Kickass Contest - Then and Now

I'd been thinking of redesigning Ishmael for a while, but when a friend showed me the Kick Your Own Ass Contest I felt a little more motivated, because at least then I had an excuse to resurrect a character I hadn't thought about in years.

I'm glad I took the time. I didn't realize it at the time I designed the character, maybe in 2002, but angels in bandages are horribly cliche. XD; Her new costume was kind of influenced by Western superhero outfits (I was on an X-men: Evolution kick) and has a few Asian touches. I also decided to draw Ishmael in a much more serious, realistic style, because she is a very bitter character. As to my personal improvement, my anatomy is better and I was trying a more complex coloring style.

I'm entering this into Group 1, for digital paintings/drawings. Edit: I was told I may stack the pictures vertically. I just had to switch the stack order.

Full version of the old design is here: [link]

Full version of the new piece is here: [link]