You may recall that Disney's live-action remake of their animated classic "Aladdin" came out in May 24th of 2019. Like most of the other Disney reboots, I found it to be, at best, a passable diversion that nonetheless failed to live up to the original's standards. However, one positive benefit that came out of its release was that its medieval Islamic setting inspired me to draw a pair of Moorish female characters, one a dancing princess and the other a fearsome and agile warrior.
Originally, the Moors (or "Mauri") were an African people occupying an area within the territories of modern Morocco and Algeria, which the Romans called Mauretania (not to be confused with the modern nation of Mauritania). During the medieval era and later, European Christian writers would treat the term "Moorish" as synonymous with Africans or darker-skinned ethnic groups in general (hence the word "blackamoor"), Muslims of any ethnicity, or the series of Islamic dynasties which took over and dominated most of Spain beginning in 711 AD.
I produced both of these artworks using the program Clip Studio Paint.
More info: brandonpilchersart.com
Dance of the Moorish Princess
Moorish Warrior
