Nopal

Mild Last Guardian spoilers?

...

"They're wrong about Nopal," said Holly. "She feels things. She understands."

Artemis knelt down. "I know. I taught her something last week. Watch."

He placed his hand on the glass, tapping the fingers in sequence slowly, building up a rhythm. "It is an exercise developed by Cuba's Dr. Parnassus. He uses it to generate a response from infants, even chimpanzees."

Artemis continued to tap, and slowly Nopal responded, raising her hand laboriously to Artemis's, slapping the glass clumsily in an attempt to copy his rhythm.

"There, you see?" said Artemis. "Intelligence."

Holly bumped him gently, shoulder to shoulder, which was her version of a hug. "I knew your brains would eventually come in handy."
-Excerpt from The Last Guardian, by Eoin Colfer

EDIT: Lightened Nopal's skin tone a bit, better or worse?

Drew this back in June or July after I read the first chapter for The Last Guardian. I wasn't happy with the digital coloring and it could still use some work, but what the hey.

Why hasn't anyone else drawn Nopal yet?! Nopal is awesome!

I wanted to draw Holly shoulder-bumping Artemis, but as the drawing got more detailed, it strayed farther and farther away from that premise. >.< It's still kind of there, but it looks weird unless you're looking for it.

It occurs to me that I don't remember what Nopal/Opal's skin tone is. In fact she probably couldn't have done what she did in book 4 with that color...Can anyone check this for me? I don't own any of them books except the Files and that's not helpful...