A Hopeful

[Steven Sweeney]

Yes, I know it's not traditional,

Right, Mark, and though its nontraditional nature isn't problematic per se (indeed for many of us it's quite interesting), it is nonetheless very difficult for most of us here to provide any sort of meaningful critique of a digital image under the usual standards for traditional portraiture, which is the focus of this site, as opposed to, say, illustration, caricature, or graphic design. There are a few technology wizards on site (and by comparison I'm Fantasia's mousy apprentice with mop and bucket), but by and large you're likely to get far more responses and much more useful feedback on your efforts once you've begun applying traditional media by hand, because there are folks here who know what that feels like, what the challenges are, and how to manipulate those media to achieve the unique results produced by individual, non-computer assisted effort. For that reason, I'm looking forward to seeing the first products of your obvious enthusiasm for pastels and for portraiture in general.