok" fan story - written by Andy Pinkston and Mikey Patch
"Some time ago, before the King of Hyrule unified this country, there was a fierce war in our world."
— Deku Tree Sprout
Link awakens from a terrible dream of war and destruction. The last time he dreamt of something so significant, Hyrule was overthrown by the bearer of the triforce of power. He had to travel through time to change the course of history. But maybe this change made a new path for evil to tread.
During the Hyrulean civil war for the Triforce and the sacred realm, 2 warriors saved Hyrule from the Garo interlopers from the north. One (the most powerful) was a Fierce and loyal knight of the King named Ealit, and the other was the prodigy of the sheikah named Agahnim. Under the direction of the Majune, the matriarch of the sheikah, Agahnim betrayed Ealit and the king in a plot for obtaining the triforce. The traitor sheikahs were executed and Agahnim was banished to the desolate land of the Garo in the north called Katirok.
8 years later, the time of peace granted by the Hero of Times victory, is coming to an end. Agahnim survived, and has returned far more powerful that ever before. Link must find a fierce power from the past in order to protect the future.
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: This is one of those pieces where it just feels enough like an actual Zelda game or story that you'd hardly question it. Every element in it is something that already fits with what we've seen from the franchise, but it's all new and the piece makes its own story. It feels like it adds to the series. It's gratifying. It's so amazingly well done. All of that is impressive; it's an extremely impressive piece in every regard. And I love seeing an Agahnim-like entity more of a "modern" Sheikah's garb; it really works for that character's concept to have more than just The Eye on his robes. Kind of marries that symbol from A Link to the Past with what was seen in Ocarina of Time and the later games.
I kept thinking of the betrayal aspect that was so integral to Agahnim's story~ that I guess I placed it in March for some loose, conceptual, "
Ides of March" tie in. Plus, the name "March" coming from the celebration of the god "Mars" -Having a violent piece for the month seemed quite a decent fit. The colors are beautiful and seemed to work well for the time of year too.
April
Artist's Name:
Evelmiina
Website:
http://evelmiina.deviantart.com/
Image Location:
http://evelmiina.deviantart.com/art/Fate-of-the-Trinity-pirates-339702256
Artist's Summary:
"Fate of the Trinity Pirates"
Long before birth of the hero of the wind, a small group of pirates became notorious for their hunt of what was known as golden triumph forks. They were fearsome, for they used whatever means, once they got a whiff of the prize. Some thought, that gods themselves punished them for their arrogance. However it was, they perished at the sea.
A bit of this and that, I thought it’d be interesting if it was their ship that is the ghost ship in the wind waker. Even after their death, the ship wanders about carrying the memory of their failed mission. As for their looks, I thought it’s interesting contradiction that they resemble the three goddesses, but whether they actually are their incarnations or not, who knows.
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: This is another one of those pieces that, while it didn't really happen, I want it to happen. I can believe it happened. It creates a side story that gives an almost inconsequential aspect of the game, that seemed small to me until now, a really great depth. It's a really fun thing to think about. I love how it feels like a last desperate stand of people to whom fighting is familiar, and also feels as if it's the persona of the ship. There's so much glorious attitude to this piece. I love the style, the look, the character design. I love picking apart the details. It's just really damn cool. And the piece is so successful because it creates its own story in your mind. The artist's description sums everything up so wonderfully; but you wouldn't have to read that to get a similarly amazing story from it. It made a tale, a legend, that will be told as a part of the history of Hyrule.
As for the month? I tend to always think that something storm related can work well for April.
May
Artist's Name:
Karlen T.
Website:
http://kgoggles.deviantart.com/
Image Location:
http://kgoggles.deviantart.com/art/Leaving-the-Forest-313419666
Artist's Summary:
"Leaving the Forest"
"When you play my Ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit." - Saria
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: I love the peaceful feel. I love how it shows a whole region (and without it feeling forced together.) It's all encompassing and sums the moment up so well. It's beautiful; just like the Kokiri Forest should be. The work of art exemplifies why it must have been so hard for Link to leave. (...Yet Saria looks so assuring because she know's it's right! You have to go. But, in that moment, as far as she and you know, the she and the forest will always be there for you to return to.) The piece personifies charm: and there's hardly a more charming moment in the series. It's everything it should be; except, I think it makes it even better. So well done!
Picked for May, because it's such a beautiful "spring-like" piece, a time when the world is young and green.
June
Artist's Name:
Skull the Kid
Website:
http://skull-the-kid.deviantart.com/
Image Location:
http://skull-the-kid.deviantart.com/art/The-War-of-the-Kings-and-the-flood-of-Hyrule-339902948
Artist's Summary:
"The War of the Kings and the Flood of Hyrule"
I chose my favourite part of the Legend of Zelda mythos and probably the most tragic of all: the very end of Hyrule.
