Anastasia Ershova's Incredible Angel of Darkness Box-Art Reimagining

[26th July 2021] To celebrate twenty-five years of Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics teamed up with a group of artists who would bring their own reimagined twist to the game covers we all love and grew up with. Since then we've had one piece revealed each month, until June. For Angel of Darkness, the studio approached an artist whose style they felt perfectly compliments the game. As the commission couldn't be completed for the month, and to allow them to have extra time, they reached out to four artists in the community to help them celebrate the game.

Each Monday for the past month, Crystal has revealed another exciting piece. July 26th marks the final Monday, and this one is absolutely incredible. The artist is Anastasia, known on Twitter under @nastiaershova_!

Speaking to Crystal, she describes how she got into art and Tomb Raider. "I'm a mainly digital artist based in Moscow, Russia. I've been regularly drawing for about 9 years now, enjoying freelance work and drawing fanart of my favorite video games. My first Tomb Raider game was Tomb Raider 2, I can remember being completely captivated by its atmosphere, and completed every major title of the franchise ever since! I've only recently discovered the TR fandom, and have been amazed at how welcoming and enthusiastic everybody is."

She also goes on to talk about how she approached her latest piece, "For my reimagined Angel of Darkness artwork I chose to paint one of the most memorable and hauntingly beautiful locations in the game: The Entrance to The Tomb of Ancients. It serves as a gateway from the real world into the world of myth and mystery, I believe that is at the core of any Tomb Raider game. I've picked a bold green and cyan color palette to emphasize it's foreboding, ethereal atmosphere, but also added warmer colors for contrast. I was inspired by how skillfully bold colors and lighting are being utilized in all classic games."

"I always like to create a story in my art, portray the feeling of something about to happen. Lara is facing off with an enemy she doesn't know yet, but she is prepared to face the danger while an evil entity is watching her every move. I've painted her wearing the practical but stylish camo outfit with a vest and matching pants. She is wielding one of the most important artifacts in the game - the Periapt Shard, and of course - her trusty pistol."

"I hope I’ve managed to give this picture a subtle sense of motion, and evoke feelings of mystery and wonder."

You can download the full piece on the Tomb Raider 25 website, HERE!