Hollz Does Art - The Red Star Comic Series

I was recently introduced to The Red Star series, and instantly fell in love with the storyline and the stunning (and revolutionary for the time) artwork!  I'm debating cosplaying as Makita in the future, but more on that later...

For my very FIRST attempt at drawing a person, even a comic, I picked Maya, since her features were simple and her eyes downcast.  I'm not a fan of too many lines on a character's face in comics, so while I don't know what my own personal style will be once I start creating, I know that I want to keep it simple.  When I looked at this illustration of Maya, I was encouraged by the minimal lines, and wanted to give it a try. It was much more difficult than I imagined! Remember that I'm teaching myself how to draw, and have had no formal training - so I'm definitely looking for some advice and criticisms here!

I didn't tackle shadows/shading at all, which I should have done to make her more dynamic.  Also after numerous attempts, I gave up on her mouth, and went with a simple red line.  I added minimal color, since I've only sketched in black and white up until this point, and didn't feel comfortable with too much.  I found it difficult to match the proportions correctly, so I ended up with some funky lines, especially on her jaw line and coat buttons. 

I plan on coming back to this same image a few months down the road after I've had some more practice.  In the meantime, I think I'll try some realistic drawings first, then once I get the lines right I can add my own style to incorporate it into a comic.  But for now, I don't think this is too shabby for a first attempt:

The Original Artwork

Drawing by Hollz

Current Level: 1
XP needed for next level: 1300
XP Gained from Maya Drawing: 200
Total XP from drawings to date: 700  

Hollz Does Art, Part 1

Welcome to the first post in Hollz Does Art - where Hollz teaches herself how to become an artist!

I could never draw.  Maybe I could when I was a child, back when criticisms never mattered.  But as soon as the first kid laughed at my art project, I stopped all together.  I even purposely drew outside the lines to prove that I was not an artist, so no one would expect anything of me.

What a horrible attitude to have!  I decided to turn that around a few months ago, especially when I started to get a comic book idea in my head.  How could I produce my own comic without connections and without drawing skills?

So here's where I started - my very first drawing:

I drew the first thing I laid my eyes on - my computer speaker.  Then I expanded out, moving towards more of a cartoon style instead of realism:

I wonder if I could have gotten into one of those mail-in art schools with this drawing?

Q-Bert, one of my favorite classics!

Let me know what you think, and I'd love any tips!  I'll update with new drawings in a couple weeks.

Total XP from drawings to date: 500.  XP needed for next level: 1500.