General Scribbles

I wouldn't stand a chance to finish that amount of images within less than a month, but I'm happy for you anyway. And I think you've done really well on the first guy there. I'm especially impressed with the hair I find short hair much more difficult than long hair. Good start on the second one too - even if it's much sketchier you already have the base of his mop down, too

And overall I think you've painting has improved a lot this year - you still have your hard edges for shadows and such but they're not as hard (which I think looks better but I'm glad you haven't lost them completely!) and you've also managed to get more warmth into the skin tones.

Oh no! Atto's rich now!

Congratulations on your incoming wealth!

And well worth the money too if that pic is anything to go by. That's one of my least favourite hairstyles to paint with all those changes of direction yet you've still got that believable flow without resorting to the one pixel brush.
Also in your previous pic I mentioned adding a bit of sparkle to the skin with some specularity on the nose/cheeks and you've nailed it brilliantly in this one.

Thanks both!
I'm a little concerned about the amount of work I've taken on too Charlotte, but I guess I spend that much time on my personal work anyhow so it's really just a change of focus. After you mentioned the hard edges not so long ago I've tried to soften them somewhat by using a large low opacity brush about 3/4 of the way through my painting and selecting local colour to swipe over softer areas of transition. I'm really happy with the way that works so thanks for that feedback!

I wouldn't say rich Val but as my wife hasn't worked since the lockdown began it's certainly going to help.

That hair by the way probably took me almost as long as the rest of the portrait and yeah, it was an absolute nightmare to get looking right.

As far as the specularity goes, see, I do listen (to both of you) and it's exactly these touches that I would miss if I didn't post on here.

Loving the new 'scribble' Val, I seem to get an ache at the bottom of my own eyeballs due to that extreme expression and the veins under her eyes are great. I also love the way you've painted those fleshy, full lips.

Here's the next two, Im a bit concerned they aren't up to the same quality as the first but I need to edit the first ones hair (seems to have morphed into some kind of Mario mushroom) and add more black and pure white to the second ones hair so it appears to be shiny black hair rather than he has gone grey VERY prematurely.

Just add a little soft glaze on a low opacity multiply layer for the second one. Maybe a blue-grey or just the colour of the light source. That should stop the "grey hair" look.

I think Val's right, that it's better to add a bit of colour than more black and white, if you want to reduce the grey look. (Also, he might have an asymmetrical chin for all I know, but if not, check the line between nose tip, front teeth and middle of chin....)

I'm going to disagree with the other two and say that it only needs the contrast tightening up to reduce the amount of gradation falloff between the dark hair colour and the highlights, which it sounds like is what you are going to do anyway.