Rebirth

Here's my entry for the Tomb Raider contest! I wanted to do a classic portrait of Lara (it was surprisingly difficult to get her face & expression right!) that fans of the game would appreciate, and tried to convey some of the intensity she is known for using dynamic colors and brushstrokes. Seeing all the amazing entries so far almost got me discouraged - but, I had fun painting this and it's an honor to compete against so many great artists. Good luck to everyone who entered!

Drawn and painted from scratch in Adobe Photoshop with a Wacom Cintiq 21UX. No textures and no outside stock photography used for ref or otherwise. Done in approx a zillion hours. Full size 4800x6720px at 300DPI.

EDIT: I wanted to share a wonderful comment from someone who played the game and was able to relate to this artwork (shared with the permission of King-o-Fools ) "Though after playing the game, I don't interpret your dynamic brushstrokes and colors as Lara's intensity: If you haven't played the game yet I won't spoil anything, but its an "Origin Story". When you play it you'll understand, but I see your swirling brushstrokes like they're enveloping HER, like how she's forced to deal with the chaotic situation she's been thrown into. The blues make me think of the ocean water (since she's trapped on an island) yet also lead back to oh-so-innocent Lara and her blue shirt. The Black and reds portray the darker and more gruesome side of the storyline as well as a literal interpretation for blood which would relate to her experience with death in general." I really appreciated this commentary since it is exactly what I was going for!

Thank you so much to everyone else who commented too, I appreciate your support and am thrilled to be in the semi-finals!

Artwork by Alice X. Zhang
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