A pleasant surprise

Amanda and Harry 9x12 pastel, copyright 2010
NFS

As I mentioned in earlier post, one unexpected but happy event that occurred this summer was the early arrival of my nephew.  He is small of course, but doing quite well, and has a beautiful face with big blue eyes and lots of blonde hair.  The first time I went to see him he was curled up in a ball on his stomach, and I didn't get a good look.  The second time my sister-in-law held him during a feeding, and he opened those eyes for me.  He is going to be a charmer!

This pastel was based on a picture I took of the two of them.   It was quite the challenge, as I have not attempted a portrait of someone I know before, and I've never tried a baby, let alone a newborn preemie.  I think it turned out pretty well - at least I've been told that their faces are recognizable, which is a good thing with portraits.