Meet the Fanbase: An Eclectic Artist
Posted on December 27 2014 by Jeffrey Edelstein
As part of our ongoing efforts to get involved with the talented and passionate members of the Zelda fanbase, this week, we have an interview with an artist who we’ve featured several times in the past and is one of my personal favorites. Mr. Adam Scythe, unlike many other artists out there, chooses to feature much of the behind-the-scenes processes that go into creating his works, posting time-lapse videos of his creation process – set to beautiful music, no less. Adam provided me with an opportunity to chat with him about his relation to The Legend of Zelda and his perspective on the series, featured below:
Jeff Edelstein: When did you get started as a YouTube artist?
Adam Scythe: I made the channel last December, but back then I didn’t have much time to paint, so I decided to make a change in my life and dedicate more time to painting this July, because painting is what I really love to do, and I believe one should always make time for what they’re passionate about and make it work somehow.
JE: You paint a great variety of subjects. Are these all chosen by you or are they requests?
AS: Mostly I choose my own subjects, because I need to be passionate about what I’m painting in order to do a good job. Also, I try to paint pictures that help me improve my technique. I, of course, take requests if the subject’s close to me and I feel I can give back what the requester wants to see.
JE: As of late, you’ve done a lot of watercolors. What motivated that choice?
AS: Well, I used to paint digitally, but because of lack of time I turned to pencils, with which I quickly started to miss the diversity of color. I steered clear of watercolor, because I thought it was a very limited medium. I only gave it a shot because my adorable wife advised me to try it. As a result, I have found the medium that fits perfectly with my ideas, and realized that watercolor holds many possibilities. Since then I try to be as open-minded as I can.
JE: Do you have any original creations or favorites?
AS: My original characters have a very special place in my heart, but if I have to choose I’d say Air Mailer, Cloudmaker and Odango girl (from Wish and The Gumball Machine) are my favorites.
JE: Where does your interest in the Legend of Zelda stem from?
AS: When I was little, one of our neighbors had a SNES, so I played with A Link to the Past occasionally, which totally blew me away from the first moment. I got Link’s Awakening a few years later, and I couldn’t put down the Game Boy despite the fact that my English was horrible back then, so I only understood a few words.
JE: Which Zelda game’s art style is your favorite?
AS: Skyward Sword’s is my absolute favorite. It’s so simple, but still detailed, and on top of that, the color choices in this game are the closest to me as well. It inspired me a lot
JE: What’s your take on the artistic approach being taken with Zelda U?
AS: Unfortunately, they didn’t show us much yet, but from what I’ve seen, I really like the ancient design mixed with magical elements, which probably holds something new for us (like almost always), and the creators never disappointed me so far.
JE: If you could design a Zelda game, what kind of artistic approach would you use?
AS: That would be nice, haha. I’d probably combine a very dark theme with a very peaceful, ancient, pure theme with the goddesses – where everything began and where it could end if everything takes a turn for the worst, and Link could travel back and forth to solve the situation as usual.
JE: Any more Legend of Zelda art headed our way soon?
AS: I’m definitely going to make more, because The Legend of Zelda series is one of my inspirations, but I like to give every idea time before I start sketching. I have some ideas from Majora’s Mask and Ocarina of Time, so I’m sure I’ll return to Hyrule soon.
JE: Anything else you’d like to say to the fans here at ZI?
AS: I would like to thank you for the kind comments and overall interest in my work, I’m really humbled by the support I’ve gotten here, so thank you very much again, you guys rock! I wish you all an awesome day and keep adventuring!
And a big thank you from those of us here at ZI to Adam for taking the time to talk with us. If you’d like to see more examples of his work, Zelda and beyond, check out his website, pinterest page, Facebook page, and youtube page, as well as the gallery below.
If you, or anyone you know has a passion for Zelda-related work or creations that they’d like to share with us here at ZI, feel free to send a private message to the author of this article, or send an email to nathan@zeldadungeon.net. We’d look forward to hearing your story.
