Fan Artist Feature - Shilin

Hey Summoners! In today’s feature we’ll be hearing from Shilin, a talented community artist from Canada who enjoys telling stories and has her own original comic series! Continue reading to learn more about her awesome art and process.

You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch to see even more of her work!

If you know someone that you'd like to recommend for a future Fan Artist Feature, please let us know here.

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

My first league piece was actually the current Sona classic splash art that I had the honour of doing! I didn't play league at the time because I was terrified of any PVP environment, but eventually my now girlfriend babysat me into the game through playing bots and learning about the champions' stories, which inspired me to do a bunch of drawings as gifts for her of her favourites (Riven, Vayne). I also got a bunch of my own favourites after learning more about the champion lores, and out came all the fan art that I did!

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

My favourite and most natural piece to create is the Nami/MF piece I did, Shipwreck. The composition came to me out of nowhere and the entire rest of the process was just putting what's in my head onto the canvas, rather than battling the drawing to try to make things work out. I enjoyed thinking about the interaction between the two in the picture a lot, even more than the process of drawing itself. Did Nami strike at a time when MF is most vulnerable? Did Nami save MF from impending fiery doom and just savoring the moment before returning MF to the land? Thinking is the most fun part of drawing!

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

I am extremely lucky because I am already working on my dream project--an original series called Carciphona (at carciphona.com). I don't know how, but the public has given me enough generous support for me to be able to do this work of my own full time, write/draw/publish the story at my own pace, without the confines of a publisher's deadlines and writing/art direction restriction, or fear of the series being dropped because it's not mainstream or successful enough. Even to this day I feel baffled just putting this down in words; being able to do what you love for a living to this extent is like heaven for every creative, and I am so privileged to be there already.

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

In most cases, my inspiration lies in "what" rather than "who". I feel most frequently inspired by things I see--even mundane things down the streets, stories I hear--be it a masterwork of fiction or the rundown of a friend's day, news, experiences... There is so much to think about in everything that happens and there is always something to express through art.

But that is not to say fellow artists are not inspiring as well! I look up to many professional and peer artists alike and find motivation in seeing the fruits of their hardwork and gems of their genius. Some of my favourite League fan artists are:

Suqling - bask in her masterful storytelling and gorgeous art right before she strikes your vitals with her savage puns.
2gold - for her charming characters and beautiful colours!
Kaisinel - from monsters to people, kaisinel makes everything look SO GOOD.

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

Please allow me a moment to convince you how awesome it would be to have a League MMO. Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to explore all of the breathtaking lore and world building work Riot has put in!? MAYBE IF WE SPAM ENOUGH RITO PLS, WE CAN CHANGE DESTINY??? :D

Last but not least, some awesome videos sharing Shilin's painting process!