[Chris Saper]

Dear Janet,

I think you are off to a great start here. I do fully agree with Sharon and Richard's comments, and will add a few of my own.

Regarding drawing - both faces are a bit too wide, on both sides. You've done a really nice job with some very difficult hands. The curves in her lips might be smoothed a bit. Check the angle and width of his mouth, and the placement of his chin - the chin should head west a little . There is plane break where his cheekbone moves down to connect with the cheek, and it may be a bit high.

Looking at values, she needs some deep darks along the face silhouette on our left. Slightly darker values in her neck, there inner curve of her arm, his neck (especially the Adam's apple area), will help add a sense of volume, His hair on our left should go lighter.

Edges: softer edges all along his shirt and hair will support what is going on here. The almost black painted shirt next to her hands, make her hands seem to float in front of the shirt. You can fix this easily by softening and darkening the areas of her hand that touch shirt/shadow, and by changing both the light and color distribution in his shirt. You've handled his necklace beautifully.The red leaves in the background have edges that are much sharper than they should be. Forget the photo, you'll need to have soft and lost edges in the background to keep the background things where they need to be. The sky holes (in this case wall holes) through the red leaves need to be darker in value than the background behind.

Color: I agree you have warm color in both light and shadow, and I think you should leave the light cool and shadows slightly warmer. Cool the stone in the background.and the lit areas of his shirt - as opposed to the red highlights in the shirt.

Composition (probably should have been first in this note):I think we accept 'stuff' in photos that we won't in a painting. You have, I think, a bit too much of a tangent at the bottom of your painting where her forearm shirt and upper arm converge. Also if you have posted the full frame images of both, you will probably run into a tangent problem at the top of his head once you place the painting in a frame. If this is the case, you can't do anything about it now, but in the future, remind yourself that there will be a 3/8 " margin all around that will be covered with the frame's rabbet. Sam can give Scarlett Johanssen a run for her money.

Keep going and Good luck!