Hello Krita Artists! 
This is a discussion thread and WIP thread for our Monthly Art Challenge for October 2025. Ask any questions about the challenge or share your works in progress.
The October Art Challenge was designed by @Marius_Galaj.
When your submissions are ready, post them in the submission thread linked below.
Congrats on the win @Mariusz_Galaj It’s a wonderful image.
Regarding the next topic… wow that’s heavy.
Maybe I’ll just duct tape a banana to a white wall… ya know, use absurdity to lighten the mood. 
I know, too bad that is already (C) protected.
Well, if you think about it for a moment, this topic isn’t difficult at all. I’d even say it offers more freedom than any of the ones imposed this year. The length of its description is misleading.
You said “banana.” Great! That’s a start. In which countries is banana cultivation relatively most important, where is it a key export and a pillar of the economy? Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador. For Ecuador, approximately 25% of its agricultural exports are bananas; it’s the largest banana exporter in the world. So imagine banana-shaped shoes that every government representative in this country will wear by your decree. Or maybe a hat? A crown (have you seen the movie “Madagascar 2”? There was a special banana crown given to Alex the lion)? A banana necklace? There are so many possibilities for just the banana.
Or maybe you prefer a figure instead of a still life? Then, instead of an object, you could depict the person wearing it, or maybe just a mannequin? In Arab countries, oil is of paramount importance. Imagine sheikhs wearing crowns with bottles half full of oil on their heads, which sway with every movement of their heads. The possibilities are endless.
After banana shaped coffin (from Ghana, I think), that’s nothing…
interesting observation in regards of the name; interesting topic, in a way a bit reverse of what usually happens, where subjects (citizens) have to wear a special object to show their loyalty to those in power
A picture is worth a thousand words, so I present to you: “The Undeniable Burden” [this was the original version of the idea]:
It is what this challenge is about. Back in April I decided to use the conclave as a pretext to design a tiara whose thorns would force the wearer to constantly hold his head upright to avoid being pricked. Unfortunately, I was too late to finish it before pope Leo XIV was elected, partly due to my other activities, and I also fell ill(as I often do during the transition from colder to warmer seasons and vice versa). This one here really tired me out, even if I copied one crown of thorns and just changed its size, I was still struggling with each thorn and the the value range still didn’t suit me. When conclave was over, I didn’t feel like finishing the work, but I hoped to remake it someday. But this time with black and white paint, not charcoal.Unless I fall ill again, I’ll do so this month.
And here’s the story behind this artwork:
Pope Francis died on April 21st of this year. Like Benedict XVI and John Paul II before him, he had his own papal tiara (he received it in 2016 but never wore it). But like his predecessors, he donated it to a museum, as did Paul VI, who was the first pope to give it up (despite claiming not to force his successors to do the same, no Catholic pope since his pontificate has worn the tiara to this day). Giving it up may seem like a sign of humility, but make no mistake, wearing it was anything but pleasant.
Some were lighter, but some were heavy. One of them, given by Napoleon Bonaparte to Pope Pius VII, weighed over 8.2 kilograms and was too tight; a clear signal that the Emperor of France and the Bishop of Rome did not like each other (furthermore, the tiara bore illustrations glorifying Napoleon [including military victories]).
In any case, this reflection made me wonder if ornate robes, wigs, crowns, and the like weren’t abandoned by today’s kings and queens primarily out of personal convenience, rather than humility. And now, a king looks as dull as an ordinary businessman, or even a sewage worker if he happens to be attending his daughter’s wedding. If you think about it, despite their overall reduced power, modern monarchs lead more comfortable lives than their predecessors.
The transition from the absurd poufs wigs (some of them had even models of ships in it) of Marie Antoinette and her royal court wasn’t a humiliating downgrade, but an improvement in royal comfort, mockingly disguised as humility. So, the idea of a burden that causes undeniable discomfort, both physical and psychological, to contemporary positions of power popped into my head, to make them fun and interesting to behold again.
“17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”" Matthew 6:16–18
“29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”” Matthew11
Personally I think we have insanely LARGE amount of thorns/pain + pope/clergy-ish things combo in video games these days already.
Just my two cents. Cheers.
In fictional worlds based on ours, yes, and they can be truly dangerous, and those thorns can be downright comical, and I agree that this thopic of thorns in games is overused.
But I thought of our real world, where it would not as a source of real pain, but rather as something that’s uncomfortable if you don’t keep your head straight.
I think I should have made thorns edges flatter to show it. It should be more about vigilance rather than glorifying pain as something necessary or even desirable. Thanks!
Always when you post below someone, AND are not pointing to a different user in the topic, it will be an answer to the user above, and thus you will see no arrow plus name of the user you are talking to, the forum software suppresses it.
This is absolutely logical, and every Discourse forum (the software this forum runs with) on this blue marble tumbling through space and time works exactly the same way, there is no need to constantly double posting and deleting the post you believe to be not addressed to the user above.
Michelist
So, quick question - can the symbolic object(s) be for the ruler(s) of a fictional place - realistic or fantasy? (Totally random EG: an island kingdom, where sea turtles are the sailors’ horses.)
