This painting was commissioned by Advanced Photoshop magazine for a Masterclass Tutorial in issue #46 on painting portraits with focus on fabrics.
I was given a short brief, just telling me to paint a female character from head to hip wearing traditional Japanese dress, while leaving the background quite blank. Everything else was left up to me.
I looked at loads of photos for this one, as I'd never really painted asian facial features, or a proper kimono. Pictures of Tea Ceremonies inspired the pose.