the Queen

So, after a long time without any updates it's time to tell you what I'm doing right now:
First of all I'mm sorry I didn't comment much on fanart in the last few weeks. I'm still avoiding it to focus more on original art. So my lack of comments has nothing to do with your wonderful pictures.

Second I started a large picture weeks ago:


It's called 'the Queen' and is something like a remake of --> this old picture (the last one). Although I've been working on it for weeks now it's not even half finished and I'm afraid it won't be finished this year.
But I feel bad to let you wait so long without any updates, so the question is: what can I show you instead?
You can choose between those three options:
1. some more old pictures (I even found some of the time when I was about seven years old)
2. details from pictures in my gallery
3. the progress of 'the Queen'

I also made a poll for this (my very first one ), so please let me know what you think.

flaws

In the last weeks I had some discussions about the difference between my fanart and my original art. One of the things I heard often was: "Your fanart is more detailed and flawless than your original art."
I thought about it and in a way this is true. But it isn't as easy as it sounds:
For my fanart I always have a reference. Sometimes there are some details I change but most of all I just copy what I see. So of course it isn't difficult to do the details (like birthmarks ore hairs) because I see they are there. And it's also easy to draw almost without any flaws, because I just have to copy reality.
With my original art it's a bit different: I try to never use a reference. Sometimes it is neccessary, but most of the time I avoid it. Maybe it's weird, but for me it feels like cheating to use a reference for original art. So of course I can never be sure there must be some more hairs or a birthmark. And I can never be sure the light is completely right.
If you see my original art please remember that I try to not use references for it.

Hans

Now to something different: I watched Leverage some weeks ago and there was one episode where some characters played germans. And as always one of them called himself 'Hans'. I don't know how it is with tv shows or movies in other countries, where germans appear, but almost every german I see in american television is called Hans (or at least one of them). It's such an old-fashioned name, it would be nice to see some german characters with a more modern name, just to make a difference.
So I want to know from those who aren't american: Is there a name that always appears in american (or other countrys) television shows although it isn't so common anymore in your country? Maybe Ivan for Russians or Giuseppe for Italians?

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