Refugee piece - progression

So I have been working on the refugee piece a lot this week. The internet wasn't co-operating, so I didn't get to post anything.
I will do some of my steps bit by bit to show how this one progresses.

First I did a sketch of a lady carrying something of what she had left. I sketch big things like this on pattern paper laying flat on my table. I do a bit of drawing and a bit of rubbing out until I can recognise it as what I was aiming for.

Then I put it up on my cupboard door/design wall and look to see what needs a bit of sorting. and continue with the drawing and rubbing out til I am pretty happy. At this point, I knew her upper body was too long.

Rather than redrawing, I used some pattern drafting tricks. (I do this a lot!)

I folded out the pattern in the places where she was not the right proportion.

Then after having it up on the wall to 'discover it a bit more', I realised she was too thin for the person her head was telling me she was.

So, another pattern drafting technique...

Slash and spread.

Much better. I saw her as a middle age to older lady and I think this works.

Apart from a bit of trimming on her head (because I was too close to the height limit for the work and I needed to make her a little shorter) and sorting a few other places, this became the pattern.

Somewhere along the line I also traced round the hand to give another bag/case possibility if I decide to do another one of these.

By the way, the aerial photos are made by me standing on a little chair and reaching as high as I can to take a blind shot...or several to actually get a photo that includes everything. Then I delete the discards.

Aren't digital cameras brilliant as a design tool?