Feast your eyes on the best Overwatch fan art around

A huge collection of our favourite pieces.

Feature by Robert Purchese Associate Editor

Updated on July 26, 2016

Page 2: Widowmaker, Symmetra, Zenyatta, Reaper, Winston, Genji, Hanzo.

Page 3: Bastion, Mei, Junkrat, Roadhog, Torbjorn, Zarya, Soldier: 76, Lucio.

I love seeing games inspire people. Look at Pokemon, look at Overwatch: big games inspiring stories and costumes and art; inspiring creativity. It's jolly marvellous. I could gawp at Overwatch pictures for hours (I'm afraid I'm not a part of the Pokemon Go craze because iPhone 4S) and admire the way people see things differently and reinterpret through their talents. And I thought I'd share some of that with you, and I got a bit carried away.

I've been wandering the galleries of DeviantArt for hours, for days, and singling out the pieces of Overwatch fan art I like best - a couple of pieces for each character plus some honourable mentions. There's a lot to see! Three pages! All of the pieces included are done so with artist permission, so a big thank you to everyone involved - and how lovely you've all been!

The pictures are to my taste and I've veered away from sexier interpretations of Overwatch heroes. Hobbyists and professionals alike created what you see. Some artists were even employed by Blizzard to illustrate the Overwatch comics, which I recommend you read.

Blizzard also commissioned 21 artists to paint 21 heroes - one each - for a 21 Days of Overwatch fan art campaign. The results are splendid but are so well shared I've tried not to include them here. I have also omitted the Overwatch Rockabilly pictures I posted about recently.

I hope you enjoy it, and I'd love to hear which pieces you like best.

Ana

Ana Amari, the newest Overwatch hero. She's fascinating in that she's a 60-year-old hero, mother to Pharah, and a support sniper. Not an obvious combination is it? Honourable mentions go to eko999's close-up Ana portrait, Merkymerx's contemplative Ana and RinRinDaishi's Ana whom you certainly wouldn't answer back to.

The touching reunion of mother and daughter.

Artist: Richard (r-chie on DeviantArt).

Artist: Re-dye on DeviantArt, or Re:Dye on Twitter.

This is Casual Ana, part of an imaginative series by the same artist.

Artist: Monori Rogue on DeviantArt.

Pharah

Fareeha Amari, the girl who wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps and join Overwatch - but the organisation had fallen apart before she got the chance. Honourable mentions to Starry Chen's riff on Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, because Pharah and Mercy make a great team; and to Ruthie Hammerschlag's stern and imposing Pharah, and Darren Geers' speed drawing of Pharah that's bursting with colour.

I love how the attention is pulled to her steely gaze.

Artist: Miguel Mercado (merkymerx on DeviantArt).

Strong shapes and colours make for a break from the norm.

Artist: Taymir Baysaev (krizalidbrando on DeviantArt).

Tracer

The face of Overwatch, our English cockney cor blimey rose. She's one of the most drawn Overwatch heroes by fans, so whittling down a selection was hard. Honourable mentions go to Aline's quite different interpretation of Tracer's face, Koyorin's playful sketch of Tracer, and Ross Tran's impish Tracer.

Artist: Starry Chen (istarlove on DeviantArt).

Tracer's frenetic energy positively crackles off of this.

Artist: Anato Finnstark (Anato Finnstark on DeviantArt, also on Patreon, Facebook).

D. Va

D. Va, a young pro-gamer turned MEKA pilot who wears a body-hugging suit, is an incredibly popular subject for Overwatch fan art can you believe. Most pictures focus on her as a pin-up but I've tried to avoid those. Honourable mentions to Quirkilicious' maniacal D.Va, Lagunis' anime D. Va calling down a MEKA, and Hugo Larios' imaginative, and touching, image of D. Va as a young girl playing video games with her brother. Larios has drawn a whole series of young Overwatch heroes and they're all heart warming.

Not heroic, not a pin-up. D. Va in everyday life.

Artist: Phil (Lord Phillock on DeviantArt).

Artist: Muju on DeviantArt.

McCree

Jesse McCree, the distilled essence of a Clint Eastwood cowboy, wearing a BAMF belt buckle for goodness sake! He's got a whole Spaghetti Western genre going for him so understandably makes for a good picture, and there are plenty. Honourable mentions to Maru's poncho-flapping McCree, Meguskus' painterly McCree, and Nakanoart's colourful cartoon McCree.

This kind of interpretation is rare in Overwatch fan art, and striking.

Artist: Sam (Claygate on DeviantArt).

Artist: Wallace Pires (SatsuiNoHado on DeviantArt).

Mercy

Angela Ziegler, the doc, is another of Overwatch's most drawn heroes, and there are some superb pictures. Honourable mentions to Spencer Bowen's adorable Mercy, Zolaida and tsuaii's crisp and colourful Mercy, and Nesskain's she-means-business Mercy.

Artist: Muju on DeviantArt.

Artist: Alex Chow (Alex-Chow on DeviantArt).

Reinhardt

Reinhardt, the larger than life, jovial, hulk in a shell. There aren't many pictures that explore behind the mask but those that do, and show the feels underneath, grab me, so many battles he must have seen. If you're asking who I'd pick from the Overwatch roster to go to the local tavern with, and I know you're thinking it, then I'd pick Reinhardt and Torbjorn - and oh look nakanoart has has drawn a picture of it! Honorable mentions to zinph1212's sad Reinhardt and Nesskain's charging Reinhardt. I've included another of Nesskain's pictures of Reinhardt below and there's a good reason for that - Nesskain only illustrated the official ruddy comic!

Artist: PuddingPack on DeviantArt

Artist: Nesskain on DeviantArt.