How to Draw Toon Link
Use the video and step-by-step drawing instructions below to learn how to draw Toon Link from Nintendo's Legend of Zelda video games. A new cartoon drawing tutorial is uploaded every week, so stay tooned!
Intro: Start off with a pencil sketch. In the beginning stages, don’t press down too hard. Use light, smooth strokes for sketching.
Step 1: Start with a circle near the top half of the paper. It doesn't need to be perfect. It's just a basic shape for Toon Link's head. Leave enough room at the bottom for the body.
Step 2: Inside the circle, draw two intersecting lines, one horizontal and one vertical. Bend the lines so they contour to the shape of the circle. These are construction lines that will help you place Toon Link's facial features later on.
Step 3: Draw two small football-like shapes as guides for Toon Link's eyes. Draw them sitting on top of the horizontal construction line, on either side of the vertical construction line
Step 4: Below the head, draw a long rectangle as a guide for Toon Link's body. Don't draw the small portion of the rectangle at the top that's behind the head. Pay attention to the size of the rectangle in relation to the first circle. Toon Link is a short character, so don't draw the rectangle too big, otherwise Link will be too big.
Step 5: Draw two lines on the sides of the body, near the top, as guides for Toon Link's arms. The line on the left should bend, while the line on the right should be straight. At the end of each line, draw a small circle as guides for the hands.
Step 6: Draw a shape similar to a diamond around the hand on the left side as a guide for Toon Link's shield. To draw the diamond, first draw two vertical parallel lines, then connect them with diagonal lines at the top and bottom. Draw a straight line coming from the left of the raised hand as a guide for the sword.
Step 7: Under the body, draw two short lines as guides for Toon Link's legs. The lines should bend a little at the tip to indicate where the feet will be.
Step 8: That’s it for the initial sketch! You have the basic shape of Toon Link from Nintendo's Legend of Zelda Video Games. Now go in and tighten your drawing. From this point on, press harder with your pencil in order to get darker lines and a more defined sketch.
Step 9: Darken the edges of the initial football-like shapes inside the head to create the shapes of Toon Link's eyes. The lines at the top should be extra thick to represent the eyelashes. Add an oval inside each eye for the pupils. Shade in the ovals.
Step 10: Above each eye, draw a thick shape for Toon Link's eyebrows. The shapes should be thin and pointy on the sides and thick near the middle. Shade in the eyebrows too.
Step 11: Draw Toon Link's nose as a tiny triangle-like shape right where the construction lines intersect. Under the nose, draw the mouth. The shape of the mouth is similar to the letter D on its side.
Step 12: Draw the front part of Toon Link's hair using a series of curved lines at the top of the head. Notice that the lines overlap the eyes and eyebrows. The eyebrows are essentially sitting on top of the hair, but that's the animation style.
Step 13: Draw the sides of the hair, including the sideburns, by using the initial circle as a guide. Draw the bottom part of Toon Link's head and chin by using the initial circle as a guide too.
Step 14: Draw Toon Link's teeth and tongue inside the mouth by using a series of short lines. Add the ears on the sides of the head too. The ears should be somewhat hidden by the hair.
Step 15: Draw Toon Link's hat as a pointy shape behind the head. The base of the hat is simply a curved line to the right of the head, and the top of the hat is a couple of lines that come to a point to the left of the head.
Step 16: Use the line on the right as a guide to draw Toon Link's arm. Follow the basic path of the guide and make the shape of the arm thicker as you darken the lines. Draw the closed fist within the small circle using a series of curved lines to create the fingers. Leave a portion on the left side of the hand blank because the hilt of the sword will be here.
Step 17: Draw the sword's hilt within the shape of the fist. The pommel of Toon Link's sword is a small circle with a spiral inside. The sword's guard is basically a small diamond with rounded corners to the left of the fist. Draw the blade by following the basic path of the guide and making the shape thicker and pointy at the tip.
Step 18: Under the head, draw a shape similar to an upside-down triangle for the top opening of the shirt. Draw another line within the shape for the undershirt. Add Toon Link's belt near the bottom of the rectangle. The buckle is a small circle with a spiral inside. The belt straps are a few lines on the sides of the buckle.
Step 19: Draw the rest of the shirt by using the initial rectangle as a guide. Follow the basic path of the rectangle but make the edges rounder as you darken the lines to make the shirt billowy.
Step 20: Use the line to the left of the body as a guide to draw Toon Link's other arm. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape of the arm thicker as you darken the lines. Draw the closed fist within the shape of the small circle using a series of curved lines for the digits. Leave a small portion under the fist blank for the shield's handle.
Step 21: The shield is a bit tricky, so it's divided into two parts. First draw the inside part of it using the initial diamond shape as a guide. Follow the path of the diamond but give the shape a pointy tip at the bottom. Draw the handle as a curved line above and below the fist. Draw the shield's straps as a couple of horizontal lines above and below the handle.
Step 22: Draw the outer portion of Toon Link's shield using the initial diamond shape as a guide. Give the shield a pointy bottom like the previous shape. Draw some vertical lines within the shape of the shield to indicate the wooden planks that the shield is made of.
Step 23: Use the lines at the bottom as guides to draw Toon Link's legs. Follow the basic path of the lines and make the shapes of the legs thicker as you darken the lines. The feet should bend forward, and the boots should end at a tip. Draw a curved within the shape of each leg for the top part of the boot.
Step 24: That’s it! You now have a nice sketch of the Toon Link. You can stop at this quick drawing for a rough, sketchy look or go for a more finished look by continuing to the step below.
Step 25: For a more finished, inked look, carefully draw over the final sketch lines with a pen or marker. Wait for the ink to dry, and then get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser. You now have a finished inked drawing of Toon Link! You can stop here or go to the final step to complete your Toon Link drawing.
Final Step: For a completely finished Toon Link drawing, you have to color it. You can use markers, color pencils or even crayons! His hat and shirt are green. His hair and belt buckle are yellow. His sword and the trim around his shield are gray. His skin is peach, but if you don't have peach, improvise and use yellow-orange or light brown. The inside of his mouth is brown, and the tongue is pink. His undershirt is yellow-green. His belt strap, boots and shield are brown. That's it! You now have a completed drawing of Toon Link from Nintendo's Legend of Zelda video games.