Apex Legends surprised everyone when it launched at its reveal. Not surprising, though, is the amount of fan art that continues to roll out for the hero shooter/battle royale’s exciting cast of characters. So we gathered some of our favorite pieces from across DeviantArt to share with you. However, this time we also were joined by Brad Allen, a Senior Artist from Respawn Entertainment, the company behind Apex Legends.

“All of this art is amazing,” said Brad, looking through our collection. “It's great to see so much talent, and in so many different styles and mediums. It really is inspiring. Makes me want to do more art. Love the Cosplay! Love the sculpture! All of the 2d art is beautiful.”

Want to see what Brad was talking about? Let’s get to the art!

Kicking things off is this colorful commission from VonHollde. Not only is this picture stunning, with a Holi-esque burst of hues in the background, but Sheila—Rampart’s gun—looks like an absolute beast.  VonHollde’s art is always created with attention to the character design, and this digital painting is no different, true to the character from the gap in their teeth to the intricate engineer’s gear strapped over their jumpsuit. Making the piece even more special, it was commissioned by Anjali Bhimani, the voice actress of the character!

It’s not frequent to find traditional artwork online, but this acrylic painting of the mysterious Blood Hound from artist YuganShen was a must-include. The character is beautifully detailed, while a frenzied series of brushstrokes create their winged companion. You know what I’m going to say about how hard hands are to draw, let alone paint, but YuganShen does an incredible job on the knife-wielding hand in the foreground. Flex.

DeviantArt artist Thekawaiiod built this Lifeline chibi figure, and it is way too cute. Formed from polymer clay, the tiny medic features Lifeline’s trademark dual buns and headband, as well as including many of the smaller items strapped to the character that every support player may need in the field. Major props to the artist in the choices they made to simplify, each lending itself to the chibi/kawaii aesthetic over pure ease of creation. 

This animation is excellent. DevFransen sets a haunting tone in the fan art, as a flame washes across Octane’s wildfire skin. Rending the character purely in silhouette with glowing goggles adds to the spooky and slightly unsettling vibe, making us hope that Octane isn’t standing behind us right now. They aren’t, right? 

This lineart from kilenator on DeviantArt was one of our favorite Wraith pieces. We love that she seems to be materializing into the page, as bits of her body and arms vanish into the stark white of the background. Thicker lines around the eyes—maybe she’s born with it—draw attention to the intense gaze of the character, while her squad (a Pathfinder and Bloodhound) follows close behind. 

Speaking of Pathfinder, we couldn’t stop from letting out a “D’awwwww” when we saw this illustration from YareBear. We love how both characters appear as if they’re taken from a children’s book; soft, warm tones and a paperlike texture. Truly, the importance of squads is being taught in this chapter. Recognition has to be given, however, for the amazing way that YareBear handles lighting and shadow. Look at that backlight glow. Look at the wonderful blocks of light that give texture to Wattson’s sleeve and pants. Note the fading of her back leg to give depth. SO GOOD.

This cosplay of Caustic is S-tier. Brought to us by Galactic Reptile, we can’t get past how perfect the shoot is (there are many other shots from the shoot you should check out on DA). The costuming spares no detail, feeling authentic in every aspect. One thing it does especially well is in the “weight” of the cosplay. This doesn’t look like the cosplayer went to Joanne’s and snagged the cheapest fabric they could find in the right color. It feels like they’re wearing something a chemical warmonger would don. 

You never forget your first main, so of course we’ve got a Bangalore piece in this gallery! This fan art from votric is so incredible, we had to save it for last. Like a badass, Bangalore isn’t even looking back at the explosion as embers fly past her. An intense grit is on the character’s face, and you wonder whether the battle is actually about to begin in the coming moments. The color story of this digital painting shows a mastery of tone and contrast, knowing when to mute and when to enrich. 

To see more fan art we couldn’t pack into this week’s feature (Mirage fans, we’ve got you covered), make sure to check out the full gallery here. Special thanks again to Respawn’s Brad Allen for joining us in this week’s feature, and celebrating awesome art with us! 

Wait, what’s that? Does Brad have a submission? Let’s get it in there!

“I was out the other day and had a look at myself and laughed,” says Brad. “Ended up resembling one of our legends without realizing it.” We agree, that is a pretty spot-on Octane!