[Tom Edgerton]

All of these are good suggestions....

First, always show a color study of the entire painting, and have them sign it as approval for you to go to the final painting. The major compositional changes are avoided by doing so. Then, get a deposit--most artists charge anywhere from 30 to 50 percent--so that you don't have to dicker over "what's fair" in the unfortunate instance that the painting is refused. As the artist, you're the one that determines what's fair. If you state the deposit amount and policy on your website, somewhere in your portfolio, and on your contract, there shouldn't be a lot of argument around it, as the client already has been informed about the deposit and has agreed to it.

In the not-uncommon situation you're in now, where you're trying to determine the source of the client's discomfort, having the client in and looking at the painting together is a good place to start. As already suggested, ask a series of non-threatening questions to try to both eliminate the areas that she's not worried about, and to identify the areas that do concern her. I sometimes ask the client to just point to areas that "just don't look quite right," and ask them to describe how the painting seems off, or doesn't feel right, and generally what feels wrong about it. I never ask them what specifically to do or change, as Alex rightly points out, as the solution is often different from what they think should be done. For instance, an eye that doesn't look right may actually be improved by working an area next to it. Then bend over backwards to try and accommodate them, as long as you don't compromise the quality and integrity of the work. You may have them sit at that time to observe the problem areas from life. Checking the areas of concern against the client is often a lot more illuminating than checking them back against the photo.

If you have to work from photos, finishing from life is always preferable.

Good luck....you'll get it right.