i think that drawing is a great start. if i didn't think so, i wouldn't bother giving advice, but i AM going to give you some advice
3nodding
I think i told someone else the same thing, you should start a character drawing by lightly sketching a stick figure - and measuring out the proportions of the body parts, to make sure they're the right sizes and lengths (like in yours, the arm is a little too long, and the feet and the visible hand are a little small).
3nodding
I like to start with a stick figure basis like that, and then flesh out the body as a whole - making sure everything still looks right, and then go into details in specific areas. No amount of detail will look good if the structure underneath isn't right.
3nodding
Also, when you're getting towards the end, you should flip the drawing over (on paper, just flip it and hold it up to the light), it makes me want to cry almost every time i do it, because it makes me see a million things that are wrong that i hadn't noticed, but then i get to fix it.
3nodding
Great poses like the one in your drawing, should be saved for later, honestly. When you're still learning anatomy (like basic proportions), you should do a LOT of standing relatively simple poses, so that you can get used to how long arms and legs should be, and that kind of stuff (when i was in high school, i filled up like 2 sketch books with stick figures and figures made of cylinders and stuff, all in different poses - once that started to come naturally to me, i noticed a change in my completed character work as well).
3nodding
learning the "anime" style is mostly a matter of learning how to draw anime faces - and sticking them on bodies that are pretty much the same as western comic book style characters. as such, i recommend (again) "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" - it has GREAT basic information about contructing characters.
3nodding
to show you that i know what i'm talking about
sweatdrop here's an example of my work (it's actually from a few years ago, but it's a good example of characters in "basic poses"
wink - i put it in grayscale because now that i look at it again, i'm not happy with the colors.
sweatdrop
