Kisara: Redesign

About:
Look! She's alive! She's aliiiive! ='D
As most of my watchers know, this is Kisara, who has just been subject to redesign and last-syllable-of-name changing. And, as most anyone who reads my journals knows, I've been rattling on and redesigning Kisara in my head so obsessively that it was fairly dizzying and/or depressing.
But, no more! Kisara is finally back, and ready to be cooler than ever before! Though I kept the basic look of the character(color scheme, shoulder pads, etc), I thought she was in need of a makeover.

Changes:
Kisara's clothes, for one thing. These were inspired heavily by and 's fanart, both of which I had open in windows for reference. Kisara's hairstyle has also been drastically altered; before, it was a long, flowing and somewhat matted ponytail. I couldn't get the ponytail to look right when I drew it, so I decided to put it up in an elegant braided bun. I thought that this style tied together Kisara's style very nicely and matured her a few years; plus, I've read that "by tying up her hair, your bad girl character can be instantly redeemed". My other influence was the character design of Saber from Fate/Stay Night, though I wasn't trying to copy or anything. xD
I, personally, like Kisara's hair better this way. I liked it in a ponytail as well, but that was just more difficult to draw; and in a way, this style makes more sense. As Leilee pointed out to me, considering how much combat takes place in Kisara's life, that long ponytail was just asking to get grabbed in a fight. I also think the hairstyle makes Kisara look a little more regal, maybe more in control.

The other main changes to the character design are the fact that Kisara's clothes are actually covering, she's wearing a few more layers(such as shorts under her skirt, and a sort of tube-top under her tunic), she's wearing an eyepatch, and she's wearing more armor. Kisara is now specifically a mercenary, and no longer to be considered a ninja(but that doesn't mean she won't beat a person up just as good as a ninja could!).

The Picture:
I didn't even try to come up with a pose. Seriously. I did not try at ALL. I just wanted to get Kisara drawn well and redesigned, so, mission accomplished!
This picture took several hours to do. This is due to three reasons: A., I was nitpicking like crazy at the design; B., I'm rusty from lack of practice; and C., I just plain draw slowly. I don't know why. That's just how it is. However, I made a significant improvement in that area by doing all the lineart in one sitting. I would have done the coloring in this way as well, but I had to go do my homework.

The Character:
I could rattle on about Kisara for awhile, but I'm going to control myself. If you want to know stuff about her specifically, just say so. PM me or something. :3

That's all, folks! Let me know what you think of the redesign.

EDIT: LOL, I just realized I forgot to color her belt buckle. Ohwell. It should be silver.