Zelda Fanart Spotlight- Helmaroc King is Going Down!

Hello and welcome to another Fanart Spotlight. Today we are looking at an illustration by artist Joel Sousa called Helmaroc King is Going Down! The drawing features a scene from The Wind Waker featuring one of the most memorable characters from the game- The Helmaroc King is introduced to the player within the first hour of gameplay, when the bird kidnaps Link’s young sister Aryll. At the time, there is nothing the poor future Hero of Winds can do but watch as the menacing bird flies off with her far in the distance. Even after going through the Forsaken Fortress, under Ganondorfs orders the Helmaroc King throws Link into the Great Sea, putting him back at square one. Halfway through his journey though Link returns to the Forsaken Fortress, and he finally gets to have his revenge by challenging the bird head-on as illustrated by Joel.

In a style similar the one found in the game, the picture is very action-packed, with Link holding nothing back and getting right in the Helmaroc Kings face. Aryll looking like a princess locked up in the highest room in a castle, reaches her arms out and finds herself watching helplessly as her brother furiously fights her captor. The artist does a great job of setting up the composition of the image, with the action radiating from the furthest object away, the moon, and the clouds encompassing the deep purple sky and leading very naturally into the foreground. He uses a very heavy line width to help accentuate the closeness and action of both Link and the Helmaroc King, as well as dramatic lighting, using pastel gradations to create a dramatically lite night scene. This artist is certainly not afraid to use color, as best shown in his decision to use a minty green to shade the birds neck, or the powder blue on its masks markings.

When I look at this picture, I can’t help but cheer Link on. It illustrates a very rewarding part of the game coming back to an area you once had to sneak around in, and being able to finally beat up all those baddies with not only your sword, but all the other items you have acquired. Especially bashing that pesky birds tail feathers off.

Joel Sousa is a very talented artist that has quite a few Zelda tributes as well as large comic book inspired portfolio that is definitely worth checking out. You can find him along with all his work by following his DeviantART page. As always, let us known what you thought about today’s Fanart Spotlight Below!