I just tuned in and am sorry that I didn't see this at the photo stage.
Right now, the feet look strange...I know that they are meant to be lost in the grass, but you'll have to be very careful to make them look real...or you could crop them for an easy solution. This is not a desirable pose to make into a good painting.
Frankly, I don't think that the figure in the foreground comes across as large enough or important enough (partially because of his "defeated looking" posture). He looks small and unimportant and unfortunately my eye is drawn immediately to the standing figure (as his proportions seem wrong there too, i.e., legs and feet). I think that you need to tweak the proportions of your subject to make him look more heroic (nearly always a good idea with males). This will distort the "reality" of his anatomy a little, but the only thing that people will notice is that he "looks better."
I just found Sharon Knettell's post called "Polo Picture" in your photo critique thread and agree with all she has to say. I suggest that you review it as she is, I think, exactly on target.
http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...0&pagenumber=2
I would suggest that you emphasize the subject in the foreground by making him larger, cropping, and really make something of design interest out of the hat and whatever else is on the bench beside him.
I would also suggest that you radically simplify the background (eliminate the figure with his back to us) and think in terms of value massing and design in order to enhance the subject. Indicating the tent and the activity therein can be done in a more abstract way and will serve to shift the focus back onto your subject.
Chris Saper said, "Good paintings go fast; bad paintings take forever."
However, despite the struggle ahead, I think that you have the talent to eventually pull this off whether you listen to my advice or not.
Good luck.
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