Project #1

This piece was inspired by England in the 1500s. Many brides would be forced to marry young and raise children at a young age while the man was in charge of the house and allowed to be disconnected from the child's life.

First Draft

I began with a messy draft, with a young girl looking into the distance. I used a simple pencil and paper for the sketch, just to see where my ideas would flow. She is shown with a sad, yet hopeful expression, with hesitation and little confidence

Outline

I had a messy outline next. I decided to change the pose so she was holding the baby properly, along with the head facing toward the viewer, rather than away.

Progress

Here I am adding to my piece and slowly making progress. I am working on the expression mainly, trying to portray a tired new mother with her baby.
I am using graphite as well as a white colored pencil to add highlights to the piece, here I also spent a lot of time adjusting the eyes to make them seem more hollow and sad.

Finished Project

Conclusion

The final piece is 8.5x11 inches. This piece relates to my inquiry question through the idea that women should be independently raining a child at a younger age, while the man is expected to stay distant and disconnected from the baby's life until it's older.

Rather than using a more colorful and modern medium, I decided to use graphite to portray an "older" look, I also used a white pencil to add highlight. I had the baby face away from the viewer so the viewer's focus is primarily on the expression of the young mother and how miserable she seems to be.