Working on a personal portrait is hard. 

 This is a photo of my Dad and I really want to paint a portrait of him.  

Using an existing canvas board covered with a horrible background of gesso, I've drawn and re-drawn his face many times.  

With a photo of someone close to you, it is hard to see the shape, the lines, the shadows without remembering the person and moments shared.

These are my attempts; small changes make all the difference but it's still not quite right somehow.

Still working on it....maybe I'll start over again (sigh).