This was a speedpaint?This is probably where I could get if I spent at least 2+ hours working on a portrait...Hello from! I'd like to know if you used a reference, and if you typically start out from such a dark background!First of all, this is phenomenal in that it's so simple and it conveys a sort of emotion at the same time. A sort of reserved and a hint of cynical humor type depth to what she's saying. I think what you did with the hair for the presentation is genius, because I know it was just a few broad strokes down either side of the face during the final stages, and it was mostly the face you worked with, but it's so easy for my eyes to picture in the definition itself and see the lightness of the individual strands and shadowing... It's very impressionist, and I love it.It stands in direct contrast of the face just behind, and where it feels like the strokes for the hair, while bold and confident in their placement and with the right texture to make it feel at the same time carefree and falling free like loose bangs, the face itself is rather austere, and rigidly shaded without much softness. Especially on the nose.It's a speedpaint, and so there's not much to critique, because they seem like issues that would clear up if there were more time spent and it was treated as a project rather than a quick practice. I only needed to take a quick glance with your gallery to confirm this (which was like a trip to the most disturbing Studio Ghibli nightmarish scenes, and Silent Hill together) However. It feels like the shading itself is too dark, or skin tone is light for the shading. It makes her face appear almost like it's a solid, hard surface rather than soft, supple skin. There's also something a bit off in the eyes though I can't determine what--I can't see it when I'm looking at the thumbnail, but when I'm on the picture itself and its enlarged, something feels off.I'm not talented enough to say what, though.Anyways! Yeah! Awesome job! 8D