Today was probably the most mentally taxing day to paint all year but I worked through it. It took all day to work and rework and work again…..when will I learn to step away. Oh, to only paint 
Whew…
Gator Girl has a little bit of an attitude but it happens sometimes. I have a little bit of clean up work to do and then she will be complete.
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More of a question really…are the models for your sideshow characters based on actual people you know, i.e. friends, family, or students?
PS: She looks great. I can’t tell you how pleased and excited I am about your installation.
Some models I do not know (human figure reference models) and some of them are friends and family. For instance, Cheng and Eng’s feet are my housemates’ feet, as is
They are married and I made them pose, pretending that they were Siamese Twins just like Cheng & Eng. Even though it may have been uncomfortable for Cheng & Eng to actually sit with their legs crossed like that in my banner, I liked the idea of adding a more casual feel, breaking the Victorian fashion of the day. The Bearded Lady is my friend Joe. I loved his little red riding hood costume for Halloween so I had to paint it! I just elaborated upon the beard 
Sometimes, I will just use friends and family as position models for poses, hands or feet especially when I make up the the figures (or object) in my head.
I often gather many research images before painting a banner. The research process helps me to formulate what I think the final banner will look like.
Thanks so much, Kory! That means a lot to me! I am super excited about the installation too!