A "Take it, or Leave it" Commission
 

A client approached me yesterday with a request that I create a charcoal portrait of her favorite photo of her grandson - pronto! It is to be a surprise and needs to be completed asap. Obviously, I can't go take my own photo of this baby and I am left to determine whether or not to even take the commission. At this point, I am not so famous enough to turn down a paying customer... What to do? Here I will post the original photo. It looks like it was shot outdoors, with a flash, and of course there is a ball cap covering part of his head. I took it into Photoshop and played with the lighting effects and contrast to see if I could do anything with this flat, straight on image. Any suggestions?

You can do it. Only watch out for the values... I think you could start it and post it in the wip section.

Well, unfortunately, this client has cancelled this commission, so I won't be taking on the challenge of this potrrait. It may be for the better. It has, however, renewed my interest in working with charcoal. See my next post entitled "Choosing the best..."