This is all important. With props he can show the subject's character, passion, charm, individuality. The props integrate with the whole and make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Even though he knows there can be truth in fiction, this painter feels the importance of likeness. If it isn't a dead ringer he considers it a failure.
Nothing can save it.
So he starts with the face. He also knows he must get the look and the likeness within the first few minutes for everything else to fall into place. This is why he must bring freshness and desire particularly to the first commitment. A likeness, he knows, cannot be pulled out of a preliminary that doesn't look right. Now the hands.