Zelda Artist Exposition: ZaloHero

Hey everyone! It has been a while. Whether you have noticed or not, this editorial series was put on hold briefly for the release of A Link Between Worlds. The game was much more topical compared to fan art, and the hiatus allowed myself and everyone else to focus on the developments and news pouring in, although, ironically I never actually reported on the game during that time. Anyway, as usual, I will just explain Zelda Artist Exposition in case you happen to be new. It is a series I created to expose Zelda fan artists and highlight how much of an impact The Legend of Zelda series has had on the art community. It is normally published every other week, barring unforeseen events. Recommendations for artists to feature are welcome, and please do be supportive and pleasant in the comments. This week’s featuree is deviantARTist ZaloHero.

ZaloHero, who goes simply by “Zalo,” has been on deviantART for about five years. He stays reasonably busy and has accumulated 120 deviations so far. He has 470 watchers—but deserves more—and over 25,000 pageviews.

One of my favorite things about Zalo’s art is how striking each piece is. It is hard to explain, but whether the work is bright or dark, it leaves an impact. He tends to focus exclusively on digital painting, at least in the Zelda artwork. The prominence of brushstrokes in his art adds some interesting texture and mood. While his style is quite varied, it is also very unique.

Below are some of his best, most dynamic pieces.

Almost all of Zalo’s work is Zelda-based, which is good for us. He has done fan artwork of Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and most prominently, Ocarina of Time. His original work is pretty sparse, giving us a lot of Zelda to look at, but if you are interested, check out some other folders in his gallery. He also shows considerable prowess in portrait work in the “she” folder.

Thanks for reading guys! Hopefully you enjoyed the comeback.

ZaloHero’s deviantART page

Cropped “Link skyward sword” by Zalohero
“Impa Skyward Sword” by Zalohero
“too young for a real battle” by Zalohero
“Link Vs Wolfs” by Zalohero
“Twilight” by Zalohero