Thank you all for your input. I have lessened the length of the glasses arm so as not to invade the shadow area, but I have not taken off the cord, mainly because it is such a part of her personality. One pair on the chain, one in her pocket. I'll play with that in photoshop before I decide.
This was shot digitally with the camera set to black and white mode. I bracket when I shoot, so I can't tell you any specifics on the speed, white balance or exposure. It was shot with only natural north light. I covered all but one foot of the top part of the window and the studio was dark, but not like night time. The back drape is, of course, "Leffel" green.
I also shot color for reference and used a book that had the same color on the back as her jacket, which has helped with comparison. She also comes over for live updates.
The reason I ended up sending this to Bill was because it actually is breaking a rule and I wasn't sure how to handle it. If you notice the highlights by her mouth and eyelid on our right in the shadow side are actually two of the strongest brights. I did this to de-emphasize her neck area by turning her face with the slight tilt. Bill's response was to not make it hard on yourself, but I think he understood why I did this. He also said this is why you paint from life, the rule is you paint what you see.
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