Imagine painting a picture of Diablo 3 for a Blizzard contest that gets stolen a few years later and used as a war memorial. This is what happened to this artist, whose image is now altered with Photoshop and depicted on a monument for Ukrainian soldiers.
A few years ago, artist Toby Lewin painted a Diablo 3 image for a Blizzard contest that was well received not only by the D3 community. The image depicts Tyrael, the Archangel of Justice in the Diablo lore.
Many people shared the image online or used it as wallpaper; it went viral. Posters, mousepads, stickers – Toby Lewin’s image is used everywhere. But now, the dissemination has taken a step further.
Ukrainian colors and a shield – Tyrael becomes a war memorial
On Tuesday, August 15th, a monument for Ukrainian soldiers was unveiled in a cemetery in Kyiv. According to the video description, the soldiers were part of an “anti-terrorist operation (ATO)” in eastern Ukraine.
“The image itself is often used in funny situations, but this one tops it all,” Lewin told Kotaku. “It’s funny that no one asks for permission, but it’s just as funny that the final image is never used. It’s always an awkward work-in-progress piece.”
Often, the image is seen stolen and circulating online without credit. It is noticeable that the “unfinished” image is often used rather than the finalized version.
As you can see in the comparison image, the work was not just “copied and pasted.” Someone worked their Photoshop skills and colored the wings in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Additionally, Tyrael now carries a shield.
A video of the unveiling of the monument can be found here:
If you like Toby Lewin’s original Tyrael image, check out his ArtStation homepage. There you will find the cover image of this post and more cool pictures and videos from the artist. Here is the ArtStation website of Toby Lewin
