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Hi Julianne
Two years ago I did a commission of a 7 year old with her 3 year old sister. The 7 year old at the time had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, and was not physically able to pose for the portrait (in addition the portrait was to be a surprise to the mother). Family members sent me photos, and there was one of each girl where the face was workable, but the pose was not. So I devised a composition that would integrate the face angles of the subjects with completely different body poses, then recruited two neighbor girls ages 7 & 3 to pose for the shot. At the photo shoot I kept the subject's face shots near me to ensure I matched the appropriate photo angles.
The painting was very successful, and they let me know that they even brought the painting to the funeral, which I think was a positive testament to how much the painting represented their daughter even though technically the composition originated from something I contrived.
Hope this is good inspiration for your project. One last thing, I personally made a point to make the scale of the childen close to full size (the canvas was 36 x 48), because as a mother I felt it was a better way to stay close to someone who means so much to you.
I'm sure you'll do a great job, and know that your struggles to make the portrait work will be appreciated very deeply.
Good Luck
Linda
p.s. Should you try this, try to be very aware of the lighting too!
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