Okay first off I want to say that I love this piece just as much if not more then the original work The Blade. The darker tones towards the bottom of the painting makes the piece solid and I love that its easier to see the detail that is in the column that she's standing on, something that I failed to notice on the original till I saw this one and I just love that deeper purple on the dress as well as the dark gold on the tips of her wings. The added detail of the ribbon bells and feather on her arm is brilliant, such a sweet touch that helps bring your eyes on the transition from top to bottom and in reverse. Now I'm not a fan of the dark gold tone of the mask but thats just a color, the mask it self is lovely in its detail and shape. But I have to agree with ShatteredSwords in that the hair in fount of her face does take away from your work on the mask. Again the overall piece is simply beautiful, they both are.

I adore the richer tones and contrast you've added to this piece. The original work was lovely and soft and ethereal but ensured all attention immediately zoned in on the eyes and sword and we (the audience) were unable to appreciate all the lovely details. The heightened purple of the lower third of the painting and the shadowing of her body adds solidity to her appearance while also creating a tension which really empathizes the twilight lighting of this work. It certainly adds that magical element.

I will say that perhaps the lack of differentiation between the tones of her sleeves and those of her dress do not entirely work in her favor, in my humble opinion they seem to similar, too column-y for my tastes, and it does cause your eyes to skip down the page and almost bypass the sword. And the gap between her sleeves and her wings almost seems too far apart though at the same time I appreciate the way the light frames her silhouette.

My one last comment is that the two strands of hair in front of her mask take away from the final product. That mask is gorgeous, and those lovely rich golden tones seem almost disrupted by her hair and cause you to miss the detail of her eyes. Finally I think the feather, bells and ribbon you've added on her wrist are wonderful, compositionally wise, and also just plain pretty. And finally again (last thing now I promise), perhaps her sword could be elongated so it doesn't look like it's skewering her dress.

There all done, hope I haven't accidentally mortally offended you in my honesty. Beautiful work and very much an improvement upon the original.