Link for reference: https://unsplash.com/photos/lJJlaUWYrPE

This is a nicely compelling image, I can think of several stories it could tell. @Nanna Skytte, if you're looking for a challenge, perhaps this is something you could try: change the color palette and see how it affects the mood and the storytelling in the illustration. Maybe you could experiment with a variety of different concepts: colorful, dull, bright, dark, warm, cold... Depending on how comfortable you are with lighting fundamentals, you could also try varying the lighting scheme (hard light, soft light, multiple light sources...) , or maybe vary just the colors themselves for now. Perhaps you could even ignore all the details in the image and work just with very simple thumbnails that allow you to see the "big picture". It's just an idea! :) If you do feel like trying it out, I'll be curious to know how it turns out.

I love it!!! For just 1.5 h you did an excellent job. The only thing I'd say is that you add that grainy texture you put in the book and table to her hat. Other than that, it looks fantastic, congratulations.

It's a good job in my opinion, over all considering the amount of time you have put in it! For the skin maybe the shadow can be renforced just a little in the inferior side of the face. In my opinion, you can even make the shadow a little (but only a very little) reddish and less saturated on the skin. The hand under the face it's quite an issue mainly becouse it isn't so "expressive" neither in the photo reference: maybe you can enhance tridimensionality suggesting the attachment of the anular and adding a little light at the end of the fingers. But, I repeat: well done :)

Maybe I'll just push a little more in the shadow and light contrast, but your work is already really good, that's just what I should do not a critics at you study :)

Oh my! This looks stunning! I think you did an amazing job in such a short time! If I have to be extra, extra picky, I just notice her left arm. In your picture it looks like the whole arms is resting in the table, and in the reference you can see a little light under the wrist. Also the watch (bracelet?) looks like is squash in the table, and along with the wrist it made look the arm and hand a little weird, like an oval. In the reference that part looks more round, like a cylinder. I usually make this mistake a lot more than I would like to admit, and constantly have to correct the forearms because I made them oval instead of cylindrical haha

Wow. Great color study! I really like how many shapes use variations of light blue, there are so many! The colors reflected in table surface is very effective. The only small things i notice for considering is shading lines technique used under chin stands out as different than anything else technique wise, and the shading under her eyes feel a little dark in value. It is interesting to consider if you were doing a longer work, what things in the reference would/ could you change to tell the story even better. For example, is there an even better place to put chair in the foreground? And the plant is at tangent with her face, could it be moved or omitted out for a longer composition?

this honestly looks really amazing, shapes, lighting paint all that is very good. only thing I'd say is it wasn't necessary to show more detail on the neck, as i'ts in the shadow it isn't really needed. best to show detail in more lit areas then dark that also helps to contrast light n dark better

I think that every challenge, that can motivate is good. Both official and user created.