The vain struggles for survival of the kingdom against Ganondorf, the Goddesses act of the flooding and the exodus that lead to the civilizations of the Great Sea.
The best way to describe this image could be quoting Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule himself:
Once, long ago, this land of Hyrule was turned into a world of shadows by Ganon who sought to obtain the power of the Gods for his evil ends. My power alone could not stop the fiend, and our only choice was to leave the fate of the kingdom in the hands of the Gods...
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: Great style (it also prints so beautifully!) and very clever. It's familiar, like the official Wind Waker art, but it's actually a very different style, and it's so skillfully done. While still retaining a look that's extremely modern and very appropriate for videogames, (like the Wind Waker, of course) it also manages to merge the feel of the official art, and our real-world's old-world style, perfectly and without flaw. I'm very impressed. The details are great and tell so much of the story~ This piece makes me want to see one of Hyrule's books on history illustrated in this way, or walk down a hallway lined in tapestries like this. For some reason I really get caught up with how Ganon's cloak encompass destruction, of villages by flame, while King Daphnes's is not just the people of Hyrule, but it seems to give us the feeling that he is their hope as well. I love those two parts so much. The swirls (the circular graphic design aspect) of the monsters is enviable. This piece includes so many series details without feeling as crammed as that many details should have to make it feel: in other words, to write about everything shown here would take many, many pages. This piece is a wonderfully thought out, passionate and succinct, visual summary of so much of the series.
The colors, the imagery that's a little fiery and a lot of water; it seemed to make a decent choice for a summer month. June it was.
July
Just before Link enters the Twilight Realm one last time with Midna, he leads the Hylian army to push back the corrupt Twili forces back into their realm.
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: Goodness, we really needed a good war piece for this theme. (We got two true ones and, man, it was hard to pick between them.) There could probably be articles and article's written about "Hyrule's Forgotten Wars." There's so much talk of them in the series, so many hints; but I think that it's such a complicated thing to actually draw that we never really see them depicted in full scenes. We don't even see them in the games because, (even still!) they'd be so incredibly taxing on the systems. This artist really took the task to heart and it shows. This is beautifully done; there's so much detail, and the mastery of color, and the coloring for the lighting, is something I will never get tired of going over. The moment feels desperate, and it feels valiant. It's not just Link, but all the people of Hyrule, fighting for their homeland.
July is a good war month, with so many country's "independence days" happen during this time.
August
Link fulfilling the prophecy about using the Book of Mudora to translate the stone tablet in the desert. I like the idea that the Book of Mudora contains the records of Hyrule's history as well as being a translation key, so the Hylian spilling from the book is spelling out some lines from OoT's creation myth.
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: A forgotten language rediscovered! The past comes into the future and history is brought into relevancy again; It's not just legend anymore. It's the moment the quest can move forward and new realms open -thanks to what the ancients left behind. If not for that book, so much would have been lost. There would have been no way to connect the past and future people of Hyrule. It's one of those moments where the importance of the in-game items is really highlighted. When the game design works realistically. I think it's kind of easy to forget about stories being behind the items, or just not think about them as anything at all, since there are so many you grab along the way: but seeing it as an illustrated scene really helps them make an impact. The designers actually thought about how things could work- they gave items a little story, they placed design features in the game, (like monoliths with a lost language,) to make sure things made sense for the player. It's simple concept, but often over looked in games. It's not just some random mechanic. And, as a work of art: This piece has great design, great color, and it really feels like the game should. I love that it's like a sandstone desert with the light just peeking over the ridges, the dark storms looming in the background. It's how I pictured the top of those rocks, by the desert, in a Link to the Past to be; yet this is even more vibrant and foreboding. It was a wonderful concept to pick for this theme, especially since it was so inspired by the release of the book "Hyrule Historia." (You know, it was released on December 15th in Japan.. so we're only 6 days away before the 1 year anniversary of it!)
Besides the colors seeming a great fit for August: I'm so sorry but... I couldn't help but place it here as a reminder that you're probably about to start yet another year at school. TIME TO OPEN THOSE BOOKS!
September
Artist's Name:
Ebillan
Website:
http://ebillan.deviantart.com/
Image Location:
http://ebillan.deviantart.com/art/The-Arrival-of-Demise-323149918
Artist's Summary:
"The Arrival of Demise"
When the gods of old left the world they created, they trusted their ultimate power, the Triforce, to the hands of Hylia so that she could protect it. She did so throughout the Era of the Goddess Hylia until one day a crack opened up in the earth and the Demon King Demise and his demonic hordes came forth from the fissure...
