Hey, @nahgul! I think @paper has given you some valuable help with your work already. And I agree that’s it’s becoming a pretty nice painting, whether the symmetry and likeness are spot on or not. I wonder if you’ve called it finished by now, since you’ve created this post a bunch of days ago. As an additional thought, one thing I’d highlight is that, in life, no face is ever perfectly symmetrical - in fact, most of us are so asymmetrical that, if we take a front portrait to Photoshop and do a “symmetry test” (mirror just the left side, then mirror just the right side, and compare the two images afterwards), it might indeed look like two different people. In case you never have, try googling “face symmetry test” for some examples! So, I guess what I mean is that it’s okay when the symmetry isn’t perfect in a drawing or painting. Sometimes, a little asymmetry is what can make a portrait more life-like. As for likeness, James Gurney’s post @paper shared sums it up completely! This is something we can learn from caricature: likeness in art is not achieved by copying exactly what we see, but by seeking to emphasize the most unique aspects of a subject. How much we emphasize determines if it’s going to be a very exaggerated caricature (such as the ones by Court Jones or Jason Seiler) or a representation that, despite some exaggeration, tends to a somewhat stronger realism (such as Sargent’s depiction shown in Gurney’s post), or even something in between. Either way, it always passes through an artist’s creative filter. In other words, to practice likeness, try not to go perfect about copying, but rather interpret what likeness means in each case and look for ways to translate it visually. Regarding construction, I’d reinforce @Jeff Reid’s suggestions about image flipping and using a structural method such as Reilly’s, Loomis’s or even just simple plumb lines and measuring techniques to find alignments, proportions and angles. Any of these can be criteria to check your painting to make sure the facial features all follow the same perspective and have cohesive spatial relationships to one another. Hope this helps!

Two suggestions to improve symmetry 1) use a mirror to look at your work periodically or use your phone to take a snapshot and flip the image. Asymmetric aspect tend to show up when looked at with fresh eyes as with a mirror. 2) learn about and apply Reilly rhythms to the face they really help with getting the features to align properly, Bradwynn Jones does some excellent examples of how to apply the rhythm lines.

Hello @nahgul,this is a pretty good portrait!I quite like the subtle green near the mouth and eyes.(it actually kinda remind of this Ilya Repin painting)I also quite like the unfinish quality of the hair and shirt to the more finish face, Honestly you say that the face isn't symetrical but it looks pretty good to me!IThough on the topic of construction,I do feel that the bottom left chin is a bit geometrical,that it kinda feel like it should be more round,(if that make sense).Also (and this a bit subjective)I suggest softening the eyebrow,the area where the hair touch the face,the nosed and mouth in shadow,the area where the shadow meet the light in the neck and the outer area of the ear to give more edge variety in the face.(here is a overpainting of my solution if that helps) On the topic of likeness,since you're not comfortable with sharing your photo,I'll try to give a general advise.If you're aiming for likeness,I recommend doing what John Singer sargent did and slightly carricaturing the face so the most recognisable feature become more obvious (here's a blogpost exampling how Sargent does it http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/09/caricature-and-likeness.html) But other than that,good painting,please keep going,you're doing an excellent job