Muzzbook

[Samszym]

I agree an your line of thought about critique!

I wasn't sure either so I went and grabbed a staff, the lifted shoulder can be the result of downward force on the staff; since the staff can't go further into the ground the shoulder raises instead. It was a pretty comfortable lean but not really any more natural than both shoulders being level, so it just depends on what your character would do.

And you're right, the shoulder would also go up if she were exerting upward force on the staff, which is what I thoughtlessly drew, but it's not a restful position so it wouldn't work.

I think I'll start assuming the poses I'm drawing more often, this was great to think about! I don't know if you have Walt Stanchfield's Drawn to Life books, but he talks about this kind of thinking all the time, and I believe I just now got what he meant.