Hensel Family Portrait: Part 1

I have the pleasure of illustrating a portrait  for Graham Hensel and family.  The idea here was not to focus on likeness, but rather on capturing the family interacting and participating in something memorable.  This idea is what I call “adventure portraits.”  Rather than trying to compete with the photographer with the classic, “everyone lookat the camera”, I wanted to tell a story about this family.  The Hensels enjoyed a trip out to Split Rock Lighthouse.  Judging from the photos given to me for reference of their trip, this is a great family time. The sketch above is my initial sketch for the piece, followed by my in progress drawing.