Portraits ×Two

I love painting portraits, I really do, except for the fact that they are hard and there is always something a little off. I can finish a  portrait and feel satisfied about it until I look at it the next day and see all the little things that are wrong with it. This particular portrait was difficult because there were two subjects and I know one of them very well. (It is harder to draw someone you know because you have a strange concept in your head of what you think they look like vs. what you are actually seeing.) 

My friend and collaborator (Sebastian) found this adorable photograph of him and his younger sister a few weeks ago and I felt compelled to capture their expressions in a portrait. I used this portrait (which was gifted to their parents) as an experiment with brown ink and skin tone. I like the effect as it gives the painting a vintage sepia feel. 
I worked ten hours sketching and inking in the faces before I realized something was wrong. I had made a whole bunch of minor blunders that given the permanent nature of ink were impossible to fix. So after some deliberation and complaining I started the whole painting over. 

The second time around went much smoother and I am happier with this version minus a heartbreaking moment near the end where I accidentally dropped/threw my ink laden paint brush onto the paper. I won't tell you where, but it's there. 
Next time around I am considering taping the brush to my hand! lol ...but I might actually do it. :)