Japanese crossword #16315

Wow! This is an amazingly challenging puzzle in terms of "if a is this, then b is that" logic. If you find yourself excessively frustrated, please see my note on the color crossword "Christmas candles." There are different kinds of logic and it seems best to me to choose puzzles that use the kind that we enjoy (unless we are forced to do nonograms at gunpoint. ; ) Really excellent work, Artem!

Note: this is not a beginner puzzle.

Fun to solve. The picture is poor, though

cant make out what it is. but is very easy to complete

Well, thanks for your opinion, guys!
It seems, I really need a few friends, checking my works, I always get those 'I don't see' comments :(

Help us out Artem (or someone else), Even with the title, I can't figure it out. Hands clasped? Head bowed? Figure kneeling? I can't see any of those possibilities...

BC11,
Hmmm, first of all, try to ress "Answer" and make the picture smaller (ctrl + scroll down).
If it won't help, maybe searching "Japanese ceremony" will help you. I tried to draw something like this.
Aaaaaand, if it is still just group of dots, then I just don't understand, 'cause I see the picture.
Hand clapsed - yes, the square 2x2 on the left side.
Figure kneeling - yes.
Maybe the strap behind him baffles you?

OK. I can see that better now. Not sure what is going on with the shape of the character's head. But I still have never actually made a puzzle, so I appreciate your efforts. Thanks!

BC11, thanks for interest and critique. Last time I am challenging myself to make crosswords not bigger than 15x15. Since it is impossible to draw every line with this size, I try to erase obvious lines, such as line of face.

What a frustrating puzzle.

Intersting

Wow!! That was a tough one.

Ah, I see! She is kneeling in a kimono. The black square at the top is the top-knot in her hair. We cannot see her face--we must imagine it, transformed by prayer. Very nice!

Ahh! I see it now! Thank you for the description, now I see the kimono! I thought I could see the billowing clothes, but the face confused me. Now I see you took some artistic license and simply erased a line (a splash of sunlight, perhaps?), which would have made the face more easy to distinguish. It's very beautiful, now that I can see it!

Is it a Japanese Character for 'a prayer'?

TillichFan, wentelteefje, Yes! Thanks for such deep analysis :) You have absolutely understood me!

So, that was the difficultness... I thought it is a good idea to erase obvious lines. Anyway, in future, I'll try to erase them 'smarter'. Thanks!

This was a surprisingly challenging puzzle given its small size. I didn't see the image at first, but backing away from it helped. I quite like it! :)

I have done over 2000 of these puzzles and it's the FIRST TIME I come across some feedback comments from one of the artists (unless I contacted them directly). How refreshing to read this exchange, Artem_701. Thank you for the puzzle and for taking the additional time to provide feedback to your fans.
Now, for my favorite technique for when I can't quite make out the image: I squint! It worked again in this instance.
Now I await to hear from the knowledgeable person who will explain why squinting works. Thanks everyone. I love this community!

Fiddly to do - and impossible to understand without Artem's really useful notes. Spassibo, artem, and keep going!

Very interesting to do, if not a little confusing to make out. After reading the comments I can see it. Things like kimonos are quite baggy so I can understand it would be difficult to draw. I think that smaller puzzles are generally more suited for pictures with distinctive silhouettes. But still, very enjoyable! Nice job!

Interesting to resolve, but really I can't see the "prayer" in the picture.

nice small design

Yes, the squinting helps: pixels turn into smoother lines. I enjoyed this comment section bellow more than solving the actual puzzle. Thank you guys.

Great puzzle! Tricky for a small one, but no guessing needed.

Challenge to see the picture. But now that I do I really like it.

Interesting challenge, needed the hints to get me started.

Incredibly challenging puzzle. Not entirely sure about the picture. It is very poor

All of the nonograms on this site are art, but some of them rise to the level at which we must interact with it, challenge the prejudices of our mind's perception. When a picture is difficult to see, it is not necessarily because it is poor. If that were the case, no one would know the name Picasso. I celebrate the variety of art on this site by keeping my mouth shut about the stuff I don't like. No harm done, as it tends to be quite popular. ; )

I expected this to be harder than it was based on the comments. I found it the perfect level of difficulty to be enjoyable without being frustrating. Good work!

I know the hardship of making small puzzles. Try to keep the design as simple as possible. I can see it all though. Nice work

At first it was a chaos for me...
But with the explanations it became a real art work! Thank you, Artem!

I thought it was really easy! Not sure why people are saying it was difficult

Squinting really works. An interesting and challenging puzzle. Great fun

One of the best puzzles on this site, in my opinion. And I see it easily. Easier to see in thumbnail.

Not too easy, but not too difficult. Nice, too.

Nice.

I remember this one, of all the others, and just came back to do it again. Perfect tiny puzzle, perfect image.

I do this puzzle periodically - it is so perfect.

Humbling. Years later I still can't do it without Xs. Still beautiful.

It took me a while to see the picture. The first thing was to realize which side the subject was turned to (leftwards). But I thing the head is desproportionally small. I blackened some pixels and made the head larger and then I got satisfied :o)

Tough picture. To solve and to understand. The thumbnail helped, but I'm still missing a few pixels to make the head clear. At least that's how I understand it - a Japanese woman in a traditional kimono kneeling and looking to the left.

Redo