i work on my fortune teller project but it's rather tricky, so i keep other images open and jump between them. i found an image in my abandoned projects folder that i started earlier this autumn, it's inspired by the mughal style (too tired to be pedagogical right now, so just check out wikipedia, mughal if you don't have a clue and want one) and i started with some shapes made with the mughal brushes i was working on at the same time - these shapes became the big pattern on the left side. then i added a paisley bokeh background and i loved the result because the patterns and colours were lovely together but i just didn't know what to make of it and it ended up in the abandoned projects folder. but when i saw it again today i knew what i wanted to do: i added the silhouette of a mughal court dancer. putting a black silhouette or outline over a background with lively patterns or colours is one of my favourite ways to compose a picture but i wasn't entirely happy with how that looked, so i used both an outline and a silhouette and played with the layer modes til i got something i liked.


(the title is from an indian movie song. the song is from a costume drama and it's sung by a mughal court dancer.)

imo the gold is a bit too dominant

the rest is gorgeous !

the dancer silhouette, the lovely paisley pattern, the sombre mood

That is very beautifu AnMal. I do agree with Esper about the gold. I love that too and it is very nice what you did with it but I also think it dominates the main focal point which I think is the dancer.

Anmal - really nice and like they style but does seem very dark, then I read the above comments about the gold and maybe thats making the rest of the image seem darker, Although it could just be my monitor.

Beautiful work. I love the dancer but the whole is slightly too dark for me.

esper: you and the others may have a point about the gold. i'm experimenting on it. i'm glad you mention the sombre mood because that's one of the things i like about it myself.
molly: yes, the point is taken about the gold. it looked good before i added the dancer, now it probably takes too much of the attention. i'm not sure the dancer is supposed to be the main focal point, though. maybe i should have put her behind the mughal pattern instead.
he4rty: no, i don't think it's your monitor - the picture is dark and it may partly be the gold, but partly it's a deliberate choice to get that sombre mood that esper was talking about. i'm experimenting on that too, though, because there may be was to brighten it up without loosing the mood.
erisian: well, after reading all the comments i'm sure i should at least try to brighten it a little.

everyone for your comments, they are really helpful - i'm in love with this picture and want to make it as good as i can !

here's the latest attempts. first i toned down the gold a little, then i changed the colours in the background a bit to make it a little bit brighter. in the right side one i put the dancer behind the pattern. i might keep that because it changes the meaning of the picture a bit, but i'm not sure. i'll do some more experimenting before i let this one go.

Anmal - do like the changes and putting the dancer behind the gold pattern works well because she appears to be admiring the object, therefore your eyes are drawn to the dancer then to the object.

I think it's perfect the way it is.

gms9810: thank you, brother ! that kind of comment is always nice to get.

Beautiful work AnMal. I like both equally.

erisian: thank you ! as usual you don't know what you're talking about, though - number two is clearly the best...

I'm a man of good taste And you are clearly wrong!

Erisian, what is up with all your cool new Tim Burton-esque signatures ?

last time you had a spooky moon and a castle and now Edward Scissorhand apparently came over for a visit at your garden.
We demand art threads, not ninja sigs, nao !

erisian: hmm... a man of good taste, you say? but i thought you were a coffee drinker? i like your signature very much, it's like the thorn hedge around sleeping beauty's castle.

Thank you both. Spooky moon was for Haloween and I had this one ready for ages. I've been messing around in Bryce again. I am a coffee drinker AnMal - it's not bland like tea.

erisian: you're hereby chased out of this thread for blasphemy.