This painting was done for the Gnomon Workshop monthly contest. Did some initial pencil sketches and then worked up several ideas from there in photoshop. Originally thinking around the theme of the Snow Queen, some kind of winter palace with an underlying feel of enchantment. Then developed idea of children discovering a antiquated ice kingdom in an old tree log populated by fae folk who are celebrating the winter fall with a strange kind of Venetian Waltz on ice...so kind of like the Snow Queen meets Alice in Wonderland! I Spent quite a bit of time working out and rendering the animal dancers but they are little lost in the overall scene which is less highly rendered. Any cc is always welcome thanks