Almost a year ago...

...is when I made the second illustration below. The one above is my update. I have to admit, it's getting better. For a more direct comparison between the old and new, an update without the background elements is shown beneath the old version.

To be fair, in that old version I was trying to capture the charm of the initial rough sketch, but instead of charm, it just looks sloppy. I have no excuse for the coloring. Except that I was new to the medium (and illustration as a whole, really), so I just didn't have an eye for it when it came to my own work. Funny how I immediately have an eye for the quality of other's work, but my own requires setting it aside for at least a few days, maybe longer, until I can really see it for what it is. But who knows, a year from now, after I improve further, I may come back to this update, and find it lacking too. Edit: Just a few days later, I've already adjusted my update. No dramatic changes, just some details to make it pop a bit more. What's shown above, and at the very bottom image are this revised revision.