Early Morning Training Session

Maia was born into hard times in a region torn apart by mistrust and warring gangs. Born the daughter of the most powerful warlord in the nation, she led a hard life as a child. Her father, cold and militant and having wished for a son, raised her to be a warrior, constantly pushing her to be better and stronger.

However, when she was 16, she was caught teaching the peasants under her father's rule how to defend themselves, dishonoring her father.
Accused of bringing shame to her house and aiding the enemy, she was cast out and disowned by her father, his last gift to her being her spared life.

Since that time, she has remained with the peasants, helping them grow stronger and fight for their own rights. Not a day has been seen when Maia can't be found training to become better and stronger. She has become a hero to the people, her compassion and character, so unlike her father's have made her a queen amongst them. And her loyalty is said to never waver from them.
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Finally finished it! *whew* I spent a lot of time on this, trying to get the details all in and reworking things. This actually came from an old sketch I found from back in high school, and it just screamed to be finished, so here it is.

This drawing has actually become the first part of a series that I want to start working on soon. All the time I've spent working on Maia, putting in subtle scars, working on features, etc. She's kinda grown on me, and I want to do more with her, from childhood to confrontations and more.

I hope you enjoy!
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Media-Wacom tablet and Adobe Photoshop CS3