Portraiture is one of the topics that I wish I took more time studying. Learning to grasp and understand how someone's personality and emotion can affect their face, and characteristics is something I will continue to pursue.  
I keep my portraiture artwork as soft, and light as possible, to avoid dragging tha painting down with dark details that often make the piece unsettling.
If you're a fan of Contemporary realism, and soft impressionism, you will enjoy this work.