Janice, I do hand-tinted portraits professionally under the trade name Kidsnappers. I have found that Ilford XP-2 Super rated at 200 makes wonderful negs. My 16x20s from 35mm look like medium format. If you want to process your own negatives, I recommend Ilford Delta 400 for speed, or Delta 100 for finest grain and sharpness. I think the XP-2 Super at 200 is actually finer grained than Delta 100--certainly very close.(posted 9207 days ago)For hand tinting, use a fiber-base matt paper. I use Ilford Warmtone Multi-grade fiber base in the matte finish. This surface will take the paint very well. If you want the convenience of an RC paper, there is only one that takes paint well--Kodak P-Max RC Art Paper. It has a tooth like sandpaper. Any kind of gloss paper and RC surfaces such as pearl will only cause you much frustration.