Anyway, this picture was based on images I found in a GX artbook I had been able to get my hands on not long before this. With this picture, I've finally been able to find a technique I like for doing pencil drawings of anime characters, with the outlines drawn in with a harder lead and the shading done with a softer lead and being blended with a blending stump afterwards. I think the blending makes for a nice effect--it retains some of the cel-style shading while softening it in some areas to give a more realistic feel. And boy, with these guys, it looks really good, especially with Olba. *drool* The only gripes I really have about this are that I should've had the part featuring Olba up a little higher, because I don't like that big blank space in the upper left corner (I really hate having such large blank areas in my pictures), and that I should've made Shagia's hair a little darker (his eyes look kinda weird too, but that might just be me). I guess it doesn't matter too much, as I'm more or less pleased with how it turned out.

Oh, and this is for those of you familiar with the original Gundam series: Is it just me, or does Shagia look an awful lot like Bright Noah in this picture? I just can't help but notice the similarities in the face (well, maybe not the eyes, but you know what I mean) and the hair . . .