Zelda: Breath of the Wild artist, art director discuss their approach to key art

The following comes from Hyrule Graphics, which contains an interview with artist Takumi Wada and art director, Satoru Takizawa...

Q: What kind of picture did you draw first while you were under that pressure?

Wada: It was a picture of Link shooting an arrow with a bow. I tried drawing three variations that have the same form but a different touch.

Q: Which one did you choose in the end?

Wada: I decided on picking the best of both a rough picture and a clear surface style.

Q. This picture of Link from behind is also a composition that we haven’t seen much before.

Wada: When it comes to each pose, I drew them while discussing with art director [Satoru] Takizawa, but I thought that drawing the backside would show the various equipment that is held on the back and seeing them would make everyone excited.

Q: The shield isn’t the regular one and various things are also hanging on the waist… Also, there isn’t a sword but rather a bow in these two sheets.

Takizawa: The bow is very important item this time around. You can use it from the start, it is also very convenient to use, and it was even used symbolically in the 2014 promotional video. Producer [Eiji] Aonuma has been screaming “I want to endorse the bow” from the initial stages of development (laughs), so we decided easily on the direction of making the bow appealing.