Old vs. New Improvement meme

One of those "Draw this again" memes. I really like looking at those C:

Comparing my very first "serious" attempt at drawing a cub Simba to my latest serious attempt at drawing a cub Simba. It's been just over seven and a half years... Shows that with enough time, effort and dedication I can actually improve.

At least somewhat. There is a huge difference, but I always feel that something is amiss in my art. It's not... "alive". It just feels... stiff. I don't have "it". And if you don't have "it", I wonder if there is any way to ever be successful in an artistic profession.

Aanyway... Time, effort, dedication. If I can do this, so can you!

Meme blank: [link]
Just the 2011 version: [link]
Just the 2004 version (though I wouldn't know why you'd want to look at that XD): [link]