Aww. I think it's great for a beginner. If it helps, it might be that you've given yourself too little space on the canvas to draw the character, so you feel it's very squeezed in? Try making the canvas big, drawing more of the character, and then crop it where you like at the end. It might give you more freedom to play around with the pose as well, and you might feel more comfortable overall.
A lot of beginners develop a habit of drawing large objects/characters in small canvases so that they don't have to draw the rest of the body, or to avoid possible flaws, but that sort of thing can cause a picture or pose to feel too stiff, static, boring or boxed in. I feel this is a limitation many of us develop due to fear, as the lack of space doesn't allow us to play with backgrounds or other elements to tell our story in the image.
As for props... If you really want to use the sword to obscure the face (for mystery purposes), you can perhaps try it the Squall Leonhart way.
His gunblade is wide though, so it works better in the overall composition. Your blade may be a little too thin to be placed around the mouth. So try playing around with where the blade goes and perhaps you'll find a pose you like.
At any rate, kudos on trying to draw your own cover! I love seeing people make that extra effort.
