This is my entry to the FaLLEN Art Contest 2014. I won the first place! Woohoo! "Woohooooo!":[//s.deviantart.net/emoticons/w/woohoo.gif]

I've put a lot of heart into this piece and I've actually used a heart to form their pose LOL. I tried to stay true to every bit of details in the characters like I would for my own characters. I also showed here the paradox between the semi-realistically colored characters superimposed on a manga screen-tone.

I showed Arma with piercing eyes, a fierce stance ready to attack, a muscular arm which shows her strength and masculinity but still showed her curves to balance it with her feminine side.

I showed Lamia with a rather more lax and playful pose which also gives emphasis on her assets. She is smiling and jumping with confidence despite whatever danger it is that surrounds them.
 
I included Vox here to add more fun to it with the uncertainty of whether Vox is looking on Arma's sword or Lamia's skirt and to lead the viewer's eyes from the end of Arma's sword back to the center of the image.

Made with:
-Photoshop CS6
-Wacom Intuos (medium)

Here's a link to the process:
Creation Process GIF (The Guardians) by SamDelaTorre