In order to prevent the great power from falling into the hands of Demise, Hylia gathered the humans and sent them skyward with the Triforce, beyond the reach of evil forces wrecking havoc upon the surface world.
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: I LOVE the atmosphere in this. There were a lot of really great "beginning of Hyrule" pieces; but this one seemed like
the perfect moment to really define the history of the land. The dread and the hope that came to fruition at this moment; the piece made an impact on me. It shows a real turning point~ when darkness comes to the land and the golden power is placed out of the reach. I also really enjoy the fact that, even though these aren't colors I would normally like in a piece of art; I love them here, they're simply perfect. Again, I think this is a piece that has just the right amount of detail, and just the right details.
The colors, and the mood, seemed to make it a great choice for the beginning of fall.
October
Artist's Name:
Tawny
Website:
http://niraven.deviantart.com/
Image Location:
http://niraven.deviantart.com/art/The-Ancient-Power-334435768
Artist's Summary:
"The Ancient Power"
“It is called Majora's Mask. It is an accursed item from legend that is said to have been used by an ancient tribe in its hexing rituals. It is said that an evil and wicked power is bestowed upon the one who wears that mask. According to legend... the troubles caused by Majora's Mask were so great... the ancient ones, fearing such catastrophe, sealed the mask in shadow forever, preventing it's misuse. But now, that tribe from the legend has vanished, so no one really knows the true nature of the mask's power...”
A theory I decided to put into motion. Impa enters the Lanaryu Mining Facility of the Past with a Timeshift Stone, in order to remove Majora's Mask and seal it away in shadow. After viewing the extinction of the Ancient Robots, it was clear Hyrule's safety was at stake. When I first played Skyward Sword, I was immediately struck by the similarity in the music between Lanaryu Mining Facility and Majora's Mask's theme. I found the vibrant colors reminiscent of the mask, and found it interesting that even if the Thunder Dragon was saved, the Ancient Robots still all died out. I theorized they could have discovered or created the Mask, seeking an alternate power source as the Thunder Dragon ailed. Electricity could easily be viewed as “a hexing ritual” by the rather medieval races that we've seen throughout Zelda games. Impa's time portal also very much reminded me of the portal through which Link enters Terminia, which is often referred to as “Hyrule's shadow”. There are so many more details I could share on similarities, but then this description would go on and on and on-- my original document going over similarities was well over 900 words. So, I will spare you reading it here and instead let my artwork tell the story.
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: Very pretty and very well designed as a work of art. Conceptually mind blowing ...just perfection. AKA: It doesn't have to be real to feel real. It's simply fun to think this. It's simply fun to have an explanation like this. It inspires! This is a muse. This is a reason to want to go back through each game and explore every detail of the series in depth and let your mind just expand them. This piece takes such amazing, and kind of mysterious, aspects and very important tales from two great games and merges them to make a really cool moment and idea happen. It expands and explains. Please let yourself get carried away in the artist's summary.
Why October? Colors and, heh, of course: a mask.
November
Artist's Name:
Cojirou
Website:
http://cojirou.deviantart.com/
Image Location:
http://cojirou.deviantart.com/art/The-Recording-of-the-History-of-Hyrule-311782913
Artist's Summary:
"The Recording of the History of Hyrule"
I chose to paint the painting of the painting of the Royal Family found in Wind Waker's Hyrule Castle. I adore that game. No long description history behind this picture, because well... it's pretty self explanatory.
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: As soon as you see this piece I hope you say what I said~ that there could not have been a more perfect moment to choose for this contest. It's one of those things I hate myself for not thinking of because it just needed to be. This needed to exist. It seems real because it had to be real, this moment had to happen at some point in time for
that picture in the Wind Waker to exist. (And the revelation found in that portrait was such an important one in the game.) Plus, the style is so insanely perfect! The artist did such a remarkable job re-creating the right look and feel! Bravo!
Loosely chosen for November because of everyone getting together, and the colors, kind of reminded me of the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.
December
Link finds the timeless Master Sword, hidden and forgotten by the world.
Some Brief Reasons for the Pick: Again, it never happens in the game: but it does happen, doesn't it? Another Link, from some other time and place, finds what everyone has forgotten was anything but legend. How can we forget the importance of the sword? Without it Hyrule would have been doomed many times over. It's also just an amazing piece of art; not just for winter, it's goregous in every way. It has such a sense of wonder about it; one that can hardly be explained.
A pick for December because I hope everyone has a beautiful winter; filled with everything they want and need!
All of you, thanks so much for helping make this event great!
~Melora
(There are probably typos I will come back and fix; I've had a small cold ;p forgive my awful writing!)
