Portrait painting - Little girl w Balinese Hat

Acrylic on canvas
(left) size : 30 x 40 cm
(right) size : 30 x 35 cm

The one on the left I did 3 years ago (2007)
and the one I just finished is the smaller one on the right.
Yes, there's definitely improvement there.
sorry, reference photo is not shown :)

First of all :), I don't really do portrait, I prefer painting animals, more freedom there :D
So I struggled with this painting
because I don't know how to do portraits ;p
and because I want to focus on the painting technique instead of the drawing technique, I cheated, yupppp :) I photocopied-enlarged the original photo (it's an old out of focus photo, btw) and I traced it onto the canvas.
but even then, I can't make it to look like the real person, I mean, it doesn't have to be photo-realistic, I like it better if a portrait painting is smudgy, coarse brushstrokes, loose, alla prima, etc but you know how even such "messy" paintings look like the reference photo/person ?
I couldn't achieve that, even after tracing it !!
Both paintings were done by me, both were traced using the same size enlarged photocopy but both end up looking like 2 different girl.
can you imagine the frustration ?
okay, after a comparison, the little girl's face on the right is slightly wider, that's why she looks a bit chubbier ;) but only by 0.7 cm, more or less.

I used Acrylics only, without any medium (retarder, glazing, flow enhancer, etc)
I wanted to achieve an oil-like-alla prima painting, but I couldn't, instead it's kinda rough and the color is not exactly perfect either. (no color theory here, I just any colors that I feel appropriate)
and I was searching for youtube videos on how to paint portrait with acrylic, but I end up getting a lot of oils instead, some are good though. (links below)
and I ended up always smoothing the painting out with the brush.
I dunno why I keep on doing that, I did a study to paint Bing Crosby CD Christmas CD Cover and I think I did great, but I can't re-do that technique on this portrait though.
Here's the original CD cover art.


Here's the WIP




done

and If my painting looks unfinished, I kinda like a painting that looks that way. and I deliberately leave the hat as it is, pink and yellow unfinished :)

close up of the face


Bottom line, I think portrait artists rocks, their skill is something I wish to "absorb" lol :)

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Here are the youtube links that may be useful for you (and me)

Color Palette for portrait - wetcanvas
http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Portraiture/Palette/

Portrait Painting
ACRYLIC
nice n fast : acrylic with gel medium (retarder ?)
but color palette not shown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQsazAmERlo

OIL
alla prima by Robert Liberace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMv_nOHO_9g

Jeffrey Watts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaTtPA_HvXA

Tamara Geddes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMPanPKw6bs

Craig Nelson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi4Zcy6TyF8

Irv Rudley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsJlUm6bYYQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCjQl0BrlQY&NR=1

Sharon Sprung
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xnFc8qyX8s

painting realistic eyes by Tamara Geddes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_N_Mqu4G6Q

Natalia paints oprah (irudley's student)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsrJVe4d54Q

and I think this is Acrylic :
Farsad Labbauf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD6Woiczcq0&NR=1
This could be achieved with a computer, but a human doing this ?
If there's no initial sketch or whatever to help the artist, wow !

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