When I first started painting, I thought portraits would be a real challenge. So I began with children, thinking they would be a good place to begin. No wrinkles, no bags, no makeup to get right.
I discovered license-free photos of these kids and tackled each one separately. First, I created the neutral background color so as not to distract from their beautiful faces. Then, I sketched each face with a graphite pencil onto the canvas.
The challenge was to get the distance from the eyes to the nose to the mouth correct. Once I completed the boy on the bottom, I stepped back, feeling a genuine sense of accomplishment! This gave me confidence to paint the red-haired boy on the top.
After that, I painted the girl on the bottom followed by the girl at the top. Voilà – a set of four canvases that can be displayed together.
This set would make a wonderful addition to a baby’s or child’s bedroom. Or, you can hang them in the hallway between children’s rooms. They would also make a lovely presentation at the entrance of a daycare, nursery, or elementary school.
Update: These paintings were donated to Child Crisis Arizona.