I really think you need to shoot some more photos. Your job of actually doing the painting will be MUCH easier with the right reference.
If you don't put the braces in you have to invent teeth with the correct lighting and form. If you invent light on the side of the girl's face you run a great risk of never capturing the likeness. These things are almost impossible for even the most experienced artists to do. I wouldn't attempt them at all myself.
I also would not include the dog. He dominates the composition too much. Also, most portrait artists charge extra for a pet in a portrait. It will be a considerable amount of work to integrate him into the composition and to get the drawing and painting of a third "face" right.
You could try following these steps when setting up a basic photo shoot:
1. Position yourself off to the side of a window, right next to the wall, with a tripod. Don't change your position at all. If you start out the photo shoot standing up, don't squat down or sit. You want all the photos to have exactly the same light so you can mix and match. If you move, the light in relation to the camera moves and you can't combine the images.
2. Position the kids in a simple pose, a couple of feet from the window, facing the light. Have her sit in a nice chair and him standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder or the back of the chair for example. Angle their shoulders toward one another a little.
3. Bribe them, if necessary, to sit still. Check with the mom ahead of time and see if she can take them out for ice cream afterwards if they behave. Emphasize to her that you need their co-operation if there is to be a good portrait.
4. Shoot as many photos as you can. I would plan on shooting about 200 shots, with the same pose and lighting, of two wiggly kids.
5. You can vary subtle things throughout the shoot. Try changing the direction their faces are pointing in, looking at you, looking at the window, etc. Try different hand positions, or some smiling/not smiling poses.
6. Work out with the mom (before the shoot) what to do about the braces. I would go for a closed mouth smile, myself.
Having the right reference will make ALL the difference in the world to the success of this portrait. It will be worth the effort to reshoot.
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