first post: need some advice

[stikigekko]

Hello... this is my first time posting here. Everyone is SO talented here so I am a bit intimidated.

This is my first time using painter. It is an illustration for one of my classes about the ghost story bloody mary. Im kind of stuck with the face in the mirror. I want it to be subtle and ghostly, but right now it just looks out of place.

http://www.liz-paton.com/pics/bloody3.jpg

Thanks for your help!

[oglzogl]

I think the problem I have with the face in the mirror is the black. Maybe rather than use that try and use different shades of red and orange to try and imply the face. I might also try to incorporate more of the room into the mirror. Show the space behind the girl being reflected in there, I mean..

[Zafio]

I don't know if you want to 'encrust' the face in the wall or so,as is, the background has no much deepth imho, one option could be what oglzogl said, other could be something this way perhaps:
http://boah.scenesp.org/tmp/j/bloody3_mod.jpg
or a mix of both, darkness with some details of the room...
about the "ghost" you should try to make a lower contrast, it should work imho ^^

[Erik]

A few things that make you see it's a mirror would help. Reflection of the candles, maybe something on the ledge below the mirror. Reflect these and the mirror will come out. It's the viewpoint that made me thought that the reflected girl was the kid of the real girl ...

Good idea btw! Alice in wonderland through the looking glass, Edgar Allen Poe version ;-)

[Shughart]

The ghost face isn´t scary enough :o