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This is a fine oil sketch, Cinda. Acknowledging the range of stylistic interpretations and methods represented by members of the Forum, some would even say that it's very close to a completed work.
Indeed, given the subject -- and in particular his long, unkempt hair and beard -- it's not easy to see how a higher degree of "finish" would improve the piece.
For the same reason, it's not easy to "see" some of the facial landmarks, but a couple of things do catch my eye -- in fact, one of the things is an eye, the one on our right, to be specific. With this particular turn and cant to the head, that eye seems to want to be just a little bit higher. That will also slightly reduce the size of the forehead on that side. These are very small changes that (as I implement them in Photoshop) have quite a substantial effect overall.
The other thing is the side of the head/face on that same side (our right). It never quite turns away from us, never rounds out. That would be noticeable in the face itself, and is even more so with the rather thick shock of hair alongside the face, which "ought" to be casting some shadow on the face and helping to create the illusion that the side of the face is turning in under the hair, rather than just coming out to an edge and stopping. Just picking up a little bit of the reddish or even slightly cooler blue hues that you've used on the other side, and introducing them along that right-side edge (softening that edge at the same time, so that the form recedes) would have a significant effect on form.
Lastly, some variation in the shape of the light form down the bridge of the nose -- especially where that form meets the body shadow on this side of the nose -- would add character and interest, and of course contribute to the illusion of form there as well. There's some opportunity along that line to introduce some nice warm halftone in intermediate value.
Again, very nice, fresh painting.
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Linear Mode
