I consider Clair Obscur Expedition 33 one of the most beautiful video games of all time.
And let's be honest, it's not a perfect game. Its budget limitations are particularly noticeable in a certain repetitiveness in the gameplay and in that feeling of reusing the same assets over and over, but in such a clever way that it makes you want to discover every corner of its world.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Clair Obscur Expedition 33, is one of the most beautiful stories of all time.
I finished the game a year ago, but my heart and mind are still down there, looking for Gustave and the others. After finishing it, for a long time I couldn't bring myself to play anything else with the same level of emotional involvement (only Hell is Us managed to do it).
I don't want to dwell too much on what my experience was like, I'll simply say that it was absolutely wonderful (I'm only sad that such a beautiful work was released only after my mother's death. She would have loved it just as much as I did, I'm sure of it).

So, while I still find myself carrying its dilemmas with me, today I decided to step into the shoes of one of my favorite characters: the talented painter Clea Dessendre.
I won't reveal anything about the character, it's a story that deserves to be experienced without spoilers, at least by those who don't know her yet.
Let's be honest: aesthetically, Clea is not my cup of tea at all. I'm used to more eccentric characters, to the femme fatale archetype, I feel much closer to an aggressive Lara Croft than to a fresh-faced, understated Clea (yes, I think Clea smells like Marseille soap ^3^).
She is just as clean and simple as she is difficult for me to portray, because when things are simple, the details always matter.
I don't think I'm a natural beauty the way Clea is, which is why I found it difficult to create a light makeup look that suited me (in the end, there's more makeup here than in my other cosplays X°D).
I chose not to go overboard trying to recreate her very thick eyebrows, because unfortunately they don't suit me at all and I risked turning into a cosplay of italian singer Stefano "Elio" Belisari :°D
Other than that, I had a beautiful wig that really reminded me of Clea. I added a fake fringe, only to realize once the shoot was over that it looked a little too thin (and that damn headband kept sliding down!).
Her outfit consists of a simple striped shirt, which I bought online, and a blue skirt with gold trim, another online purchase that I appropriately modified. The suspenders added the finishing touch to the look.
Ah, I'm wondering what is wrong with the characters in Expedition 33 when it comes to shoes? :°D Because there are so many bare feet (much to Monoco's delight X°D)?

This time, as those who have been following me for a while may have noticed, I decided to leave behind the compositing and post-production work on the backgrounds that usually characterize my sets and my style -with the exception of the final two images-, in favor of a realistic set. I made use of the natural light coming through a window, painted the wall and floor black, and placed a chair and a canvas on an easel.
I didn't want to overdo it, I simply wanted to try to convey Clea's essence and depth.
What do you think, did I manage it at least a little?
I hope you like it!

Ps- As accompaniment, I chose the soundtrack from the Dessendre family mansion rather than the specific music dedicated to Clea (which is beautiful, unfortunately my ears struggle a little with high-pitched female vocals). The reason is that the mansion's soundtrack is my favorite in the game, and I thought it could fit since it is also Clea's setting.