A little Harsh?

Something interesting is going on. I can not write over the images of my grandparents, but I can crop them. How do I explain this? Having conversation with my tutor today, I found that it is harsh indeed, and it is far nothing like John Hilliard, he has never done anything like that, it is brutal. I crop over the face, body, why would I do that? I'm trying to come up with an answer, and I think it's because it allows me to concentrate on the detail. On my grandmas' hand, or my grandads' eye, I can get close to it, see it better, feel it better. But why does it still look so harsh...?