We Talked With Masked Golem, One Of The Artists Behind Fan Fiction Friday

At Zelda Dungeon, we like to spotlight members of the Zelda community in a few different ways. Whether it be through our fan news features, Artists of Legend, or social media posts, we believe that fan-made contributions to the world of The Legend of Zelda help keep the community strong. And when one such contributor steps in to help us out, we want to show them our appreciation.

One such person is twenty-year-old Aeon Devlin. Artist, animator, and student, Aeon comes to us from Melbourne, Australia as a long-time fan of the Zelda series. Some of you reading may already be familiar with her work, as she has spent countless hours producing fan art online under the alias of Masked Golem. For us, she is none other than the mind and skills behind one image prominently and proudly featured in Beyond the Horizon, our weekly Fan Fiction Friday series.

Considering the fantastic work she’s already done for us, and her plans to continue creating, we wanted to take some time to talk to her and get to know her thoughts and opinions on The Legend of Zelda, art, and life.  Here’s what she had to say:

Zelda Dungeon: What was your first game from The Legend of Zelda, and what was your impression of it?

Aeon: The first LOZ game I played was Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which I stumbled on by complete accident while looking for other Nintendo games to play. I thought it was a little confusing and difficult at first (considering that I had grown up on PS1 3D platformers like Spyro and Crash Bandicoot), but the world it was setting up for itself through the environment and NPC’s was enough to keep me interested in completing the game.

ZD: What is your favorite Zelda game, and what about it did you enjoy so much?

Aeon: It’s hard to choose, but I’d say Breath of the Wild is my favourite! I enjoy the freedom to explore at your own pace, and the intriguing world set up through environmental storytelling; every time I boot up the game, there’s always something new to discover. BotW has my favourite NPC’s as well as my favourite iteration of Princess Zelda; seeing the struggles of these characters made them feel more realistic and worth saving.

ZD: What about The Legend of Zelda do you enjoy bringing out in your artwork?

Aeon: The attention to detail for sure, both with their characters and environments. With LOZ characters specifically, you can tell there is a lot of thought put into them through some of the subtleties in expression, movement or pose at any given moment; I make a point of trying to include these subtleties in my own work as it’s very important to be able to make your story as clear as possible, especially if you only have one picture to do it!

ZD: What sort of artistic styles, motifs, and personal attributes do you like to incorporate in your art?

Aeon: In terms of artistic style, I like to use something more painterly or sketchy because it feels more natural, even when doing digital illustration. I’d say one of the most common recurring motifs in my work would be relationships as they are something I have come to value very much in day-to-day life.

ZD: What art media do you prefer?

Aeon: Lately I prefer to work in Photoshop as there are so many options in terms of custom brushes and colour, as well as the ability to fix large mistakes without having to scrap the entire piece and start over again. Illustration pens, spirit-based markers, and coloured pencils are what I use when I’m not working on the computer.

ZD: How long have you been doing art, and what got you started?

Aeon: I think the point where I decided that I wanted to start pursuing art was at the age of 12. I honestly just started by picking up a pencil and trying to draw my favourite cartoon and video game characters since I was very interested in animation at the time (and still am)! I also did a lot of portraiture and observational work as it’s important to know how reality works before you can break it in a way that is appealing to the eye.

ZD: Who or what inspires you?

Aeon: I am inspired by ambitious creations and passionate creators; knowing how much love is poured into a project makes the final project even more satisfying to experience. Seeing that extreme level of care motivates me to put care and research into my own works; there’s always someone out there who really appreciates your creations and ideas so it’s good to make a point of giving both them and yourself the best visualization of that idea!

ZD: What plans do you have for the future of your artwork?

Aeon: For future plans, I aim to finish my Bachelor of 3D Animation and continue building my portfolio to suit a career in the video game industry. I’m currently considering pursuing a role as a environmental artist but I’m open to whatever opportunities may arise in the coming years.

Personally, we here at Zelda Dungeon are excited to see Aeon continue producing more incredible artwork and hope she achieves her goals. With what she’s already made, it’s clear that she’ll not only continue to stand prominently in the Legend of Zelda community, but we also expect that she’ll make a great name for herself in the world of video game artistry as a whole. You can check out her current and future artwork on her DeviantArt, and why not follow her on Twitter as well?

What do you think of Masked Golem’s work? Who else do you think has left an incredible mark on the Zelda community?  Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!

This interview was a collaboration between Adam Barham and Kat Vadam; Follow them on Twitter