Fine Art: Some Of The Earliest Images Of An ‘Adult’ Link

Last month, we took a look at some of the earliest Zelda art available, some production and marketing pieces done by Katsuya Terada for A Link to the Past. Today, we’re looking at something similar, albeit a little rougher.

The pieces you’re seeing below are ancient sketches by Terada that were published in a commercial sketchbook he released in 2002. Long out of print, it’s expensive to get hold of today, and for good reason: it’s a great book, but of particular interest for Nintendo fans are these sketches.

While not explicitly labelled as Zelda pieces, from the hat to the tunic to the boots, they may as well be, with an adult Link joined by what’s got to be the Great Fairy.

Amazing stuff. If you’re feeling flush, you can grab second-hand copies of the book for around $US90, or fresh ones for around $US160.

A big thanks to Melora from History of Hyrule for passing these along! You can see a few more from the sketchbook at HoH’s Flickr site.

Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios.