Wolf Warrior-redo (Patreon)

Welcome, newest Patrons!!! I hope you'll stick around!
You may not know this but some of my higher tier Patrons have requested to redo older paintings so that they get larger versions for their collections.
Even though I was initially reluctant to revisit old work, I took a liking to it, after I did a couple. I try to do the ones suggested to me by the higher tier patrons over time, but because I roam my entire archive to find them, I come across some things that I personally liked a lot when I made them the first time but would do better now. I have of course seriously worked on my skills and my perception since. 

This is the makeover of the very first portrait I ever did of a live model  (apart from some practice with hired artschool models) Earliest version I have of this is from 2001, but I actually made it in 1998 or something like that. The model is Manja and she was truly striking and unique. I regret that I didn't have a top camera yet, like I do now, because I should have photographed the heck out of her and, if I would have, there probably would have been a graphic novel or at the very least an huge series of paintings with her in it.

I will include the original in the posts for Patrons but that's an exception to my own rule.
I rather regard the revamped works as new and don't necessarily need the reference to the old.
This is different though. This was a next level milestone for me as an artist.
The original is kinda neat and smooth though, and it looks like I was pretty careful back then (Hardware and software had their limitations too though)  and the new one is rougher but much more detailed and lively.
I would've liked to redo everything (pose, lighting and even setting) but I have only low (and too little of that) quality reference and I wanted it to still look like Manja, so I couldn't go overboard without losing too much likeness.  
Even before the redoing streak I wanted to work on this again but I only got around to it now. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did then and more recently.