Color portraits from b&w photos
 

I have done portraits from b&w photos, but it is such a chore. I'm doing four, now, of former WWII service men -- brothers who were in the four branches . . . army, navy, army air force, and marines. All I have for source material is old b&w photos. If anyone has a secret way arriving at suitable results with b&w source material, I'd like to hear how you go about it.

Other artists have had live models sit for them who had approximately the same coloring as the subjects in the photographs (as determined by asking family members, etc). They sat those models in similar poses and lighting and did color studies from life.