Commissioned Painting - Portrait of Two Beach Babes

Picture of Two Sweet Babes on the Beach

A sister and brother, who are good friends with my son, have commissioned me to paint this picture of the two of them. The two siblings were about six and three when this picture was taken. That beach day is a just a pleasurable memory as the girl just finished her first year of college, and her brother is a sophomore in high school. The painting is to be a surprise mother's day/birthday gift for their mom. As you may imagine, I am pretty nervous about this painting, since I know it will be a true treasure for their mother. As I started sketching the picture onto canvas today, all I could think was "Lord, please guide my hands!" Here is the beginning ~ I drew it out with charcoal, and then used a paint brush and water to add value and shadows with the charcoal dust. I'll spray a fixative over the charcoal, followed by the acrylic paints. They want to keep the colors pretty true to the picture; so many more prayers are to come! :)