It’s a great idea! Imagine this island is located in the middle of a lake in the capital (did you know that the capital of Mexico was once a lake called Texcoco, and the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, was located on an island in the middle?). So let’s assume that the inhabitants of the country you’re imagining rode turtles like horses, but in water, and riding a turtle obviously requires some skill, just like riding a horse. Imagine that this particular island is off-limits to all travel except turtles, and to become a senator in this country, you have to learn to ride a giant turtle and are forced to care for your pet. Let’s assume that the origin of this custom is a decree of some ancient king who said, “A man may lie, but his turtle’s eyes always tell the truth about his guardian.” [My assumption of unlimited power wasn’t about power over our world, but rather in general, for example, in the creation of fantasy worlds like Turtle Island.]
Generally speaking, an animal is a great way to show a “burden of power.” Imagine that the President of the United States is legally obligated to have a “first dog” with which to campaign for president, and he alone has the right and obligation to feed and walk the first dog, which is required and even publicly broadcast to demonstrate that he bears the burden of power.
So in this theme you can use not only a still life, but also an animal or even a landscape (For example, imagine “Nepalese diadem”; which I imagine as a golden diadem with a model of Mount Everest inside, as the highest mountain in the world is quite a significant element of the economy of this state).
Cool ideas! Thanks for sharing. I like the idea of using a fictional ancient lore/proverb.
Had toyed with that concept for this challenge, but wasn’t sure the guidelines. So okay! That answers my question. Now to settle on a decision. 
Is someone else also scarred of beeing too polical and not creative enough to think of something funny for this topic? 
Because of the comments I’ve seen about my chosen theme, I’m afraid I’ll be the only one to post in this challenge. And who knows, I haven’t been feeling well lately, so I might not even post. I have a nightmare about getting a specially made for me badge: “Monthly Art Contest Killer” for choosing a theme no one has posted for. So don’t tell me about being scared.
As for you, it’s not scary at all. You could just choose something that won’t be offensive by any chance, like a maple leaf hat for the authorities in Canada. Or to be even less offensive, pick something for the authorities in fictional countries like Gondor or Rohan, or maybe something for magical world in Harry Potter univerce. As I said, possibilitles are almost endless.
If you have any doubts, just post your idea here in this thread, along with about four other ideas you don’t want to draw or think are absurd either way, and then you’ll get a feedback if it’s too offensive.
For example: your idea is to design a pig mask for US senators, and you’re worried it will be too offensive, so you post here your five ideas:
Then you get feedback: A pig mask is to offensive, a camel-hair coat is okay, big-nosed glasses are anti-Semitic, a maple hat is okay, and banana crowns are racist.
Since pig mask ist too much, you don’t make it, and everyone thinks you probably wanted a maple leaf hat or camel coat but you just didn’t have time to finish your entry in time. And the other ideas were put among them just to hide one of those two. This way no one will be offended and no one will think badly of you because of your idea.
Oh no, I didn’t want you to feel bad at all! I think it’s such a great and highly intellectual topic. Your description was so impressive that I just think I won’t be good enough But I promise, I’ll post a drawing here!
Your idea with posting a few ideas here is really good. I’ll think of something! 
I like your chosen topic, @Mariusz_Galaj. I’m planning on doing the challenge.
It happens often that we don’t get many submissions until much later in the month so don’t worry.
It’s very true! The bulk of entries come in at the end 
I’m sitting here reading all this like
LOL
Burden of Power: Clown Alley
To be a leader of the Clowns, the Gerbera Daisy is the must-wear accessory
Image soon…. and it will become all too clear why I do landscapes and not portraits. 
OK! So I’ve worked up my first (very!) rough draft for my “burden of power” ornaments: the Royal Earrings.
Strictly speaking, there’s no specific country or time period; but in my imagination, I see it more like for the monarch of a ‘once upon a time’ kingdom. Part of this may be because I lean into fables for some of my imagery (which gives it more of an old time than modern feel 
)
It came to me almost as soon as I read the challenge! The idea is that, because of their position of authority, the ruler is surrounded by those who want to use their power - some selfishly; others in honest need.
The fox earring represents those who wish to manipulate the monarch with flattery and praise. I took this from the fable of the fox and the crow, where the fox flattered the crow to sing so that the latter would drop the cheese in its mouth. (Which the fox promptly enjoyed!). The shaping of that earring is going to be antlers, based on the fable of the stag, who found himself so admiring his grand antlers that he felt ashamed and disgusted with his ugly thin legs. But, when pursued by a predator soon after, it was his antlers that snagged him in a low branch, after his swift legs had nearly saved his life.
I liked this pair up of the fox and the stag antlers, because to me it relays the caution of not letting your good qualities (real or fabricated) be tools to feed your pride and not your strength.
Visually contrasting/balancing on the other earring, is the profile of a dove. This peaceful animal represents the other voices seeking the ruler’s ear: the vulnerable and needy people of the realm. This humble tone requires more effort to hear, and is surrounded by the unflattering, unattractive thorns. Crafted for symbolic pain only, the winding thorns represent the harsh, painful labor that faces the ruler if he/she heeds the dove’s call. But! (And this will show better with color) … Hidden amidst the bristles are rosebuds - the promise of true beauty that awaits as the fruit of their labor. That detail to me was inspired by the old, well used maxim of… Although saddened that these roses have thorns - let us rather be thankful that these thorns have roses.
Also, I’m thinking of having a dangly from each earring. The one on the fox’s will be “made” of cut glass carved to look like a diamond; while the dove’s will be an ugly rough stone, that actually is a geode masking a precious gem inside.
