Dragonfly Says: Hey Kimiko, well if it wasn't for Setsuna pointing this out as a copy of pro work, I wouldn't have picked it.

Copying art is a pretty touchy subject. Depending on how long you've been drawing and your age, I can see reasons for copying art. But really as you get older, and more experienced, you should try coming up with original poses as well as your own style with how you draw things. Best way to do this I guess for any art really, is to learn from real life.

That said, I think you got the basics of anime style down for the face, now break out and shows us what you can really do! :D

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Juno Says: Hoi, Kumiko! I agree with Setsuna... copying professional artwork IS the perfect way to start out. However, a time will come when you will have to inevitably move on to something more original, or, in other words, something that is your own. Your technical skill shows great potential; many people even have trouble executing what you have executed here. However, you should also note that a major problem with many good artists is that, once they "copy" something, they can't get out of it, and sometimes it can be practically permanent. That's BAD. Why? Because it confines your own creativity and your originality.

Keep on studying other people's work, though. Everyong is a beginner in the beginning, and I frankly think that we all learn the same way: studying the pros. I can already see from your sketch that you can execute smooth gradations and lines. Keep practicing, and try lots and lots of new things. And though some might disagree, work with different traditional mediums. If you are planning on pursuing art as a dominant pastime, no doubt you will want to try out CG as well. But remember! True skill and technique is in your hand, not in the computer. After mastering originality, go all the way for things like watercolor and color pencil. ^^ GREAT job so far, though. Ciao for now! We hope to see your artwork again :D

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Setsuna Says: Doing side to side copies of professional work is a good way to start figuring out anime style. However, it's not until you try branching off and drawing your favorite characters in your own original poses that you really learn the basics.

In this image, though everything is attached correctly, I'd recommend that you stray from the original work, and tweak the torso a bit... I tend to prefer a more realistic style and proportion in anime characters, so to my eye, the torso looks really small in comparison to the head (which is probably caused by the smaller neck) The breasts look kinda squashed upwards. Logically, because they are so small, they wouldn't have that 'Mai Shiranui' bounce that more well endowed people would have. ^_^* So it's wiser to move them farther down the ribcage (as they look like they've attached at the collarbone). From the neck down to the breasts it looks like it's only half a head lenght, when it should be at least one head length.

Good luck, you have a good eye for detail and have good line control. You don't always have to follow directly from what's already been drawn - from what I see here, you're quite capable of going in your own style.