Samurai/Geisha - structural form

Here's a quick morning sketch to show how I'm using the Manga structure to build some of these now. You should be able to see how the simple construction elements used in Manga can help to create an illustration with depth and volume of form. I start by getting the three major volumes of the figure in correct proportion to one another (head, hips, torso), then I build the contour onto this rigid structure, and finally I add color and shade. It's a pretty effective way to get the figure drawn quickly, but I am not trying to go strictly Manga here. I would like to think that they are somewhere between Manga and traditional figure drawing. I also try to pick poses that are out of the ordinary, where the figure is in a kind of mid-pose; not at rest, but also not in full motion either.