.: Green Swirl :.

Alright, I'll try my hand at giving you an official critique. I think this is an amazing piece, and you have always been someone I have admired, so I hope I do your piece justice!

I think your coloring is amazing, you've done an amazing job with your color theory, keeping the colors dulled, except for his hair, bringing attention to his face. His expression is nicely done, and the pose goes along with his expression very well.

The biggest problem with it that I'm seeing is that his shoulder on the right seems too small compared to the rest of the piece. It looks like it should probably extend further, to near the edge of the page. I also agree with the others, the swirl by his head is a distraction from his face, and it disrupts the flow of the piece a bit.

On the other side of that, his hand is awesomely posed and rendered, and the clothing looks great! I think this is a great work of yours, and I'm excited to see more!