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It's impossible to predict what might happen down the road with any client. Will they get the second portrait they've been thinking of? Which child will want to keep the painting of which parent? Who knows!
I would do the painting he wants now and worry about the future issues when they come up. If you prefer to paint the husband and wife both together now you may want to offer a discount, if price is the issue for him on this. I have offered my clients a better price on a full length pose when they felt they could only afford a three-quarter, for example. I wanted the full length for my portfolio and felt it was a much better composition.
I often have clients who are trying to decide between a portrait of their two kids together or separate paintings. I tell them that when they are in the same painting you are depicting the relationship. When they are separate you are depicting an individual and can arrange the painting to suit each individual's personality.
I would think that a three-quarter angle of a subject in a head-and-shoulders composition would be much more interesting than a straight on view. Having a subject's head turned at an angle to their shoulders is often a good idea too.
As to size it depends on the size you like to work. I prefer to work three-quarter to life size and that pretty much determines the size of the canvas. I price by how much of the figure is included, though, not by the size of the canvas.
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