This is amazing work. Is it all done on computer? Do you use Corel Painter?
Anyway thanks for sharing.
Your portraits are incredibly powerful. I love the way you use the brush strokes to create an effect of the background subsuming the face - can't think how else to describe it but is really striking.
I use wacom and Photoshop or Gimp. Corel Painter is a good software but I has not it.
OK - yes a wacom tablet is a must whether for painting or photography. If you haven't tried Painter yet you might like it. The brushes are a lot more advanced than photoshop in terms of their realism. I think they probably have a trial you might be able to use. For someone of your talent it is definitely worth trying.