Portrait Progression

I've been working hard on a commissioned pastel portrait. It's kind of interesting how things progress, so I thought I'd share.Faces drawn and now starting to add skin.
Adding highlights and shadows.

It's always scary putting in the 2nd person b/c you have to make sure their face is the right size for the first one. I always work left to right so I don't smear it with my arm (I'm right handed)

There is always that moment for me where I feel like "oh no! I can't do this! This is looking terrible!"....it always gets better as a plug along.

They still need hair, clothes and more defined teeth, but you can tell it's going to be ok! *whew!*