The concept art for Pharah’s new Legendary Overwatch skin is amazing
Overwatch concept artist Anh Dang shared the concept art that became Pharah’s new Enchanted Armor Legendary skin.
The Enchanted Armor was one of six new Legendary skins introduced with the 2018 Halloween Terror in-game event.
The new skin has proven incredibly popular with players, not only for its aesthetic design but also for the interesting details that differentiate it from alternatives, such as the fact that the armor collapses into pieces upon death.
Dang, who created the concept design from which the Enchanted Armor was brought to life, has revealed what the artwork behind the skin looked like.
My Pharah Enchanted Armor skin and weapon concept for the Overwatch Halloween Terror event! I was super happy about this skin. pic.twitter.com/4PbjutOgMV
— AnhDang (@anhdangerous) October 11, 2018
As well as showing off the art itself, Dang also shared some fascinating insights into the process of designing new hero skins.
She touched on the time it takes to create concept art such as this for a prospective hero skin, how her work interacts with the modeling team, and how the various in-game events factor into the kind of designs the team works on at different times.
Each skin and weapon varies a lot on how long they take. Anywhere between 3 days to 3 weeks. We go back and forth a lot with the modeling/rigging team too, if anything needs to be adjusted or clarified.
— AnhDang (@anhdangerous) October 11, 2018
We go back and forth a lot and I'll do paintovers on screenshots of the work in progress model. Also modelers are usually really good and have creative agency too, so some of it is interpreted and enhanced by whoever is making the model.
— AnhDang (@anhdangerous) October 11, 2018
We brainstorm specifically for events most of the time, but occasionally it's just someone's unique idea that fit an event well.
— AnhDang (@anhdangerous) October 11, 2018
I definitely struggled a bit with the shape design while I was making this, but luckily I had a lot of good guidance from my lead and my art director.
— AnhDang (@anhdangerous) October 11, 2018
A look at the concept art for a variety of other hero skins can be found on Dang’s ArtStation page, including designs for Hanzo’s “Scion” skin, Ana’s “Cabana” skin, and McCree’s “Van Helsing” pistol.