[Chris Saper]

Hi Rochelle,

I usually avoid teeth if at all possible. Here is my advice about painting them:

-Do not individualize each tooth. Paint the teeth as connected forms, on a series of planes that lie on an arc.

-It's mainly important to get the value right. Teeth are usually darker than one might think.

-Be true to the expression. Once a person is smiling enough to show teeth, their eyes begin to close. Resist the pull to paint wide-open eyes with a toothy smile

-Mimimize the value of the shadow you will see in the nasal labial fold (the crease running from the corner of the mouth to the outside of the nostril's wing) as your photo will show it darker than it would be if you were observing the subject from life.

I also agree that big smiles tend to look more frozen, and that gentle pleasant expressions are more timeless.

Chris