Hello Krita Artists 
@Rhea_Asma has created a fantastic challenge for the month of March after Birth in the Depths was voted the February winner.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the February challenge by submitting wonderful art, and also to our members who took the time to vote.
Our new challenge:
The concept centers on freezing a decisive moment — that fragile pause just before something happens that will change everything.
It may be a moment you personally experienced, an event that altered your path, or a fleeting second that passed quickly yet never left your mind.
This is not about drawing the event itself. And not about what comes after. It is about the suspended instant right before impact.
Perhaps it is:
- Five seconds before a confession.
- Before a penalty kick is taken.
- Before a marriage proposal.
- Before shooting.
- Before jumping into the sea.
- Before smashing a mirror.
Or any moment when the air feels heavier than usual.
There are endless possibilities. You may imagine a fictional scenario, or recreate a real event that truly happened to you. If you have lived it, expressing its emotion visually becomes more instinctive and authentic.
Because it is a fleeting second, the image should reflect the tension of that pause. The goal is to convey the emotional weight of that exact frame in time. It would be best to use a clear contrast between light and shadow to create psychological depth.
A single focal point can be chosen (face, hand, window, shadow, etc.). Depending on the content of your artwork, the thing you want to draw attention to directly is what should be highlighted.
Please post only artworks and discussion related to submitted artwork in this thread. There is a WIP thread for each monthly art challenge in which you can ask questions and post your works in progress (WIPs).
March 2026 Art Challenge – WIP and Discussion Thread
Rules
- The composition should be your own and not an exact copy from someone or somewhere else. If you are using a reference photo taken by anyone other than yourself, please ensure the license allows for its use and include a credit to the photographer with your submission.
- Artwork should be done in Krita. Submissions must be done from scratch in Krita, no paint-over or tracing allowed. Photobashing is allowed only when explicitly specified in the topic.
- The theme changes every month. Your submission should be somehow related to the theme. If possible, please add a few lines explaining your idea and image.
- No AI-generated images are allowed, not even partial use of AI for composition ideas or paint over. It is unfair for those who are drawing from scratch.
- You can post a maximum of 3 entries and also edit the entries until the deadline.
- In order to have the image featured, the entries need to be safe for work so please avoid any NSFW or controversial content. The moderators can use their discretion to disqualify the image from the contest with prior notice.Of course, the artist will be given the chance to submit an alternate image or change it up until the deadline.
- Please do not post your submissions in any other category on Krita-Artists until voting has closed and the winner has been declared.
How to Enter
- Post each submission as a reply post in this thread – one image per post.
- Submissions will be accepted until 2026-03-26T18:00:00Z, at which time the topic will automatically close. You can check how much time is left at the bottom of the thread.
Voting
We will hold a poll at the end of the challenge period. Each submission will be voted on individually. The artwork with the highest percentage of votes will be the winner.
Prize
- The winner will be featured on this website in the featured artwork row.
- The winner will have the privilege to set the next topic of their liking. If the winner is not available or reachable, then the 1st runner up will be asked to provide the topic and challenge.
- The winner will also be awarded the Monthly Art Contest Winner badge.
Please spread the word about this art challenge by posting your artwork on various social media websites with the hashtag – #KritaChallenge. If possible, include a link to the forum post.
I hope we will enjoy this exercise so let us begin.
P.S. Note we can change the rules based on the feedback on this contest and modify the format. Any suggestions are welcome. To submit feedback, please create a new topic in the Site Feedback category.