Completed!
It may appear that I intentionally left out several steps between the previous step and this completed rendering, but actually, these "missing" steps are just a repeat of everything I've explained in the previous process. All I've done is define the background with indications of foliage - keeping in mind the entire time where my light source is. I painted the entire dress with a plain gray-blue. I painted in the folds of the dress with mixtures of Prussian Blue, Alazarin Crimson, and Van Dyke Brown (these are also the three colors I use to make my blackest blacks). I added white to this dark paint mixture to add in the highlights - some with more violet, some with more blue. The hair looks so real that you could almost comb it. However, painting it is a cinch. I used my mixture of black, and painted the body of her hair with it. I used some of the same mixture of this black, and added lots of white to it to give the hair its shadow color, such as you see in blue/violets in the shade. I used Van Dyke Brown and white for the brown highlights in her hair (there's no such color as pure black). Adding more white to this color provides a nice highlight to her hair as it shines in the late afternoon sun. Even black hair is reflective! Notice how I used a darker mixture of the blue/violet and the Van Dyke Brown on her hair in the shade. I used a very thin-haired brush to paint in the hair strands. This take the longest amount of time to complete, as I need to paint in the strands one by one. About the open hand problem: I added a playfulness to the subject matter by painting in a tuft of hair between her fingers. Lastly, don't forget your signature :o)