WIPS of a 6 hour painting study

This is the reference photograph I wanted to paint, which was uploaded as stock on deviantart here.

To begin with, I sketched out the drawing: 

  Then I blocked in the background colors

Next I isolated the area of the face, and added some foreground foliage:

Then I started adding color to the hair and some of her face:

Focused on the eyes a bit:

And the lips:

Some work on her shirt:

And some finishing touches, including a slight contrast adjustment, and here's the final image :)