Not Quite Normal

I think there is a lot of work you can do on this peice without touching it digitally. It would be great to see it with a greater range of values (darker darks and lighter lights). I would suggest perhaps trying fine tip marker. It would give you some nice blacks that your pencil will never give you.
It's a nice composition and though I haven't seen the peice that you were inspired by for the shadow thing, I think it's alright to try things you see in other artists work, especially at this stage. You gave credit and most people wouldn't, so good for you.
I like the pose of the character although I think you should study and practice a little more anatomy. I like the shoulder and arm positioning, it's really suggestive.
Your marks are curling and natural and I think that gives your peice a really nice feel.
I would say just try experimenting with some more traditional medium, work on creating more values, and work on practicing anatomy, especially before you start trying to rely on digital methods. You got to have some fundamentals down first. But I think this is a really good start to what could be an awesome peice. I hope you'll finish it so I can see.
hope this helped!