The Reluctant Victor, inspired by The Reluctant Bride by Auguste Toulmouche - I just thought that this painting was SO perfect for Katniss and I had to draw it!
A lot of people have asked me to talk about Prim holding the crown, so here's a general deep dive into the characters I picked and their placements!
Starting with Prim. She was reaped, which led to Katniss volunteering to save her. It's, of course, very unlikely that Prim would have won the Games like Katniss did. Prim innocently playing with the crown that could have never been hers is also a reference to how excited she was when Katniss' wedding was happening, how she looked at it with children's eyes, impatient for her to try on the dresses. But she's also not as naive or helpless as Katniss believes, which is why her expression is grave and not cheerful.
Asterid is kissing Katniss' forehead in a very motherly gesture. Katniss is unmoved, though she still takes her hand. This is a reference to Katniss' resentment towards her mother when she stopped caring for them after Burdock's death, but also to Katniss' attempts at forgiving her in Catching Fire.
Effie is sitting at Katniss' feet, holding her hand. This represents the sincere -yet sometimes misguided- dedication that Effie has to Katniss. It also felt like an interesting placement, as Victors are often idolized by Capitol citizens.
Katniss, of course, is at the center. She's the reluctant victor, in her fire dress (with a lot of orange in it to reference Peeta, shhh). I hesitated to give her the wedding dress Snow forces her to wear instead, but felt that her fire dress was more recognizable and striking, and better represented how she is seen by the world: the girl on fire.
