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The Mouth
John Singer Sargent was asked many times to alter some feature of the painting that the sitter felt was not how they would have liked it. This happens to many portrait painters. For Sargent, it was generally the mouth. It happened often enough, that he described a portrait as, "a likeness in which there was something wrong about the mouth." I try to keep this in mind when painting portraits and spend an inordinate amount of time trying to get the mouth just right. Major Faint's mouth did indeed need adjustment. He has a very kind face and his smile needs to complete that look.
Bling
When people talk about "bling" as referring to all the shiny stuff they put on themselves, I just kind of tune out. This is the kind of bling that counts. The kind that the people of the United States put on you as recognition of your service, valor, and sacrifice. Which is why I want to get it all right. And believe me, the good Major has a lot of bling.