Rob, The following comments are for full images, and not spot-illustrations. My best known work is a watercolor of a woman knitting a stream. She is entirely absorbed in being creative, an essential part of the World, but removed from it. Various people referred to her as a self-portrait, to which my response was "Huh? I don't have red hair!" They saw more clearly than I did. Shy! Yup. Portraits are more than skin. If someone sees himself as a teddybear or as an eagle, even gender and species don't matter. To the books above, add Frazetta. He has very strong dynamics, and a thorough understanding of color and contrast. Some notes about composition. Old books will tell you to divide the space into sections: thirds or fifths or whatever. Ignore them. That is a great way to do advertising layouts with a fifties look. The human eye goes first to the area or edge with greatest contrast. This can be color or brightness. It will travel around, depending upon the lines and colors in your image, but will keep coming back to that area. Your job is to get the viewer's eye to follow the path(s) you choose and linger where you want it to linger. If there is a story or situation you are revealing (or hiding!), these paths will help convey that information to the viewer. I try to have an area of tension, an area of calmness, and an area of surprise, but not all works have everything. You don't want to bore the viewer, so there should be some contrast or dynamic. Any busy scene needs a place to rest the eyes (especially if color contrasts predominate). A bit of surprise or the unexpected will linger with the viewer and niggle at him, so that a work is unforgettable. Regards, Carolly