A first ever portrait

This is my great friends Janet 1st ever portrait .
It is of the chief of a village in The Gambia where she and her husband have helped build a school and plant a cashew plantation to raise funds to keep the school going.
They have a huge respect and love for this man and she brought the photo to my art classes to paint as a gift for him.
So we leapt from simple still life's to this in a matter of weeks!!!!!
Not an easy task but the result is quite amazing and inspiring.......I truly believe anyone can learn to draw if the desire is there.