Fan Artist Feature: Ze

Hey Summoners! Today we’re speaking with Ze, a talented community artist and musician from Los Angeles with beautifully rendered pieces that explore unique skin designs and character portraits. Ze also streams her art on Twitch, and in game you might catch her playing one of her favorite champs, Vladimir, Rumble, or Nautilus. - She also has a kitty!

Click the thumbnails below to see even more of her awesome work, and follow her progress on DeviantArt and Twitter.

How did you get started creating League of Legends fan art?

Ze: I started playing League at the end of 2010, but didn’t create fan art until late into 2011. What started the train that still runs today? The good ol’ Journal of Justice. I saw an article’s headline image of Jarvan IV fighting Swain and thought, “Hey…I should recreate this into an even bigger illustration!”

For concept art, I thought it was really fun to create looks from alternate realities or worlds. League was the first game I played that had more of an emphasis on skins and “what ifs”. I wanted to try this with as many champions as I could. I have quite a way to go, but it’s become quite an exploration and collection. 

What’s been your favorite piece to create, and why?

Ze: I’d have to say Elderwood Kindred, even though I recently redesigned it. From my group of skin sketches, I wanted to pick one and draw detailed in-game mockups that were accompanied by a pseudo splash. It took quite some time, but I learned so much.

When I first drew the skin concept for Kindred, it was based off of Bard’s look (back then, he was the only champ who had an Elderwood skin). After completing the concept page for Kindred, I eventually wanted to revisit the concept so it would stand out more, similar to Hecarim and LeBlanc. 

Do you have a dream project you’d like to work on?

Ze: Make games! Or at least draw stuff and help make them! As a kid, I always loved exploring and interacting with a game’s world as much as I could. It’s always fun to think about how a game is made, from its visuals and music to its gameplay and mechanics. Eventually I started to draft out a couple personal concepts. When I can, I work on some concept art or jot down ideas. Wish I had more time, but musing about it is fun.

Who’s your inspiration? Do you have any favorite League content creators?

Ze: This is incredibly tough…I’m terrible at picking favorites. The list just goes on and on. As far as League artists go…

• RinTheYordle: https://twitter.com/RinTheYordle
• Sade: https://twitter.com/ffSade
• Kirryface: https://twitter.com/kirryface
• Hylia: https://twitter.com/faeriefountain
• Muju: https://twitter.com/mujumonster

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the community?

Ze: If you’re an artist and you want to improve, keep drawing…keep practicing. It takes A LOT of time and patience. Don’t focus on big improvements within a short amount of time. Comparing Riot’s art from 2010 to now is like night and day, but it was a gradual process too. Whenever Riot’s work improved, I wanted to get better as well, even if it was just a bit.
 
To everyone else, thank you so much for the support. I really mean it. I’ve never been much of a social media person, but I hope to improve on that and become more involved. One step at a time!

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Lets us know what your favorite piece was in the comments below!