I was right there with you about attitude until,…
You still sound like the “creepy uncle”.
Please don’t paint my daughter. In fact, I don’t even want you taking pictures of her.
shiver
Have you analyzed the source of this element? In other words, could either (or both) of her parents manifest an enigmatic sexiness? This, in my opinion, may be the origin of your conflict.
A suggestion: stall the portrait of your niece and ask her parents to ape the pose for a pencil sketch. Make them sit for it, though. Snapshots are mendacious distillations, as loaded in subjectivity as the form you’re trying to generate.
On a separate subject, can you post one of your boat paintings? 
I was right there with you about attitude until,…
You still sound like the “creepy uncle”.
Please don’t paint my daughter. In fact, I don’t even want you taking pictures of her.
shiver
Took you two tries but nope, still not feeling your anguish.
I’m really not, though. I guess I should have said “pretty” rather than “sexy.” I regretted my choice of words pretty much as soon as I posted.
The thing is, they live a good thousand miles away. And I don’t think I even have good snapshots of them. And I’m pretty horrible at working with live models. I’m too easily intimidated.
I’ll try to post both boat paintings, if I can find the time.
Now you’ve got something to do after Thanksgiving dinner.
“30 minutes! That’s all I need! Just sit there, like that, and don’t say anything.” I know, but unless you’re eidetic, it’s your only choice.
Do it. You must.
Oh, cripes, don’t backtrack. It’s ridiculous. Young girls don’t become poof sexy overnight. It creeps in, slowly at night, through the cracks in the windows like fog. One day you’re sitting at breakfast as your daughter is inhaling her Cheerios and you realize, “Damn, at that angle, she looks just like her mother did when I fell in love with her. She looks…sexy. URG!” Then you spend the rest of the day trying to bleach your brain.
At least, that’s how I feel sometimes when I look at my son, and my goddaughters. I can’t imagine it’s any different for fathers/uncles, etc.
Just 'cause we’re real uptight right now as a culture about pre- or pubescent sexuality doesn’t mean it ain’t there. Just don’t ACT on it (and don’t talk about it with strangers) and you’re not the creepy uncle. You’re just a person noticing how kids grow up.
KNIFE: Hey, Fork, don’t tell anybody.
FORK: Tell anybody what?
KNIFE: Dish actually ran way with Spork!
BOTH: Bwahahahahahahaha!
Alrighty then. Keep in mind I’ve only been doing this for a little over a year.
Rachael (This is the old one, which I am no longer in posession of.)
Criticism? Really?
I’m not sure what you’re responding to. 
Sorry about that. Do you want criticism?
Sure.
I’m an artist - not a Hugely Successful, Big Bucks Artist, but educated and generally respected by my peers. I do portraits at art fairs, and sell a couple of paintings now and then. And I’ve taught art.
And I think you’re on the right track.
As a matter of fact, working quickly is one of the exercises I used to do with my adult students, who were generally self-conscious and often overcome by their inner critics.
The book I always recommend is Betty Edwards’ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. The exercises in her book are really good - my only qualm is, she didn’t actually invent them (and she kind of claims she did). Those methods have been around for years - some of them are taught in art schools.
Another book you might enjoy is Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit.
BTW, ignore those “step-by-step instruction books”. Recycle them. They’re absolutely worthless. Unless you’re doing graphic design or cartoons - maybe those types of art can be approached that way, I don’t know, those aren’t my area. That’s not to say there isn’t training in fine art- there absolutely is. But it has to do with analyzing parts & wholes, not a series of “how-to” steps.
You mentioned feeling “creepy” - I don’t know how to categorize the feeling. I’m often struck by the beauty of the people I draw, particularly small children; the grace of their full cheeks could knock a person flat. When you open yourself to the full reality of someone else’s existence, you have to acknowledge what you’re experiencing. It’s not a sexual response per se, but it’s far deeper than the cursory view that we usually maintain. When I draw people, I learn a whole lot about them. Which is why I never draw married people simultaneously; on my first outing as a portrait artist, a man and his wife sat before me, together. It was way more information than I could handle!
Your OP resonated for me in so many ways (I wrote a lot that I deleted, but hey, WTF, it was 3:00 a.m.), I completely forgot to discuss your work. I’ll just look at the first piece.
I agree with you, your decision to be bold and relax really benefits the piece. There’s nothing more annoying than tedious, fussy, precious brushwork - being “tight” never helps. And the bright colors you chose are lively and fun - you did a good job of balancing saturated colors in the foreground with more dilute tones in the sky. You seem to be very sensitive to details, like the pink reflection on your boat - using that color was an excellent choice. And that red ball, you gave it volume.
It’s wonderful to hear you talking about wanting to express “nieceness”. You are absolutely correct, that is exactly what you’re aiming for.
I hope that showing your work is fun. It’s really interesting to see one’s work hanging in public, next to other artwork. Are you showing among students or professional artists?
You say you’ve only been at it for a year? If you were my student, I’d be delighted with your progress. I would be urging you to visit art museums and look at watercolor paintings. I would also suggest that you take a basic drawing class with a good teacher who will take you through the essential lessons (contour drawing will really help your portraits). You can often find outstanding instruction via “Extension” classes at your local University - schools graduate a lot more teachers than there are jobs, so good ones frequently find their way to more casual settings.
It’s putting a lot of pressure to expect yourself to be “excellent” already - you’re just starting this journey.
Can you provide a link? I love to see emerging artists’ work. Linky-poo, please.
D’oh! I see the links. Sorry.
I’m with Fessie. I think you’ve got a feel for your subject matter and I love your freedom with color. Keep at it. You’ll see something in each new painting that captures your intent a little better…a little better…art is a constant learning process. Books and classes (I prefer classes) will help you conquer any stumbling blocks you run into. It feels *so good * when you’re happy with your work! Good luck!
(not to hijack, but Fessie, your website link doesn’t work. Is there somewhere I can look at your work?)