Neander Nan

I've been meandering around Neandertals lately - they fascinate me! They were, based on the latest archaeological findings and anthropological studies, much more like us than we could have ever imagined. So much so that we now carry anywhere from 2% to 4% of their DNA. In other words: our prehistoric ancestors boinked with Neandertals.

Anyways, reading up on them and watching documentary after documentary has gotten me somewhat obsessed with them. This has resulted in a lot of Neandertal sketches that I aim to make into character art and illustrations.

This one is just the first of many. It depicts what is in my mind a late (in terms of evolution) female Neandertal. I've dubbed her Nan because it has a nice ring to it - Neander Nan.
The idea behind her expression comes from the hypotheses (based on findings in caves and other studies) that Neandertals were capable of critical and abstract thought, much like us. So, I drew here with that inquisitive look on her face. The source of if is up to you - the viewer, to speculate over.
Speaking of speculations, a lot of things are just that when it comes to pelo artworks and reconstructions. However, the evidence thus far strongly points in the direction of smart, capable Neandertals that were for lack of a better term - human.