Julie, as it has been said great job with the lights and shadows. The head has been rendered with so much maestry and sensibility! In my opinion you have given a big step forward with this piece (may be because you have been forced to think more to fill the gaps of the image of reference?)

I wonder what final work we would have seen if you could have made the photo yourself.

Thanks for posting it!

Thanks Natalie and Sara! You are very kind.

It would have been nice to have taken the photo myself, but
I live nowhere near the beach. I really wanted to work on something with bright outdoor coloring, and this was a fairly workable photo, so the end result was a portrait that made both me and the little girl's family happy.

I agree, Sara - I think the improvements have mainly been a matter of thinking things through (and taking loads of time to look and then look again). Marvin Mattleson's influence via his workshop has been a huge help, and Chris Saper's excellent book on skin tones helped me understand light better when I first started trying to paint portraits.

Slowly but surely for the past 8-9 years, working full-time but painting when I can, there's improvement.

Great job again! I loved the lights.

thanks, Claudemir

Julie

This is superb. I especially love the way you treated the hair swirling around the forehead. It's as good as it gets. Bravo!

David

thanks, David. The hair wasn't totally clear in the photo, but I did the best I could with it.

Congrats, Julie!
 

I've never paint a bucket, only a cup, so yours is oversize ( and marvelous). : )

Thanks, SB