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It looks like you need to study anatomy quite a bit, if not to make it more realistic, then to at least add feasibility to the way you draw. F-ayn-t draws in a very anime-inspired style, but she knows how human bodies work, so she can pull it off.
Any style needs to have a strong grounding in reality, even things like this have a basis in realism. The trick is to get the realism down before you stylize.

No. 1
Firstly the head is slightly too large, and the arms are slightly too small. This makes it look very disproportionate. It is mainly that the arms are way to small though. Try flipping it to see if you can see the mistakes better.
The hair looks rather stiff, so try loosening your strokes as you draw that bit, to make it more natural.
Aside from that, it looks pretty good.

No. 2
It's AWESOME to see you working from references. It's something so few people do these days.
Just a few things. Her nose is too large, and the nostril is too high.
The shape of her chin is a bit to pointy.
Also again, loosen up when you're drawing hair. It can be very scary at first, but it'll pay of in the end. smile

All in all, good work. I can see you have improved.

For number one, I really like your style of eyes, as they go towards realistic more than anime-style. I love the outfit, especially the winged armbands. I would wear that in real life.

I agree with Surrender on what she said, but I would also suggest making the abdomen a little less wide and maybe more curved(Say, bringing the left line of the abdomen closer to the middle of the chest), to give a more feminine feel(Unless the character is supposed to have a more boyish build, in which case, it's fine the way it is). Plus, it may make the chest seem larger, if that was what you were going for. I do not draw weapons nearly at all, but something about the curve of the blade seems a little unnatural to me(Though it may just be me, since it's 8AM after a night of no sleep...>,<).

For number two, I like how you used a reference for your drawing. A lot of people don't do that, even with the many stock photo websites(And stock photo accounts on DeviantArt, plus all the photographers on there, as well) at an artist's disposal. I don't even use reference as much as I should. Even an anime style can benefit from reference, as I've learned. Most people see poses in their heads, but most who need a visual cue don't take the time to research.

Anyways...(Sorry for the long rant...>,<)

I really have never tried drawing realism or life drawing(Aside from a small sketch of my cat who was in a really easy pose(From my vantage point) to draw), so I don't know much about the style. I really like the woman's [removed](That of mild surprise, or a sudden realization of something) but when I look at the picture and your sketch, I agree with Surrender on her points. Other than that, it looks really good! ^,^