Portrait-0045.png
Leave room for interpretation. The more you leave to the viewer, the more they invest in your work. Filling in the blanks is human nature, and people tend to fill them generously. Don't force your vision on them. Let them see what they want to see and feel what they want to feel.
Suggestive lines and shapes, rather than explicit detail, are a powerful way to get there. The less you show, the more they imagine.
Portrait-0045-ref.png
Portrait-0045-ref-with-loomis.png