Could this really be finished?

I've been procrastinating a third commission from a couple who wants portraits of all of their grandchildren for what I would guess to be two months or so. When I actually sat down and started the project, total painting time took me about two to three solid hours of painting, or a full work day. I was so vexed at myself for procrastinating for so long, and then realizing in the end that the bulk of the painting took me only two hours? Seriously?

Sometimes this phenomenon happens. I was talking this over with design friend Jen, and she noted the same phenonmenon. We decided that the procrastination time is not actually procrastination, but rather a time when your mind subconsciously works so hard on what it will do that it already has it figured out at 'go time'. And, you've put it off for so long that you have the pressure of finishing it *today* before the monkey crashes down on your back.

I meant to get a photograph in better color and quality of the sitter-(David), however, thought that I would just start by laying down composition and initial color with my own printed photograph just to get the ball rolling. What I came up with was something dark yet fresh. It seemed the colors were blending just right. I used much more yellow ochre mixed with black, darker greys than I normally do, and tried to create subdued flesh tones all in an effort to render a more masculine portrait. I felt at the end of the day that even though I used darker, and more muted tones than usual , I created strong contrasts. I framed the portrait in a very dark paynes grey mixed with olive green. I didn't want to add any detail to the background after I was done with the first work session or sitting with the portrait.

When I worked on the portrait I struggled with the lips, and now looking at it for the first time since I worked on it three days ago, the sitters right eye is too open, the left too closed so I will have to even that out. I don't want to ruin it, so again, I will be at that point where I will have to do a million things before getting to a few corrections that in the end will take maybe thirty minutes.

This portrait is not like the other commissions I have done for this client, however, I am contemplating doing the above mentioned corrections and going to them with what is there now. I do want to do a little work on the shirt- maybe just a sketchy white version of it. I would though, perhaps like to make a new stretcher for the piece in a slightly smaller size- which I don't do often. So, if they (the clients) go for the unfinished/(finished) piece without the overly done background then I will have to convince them that the piece needs to be smaller than the other two.

Lots to think about for this week.

I need to have this in a state of progress without dropping the ball for another two months.