Sky Pirate Zelda Concepts | Tara Saunders 2024

When designing Zelda's outfit, I looked at existing Sheikah armour sets in the games as well as sci-fi bodysuits and exoskeletons. I added extra clothing layers and a scarf over the armour so as to better hide her identity, since Sheik is meant to be an alter ego, as well as to give her outfit more motion when wind hits it.

For Link, I chose to focus more on the pirate aspects of the setting and tried giving him an outfit that would be fit for manoeuvring around a flying ship. I was inspired by aviator goggles and jackets but tried to keep the colours similar to Link's iconic palette. The tech he carries is meant to contrast Zelda's by appearing a lot more colourful and bulky.

When settling on the design motifs I wanted to continue into the final designs, I spent a lot of time trying to find a good balance between sci-fi hard surfaces and the more fantastical outfits. I also focused a lot on Zelda's prosthetic leg and the Navi robot since it was my first time trying to properly design them. I really enjoyed designing the weapons and objects for each character and am glad I spend so long on them.

When starting the project I was unsure how to get started on the sci-fi elements and instead chose to just sketch out a bunch of different ideas. As time went on I began to get more confident and added things like Link's glowing sword and watch into the mix. Some things like Link's goggles and Zelda's hair got fleshed out early on and persisted up until my final designs.