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Ilaria,
These two paintings are really good, especially for something done in a group. The man's painting is well designed for the space and I like the wonderful attention to the color in his skin-tone.
Portrait portfolio paintings are not grab shots. They have to be considered carefully as they will affect the work that you get. London has some interesting figurative painters and portrait artists. You could go with the more traditional, edgy or continue the unique personal style that you seem to be developing.
Some of the edgier artists like the American Jack Beal get important commissions and so does someone more traditional like Kinstler.
If you want to paint elegant ladies, you have to make arrangements to be able to paint them in a manner to achieve a suitable result. This means you have to pay attention to the most flattering lighting, their wardrobe, pleasing composition and further elegant touches. This can only be done if you control all the parameters, which cannot be done in an open studio setting. Sargent's Madame X was the ultimate portfolio piece. He received no monies for that. This goes for any result you may want to achieve, edgy, colorful, out-there, whatever.
You personally, and unfortunately have to do this out of your own pocket to make the paintings as beautiful as possible and express more completely your point of view. This may seem a like terrible burden, but I sold one of my samples and another is being considered. I was happy with both of those pictures as paintings as I did not have to consider the wishes of anybody else, which I am always loathe to do anyway.
I hope this helps.
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