Overall

Vision Vision

Originality Originality

Technique Technique

Impact Impact

I felt a critique mood coming on again, so... have another one!I make it no secret that the Zelda series is my favorite franchise, so naturally this picture right here got me rather excited. Especially since it focused on the Shadow Temple, which has long since been my most hated temple (to play through, just because it creeps me out); people can complain about the Water Temple all they want, but it's never had anything on the Shadow Temple for me. The ambiance of it was just THAT good at what it aimed to do.In any event, back to business! Zelda fanart is definitely not in short supply, yet this one stands out in the sense that it's very much the opposite of what most Zelda fanart portrays; Link being at the mercy of a foe. Considering most Zelda fanart portrays Link either dominating or being matched by an enemy, it's rather unique for someone to show a foe having the upper hand (no pun intended) with Link. It's a rather refreshing take on it, to be honest....Though just because I call it "refreshing" doesn't mean that it isn't creepy as hell! It really does capture the feeling of the encounter quite well; the pure look of panic in Link's eyes is what one would expect if they were put in such a position. Oftentimes we tend to forget that the "hero" of the story still experiences the same reactions that anyone else might; just because Link represents courage doesn't mean that doesn't experience fear, but rather, just overcomes it. And fear is one thing that a Dead Hand encounter provoked... and this piece managed to provoke that very same emotion that the actual fight did, not only due to Link's expression, but also due to how well the Dead Hand was portrayed. The tiny red pupils amongst the wide eye sockets, the blood stained skin, and of course the characteristic creepy smile as it prepares the gleefully take a bite out of you... all of them were captured masterfully, bringing the Dead Hand to life in this picture... or unlife. Whatever.As far as the technique of skipping the lineart and coloring the sketch is concerned... it's something of a mixed bag. On one hand, it certainly does add to the "gloomy" feel of the pic. On the other hand... it seems like it caused the pic to be a bit on the "rough" side. Areas like the belt and the gloves seem rather undefined, especially compared to the faces of both Link and the Dead Hand. In addition, the patches of pencil "scribbles" on the dead hand's neck, torso, and the hands in the background just look... somewhat off putting. I know the Dead Hand's skin was full of flaws and imperfections, especially from bursting in and out of the ground, yet... the pencil look of it really clashes with the rest of the pic, especially comparing them to the skin's other main detail; the blood stains.Overall though, the good far outweighs the bad, and once again, it's an angle of the Zelda series that few people ever capture, so it definitely scores high for uniqueness. Fear is one thing to consider when looking at this picture, so it definitely hit home in that respect as well. Long story short... this turned out amazing, and did exactly what you intended for it to do by being creepy as hell! Well done!