I, II, III, IV, yay!

This just outlines the different Links and how they fit into my own interpretation of the Zelda story… first comes the snub-nosed Link I, who saved Zelda in the first two games: The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link.
Next, there is the both handsome and adorable Link II, who found his inner hero in A Link to the Past, continued with Four Swords and The Oracle of Seasons and finally returned to his Zelda’s side after The Oracle of Ages.
Then, there is Link III, whom we all know and love as the hero of The Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and in a fit of insanity, I placed him in Link’s Awakening as well.
As an epilogue, we have Link IV, of Wind Waker fame, as well as the new ones I haven’t played yet that are in the ‘toon’ style: Phantom Hourglass and quite possibly Minish Cap, with Vaati coming back in a bishounen incarnation or something instead of a wierd black blob. I think Wind Waker had just come out, though, because that’s the only one written below his little head.

You can see my style for Link III has developed since I started: here I’ve found the look I want, and I use it with very small alterations indeed through the next couple of years. He’s also the only one in profile, which probably means something: I think I thought the others were more recognizable in 3/4 view. Also, Link taught me to draw profiles, but I probably overuse them since absolute profiles are rather rare. I like the long nose, but the eyes are probably still too high up.

I can see that I started to draw a 3/4 view of adult Link III behind the finished picture, but I erased it. He must have been ugly.