She was an Assassin :: Referenced practice

Here comes the much-promised critique! At first, let me point out what a beautiful concept for a character you've picked. The quiet, lurking, lone figure looking at you from beneath her hood isn't new, but has an undeniable effect, especially when there's no creepy smile nor friendly face, just cold indifference. I think you've mastered that expression well in this piece, and overall your shading for such a simple sketch shows some really good skills.

I knocked off a bit on originality since, technically, it's a concept I've seen before. You score highest on vision and impact mainly because of what I mentioned above.

Now for the technical parts - kudos to you for keeping proportions well done, though personally, I feel this character is a bit too much on the skinny side. Of course, looks can be deceiving, and assassins come in many forms, but to me she looks malnourished. I also wonder if her upper body should be that long - though that is a matter of personal preference, really, and some people do have longer upper bodies than others. It's just something I took note of while studying this piece.

Otherwise I think you've done well in breaking free from the reference and making some small changes that make the piece uniquely yours. The shading on the hood is especially well done. Overall a good sketch.