Fantasy Avatar Project - Sketches & Concepts

For my avatar, I plan to begin with a photograph of a female - perhaps one of my daughter Kate.  I'm undecided about the embellishments to her skin, but like the idea of doing something less like animal markings and more along the line of a henna tattoo effect.  Adding fantasy elements such as elf-type ears and unusual texture in the hair would be something I'd like to experiment with as well.  This project is way outside my comfort zone, and I'm anticipating it will be the most challenging for me so far.