Summer Smiles

That's lovely and fresh looking David, I love the way you have done the hands and the way she has her fingers through her hair, very well painted 😀

Gosh David this is wonderful, you are getting very good with your portraits. She has a beautiful smile and her eyes are gorgeous. Well done!!

Yes, this is a good one and the background is very complimentary.

A very accomplished piece David. Very fresh and an interesting pose.

Lovely portrait, David.The eyes are beautiful

Thanks all :)

This is very good. Interesting that you started by painting the face white, the subtle shading works very well...should I attempt another oil, I'll give that method a go. I also like the background very much, it compliments the girl beautifully.

Your best to date Dave, some rather good drawing, and I particularly like the background.

Fresh faced girl, love the background too David.

I like the finished result too, David. A lovely smile and her eyes are beautiful.

I didn't see this earlier, but I think you've brought off something very interesting here, using a medium with which you're not at all familiar. Headache with solvents - yes, this is a problem: you can replace them, certainly with simple layer painting, with the lightest Linseed Oil you can get: some people are very sensitive to paint thinners - perhaps happily, perhaps not, I'm as sensitive to such things as a chunk of chalk, but try switching away from solvents to oil: Linseed or Walnut (Linseed better in the lower layers). Otherwise - keep the windows open, have a fan going, take frequent breaks. I wouldn't counsel water miscible oils unless there's really no effective choice, but if there isn't, they're an option. Go for the best you can get: Cobra, Holbein, for example. Switching to a plain Linseed Oil as your main medium, though, can avoid a lot of problems.

Thanks for all your feedback.