The artists behind League Facebook Stickers

If you’ve ever wished you could use League champions to express your emotions -- ­­look no further! A new champion-­themed sticker pack has been released on Facebook for your emoting pleasure. Check them out here!

These stickers were inspired by memes and inside jokes from the League community, so it was only right that a few community artists had a hand in creating them. Take a look at the artists who contributed their unique style and personality to bring these stickers to life, and read on to discover how they got started in League, how they approach their art, and what inspires them to create champion fan art!

How did you get started creating League fan art?

OSKAR: I started playing the game and then it just kind of happened. I would have ideas for what kind of skin would be cool, or just imagine scenarios in my head and doodle those out. I love reinterpreting and re­imagining existing ideas, so League is perfect for me.

SADE: Around the time I stopped playing competitive Smash Bros. in 2011, a ton of my gamer friends tried to get me into League of Legends. Within a couple of weeks, I was addicted. It wasn’t long until I fell in love with a ton of champions, including Rumble (my #1), Caitlyn, Garen, and Fiddlesticks. So I drew them. Surprisingly, people liked them, so I just kept it up.

NIPS: When my friends finally got me to download and play the game, I instantly fell in love with the splash art and how much energy it had!

From where do you get your ideas when creating a new League piece?

OSKAR: Just about anything really! Sometimes it’s a champion’s personality, sometimes it’s just something I think is cute, or anything along those lines. I also really love drawing girls, so whenever any of the girls get a new skin or update, it’s easy to make me feel inspired. (More girl champions, Riot!!)

SADE: I get my ideas from playing too much League. It’s fortunate that the game is so vast and interesting, yet also malleable and open to interpretation. There’s something to draw for anyone.

NIPS: They usually come from a sudden burst of inspiration or from ideas I’ve had for a while. I’m usually constantly thinking about the League universe in the back of my mind and some interesting things happen there xD

What approach do you take when deciding how to depict a champion in your art? How do you stay true to a champion’s personality while still making the piece your own?

OSKAR: I usually just visualize the champ in any way! I actually am not sure I take into account the champion’s personality, since I just kind of like re­imaging and bending the champions into my own ideas. That’s why League is so fun to do fan art for; most of the champs are base ideas and concepts that us fan artists get to extend and play with.

SADE: The last thing I want to do is capture a character’s essence incorrectly, because that would just be slander. So, I’ll play the champion to get a better feel of their personality (also a good excuse to play more video games). And if I still don’t really get what they’re about, then I read up on their lore. It’s not much, but I do my best to respect the character.

NIPS: I like creating pieces that make the champions as believable and as human as possible. It’s one of my favorite things to do!! To make it my own, I try to put the champion in situations that I feel only I would be best at drawing. Everyone has certain things they’re good at and I think drawing while keeping that in mind results in the best and most unique pieces.

Who is your favorite champion to draw, and why?

OSKAR: Leona. She’s my favorite to draw, play, and look at fan art of. I love her so much, she’s the perfect amount of femininity, strength, and overall bad­assery. Not to mention her whole thing with Diana just sort of hits my weak spot. I love conflicting romances.

SADE: Graves has always been my favorite champion to draw. He’s my favorite marksman, and since he has very rugged and rough features, I can be more creative when it comes to designing him. I’ve drawn him so many times, I don’t have to look at a reference anymore. So when I have a sketchbook on hand, sometimes I’ll doodle him out wherever I go.

NIPS: Ziggs! That smile is killer.

What does it mean to be a fan artist in the League community?

OSKAR: Hmmm, I’m not sure what it “means,” but it’s been really fun! I’ve met a lot of really cool people, and expanded my comfort zones a lot through being in the League community. The best part I think is feeding off each other’s ideas and creativity. It really allows for artists and relationships to grow and I think that’s something very important when it comes to growing as an artist!

SADE: To be a fan artist in the League community is being a part of an ever growing family. Here, I’ve met the most passionate and talented individuals that helped change me as an artist. My fans are surprisingly really supportive as well. The least I can do is to continue to improve my skills so I can deliver more enjoyable content in the future.

Can you describe your art style for us?

OSKAR: Oh boy, that’s kinda hard. I guess east meets west would be the best way! I take inspiration from western cartoon and comic artists as much as I take inspiration from manga and anime. I love all sorts of retro animation and visuals, so I also try to infuse that into my art.

SADE: I’d consider my art style anime/manga at heart, though I also mixed some other stylistic influences into it. It ended up being a Frankenstein­like amalgam of things I liked, and I always just describe it as a more realistic anime style.

NIPS: I draw without putting much thought into this but a lot of people have told me that it’s similar to what a mix of American comics and Japanese comics would look like!

How do you think being part of the League community influences your art?

OSKAR: I never really considered illustrational art in video­games as a career option before League of Legends. Art is such a huge part of what makes LoL appealing. It made me want to paint more. I think just looking at the splash arts as sort of a “goal” for my artistic abilities has been the biggest thing I’ve taken from being a part of the community!

SADE: The League community has shaped my art immensely. Concept artists like Paul Kwon (Zeronis) and Kienan Lafferty (Knockwurst) helped me recognize the importance of character shapes and visual clarity. Other League fan artists are so ambitious, I’m encouraged to improve alongside them. And of course, if it weren’t for the community, my art style wouldn’t have developed nearly as much.

What do you hope people get from your artwork?

OSKAR: Cuteness! Smiles! Haha, I don’t know! Ever since I started drawing it became sort of a way to cheer myself up, which is why my art is often very bright, cartoony, and childish. I love that art can get all sorts of emotions and reactions out of people, but the emotion I want my art to give people is a laugh, a smile, or any kind of childhood nostalgia!

SADE: If I can entertain people with my work and make a single person smile, then it makes the entire art process worth it. If someone finds the art worthy enough to use as an icon or wallpaper, that’s even cooler. But if it influences a person positively ­­ such as inspiring someone to play a champion, explore the lore, or even make their own art ­­ then that is the best experience I could ever achieve.

NIPS: I like to make people feel good, so I hope that the energy and vibe of my pieces reaches them! It’s always a pleasure to attempt to communicate that through art.­

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A big thank you to the artists for speaking with us! To learn more about them and view more of their art, check out the links above.

And once you check out the new sticker set on Facebook, let us know which is your favorite in the comments below!