I need to know if I'm on the right track

[K1ssmycrunchy]

Hi. Im 16, I want to be really really good at art before i go to college and since I saw so many kick- butt pictures using photoshop, I'd start trying it too. I just finished this and I would like to know if I am on the right track to actually grasping the whole photoshop concept.

Any criticism would be appreciated. And just in case the picture ends up too big or small, I'm still working on how to post the right size pictures.

Thank you

[Sepulverture]

Owning a Wacom, and using photoshop won't make you a badass artist. Not at all. The reason you see so many kick-butt pictures using photoshop is because the artists who made those pictures have spent many multiple hundreds of hours doing tedious studies, and experimenting. What you need to do if you want to become an awesome artist within the next 3 or 4 years is buy yourself a good sketchbook, or even a newsprint pad, some pencils of differing degrees of darkness (hb-6b usually works well) and crack open one of the Andrew Loomis PDF's for an intro to art. Doesn't matter what field of art you go into, learn the basics, and learn them well.

[Tangrim]

I agree with Sepulverture. Photoshop has no such thing as a magic button or tool that will make you into a great artist right away. A first drawing is also not a significant sign of what kind of artist you'll be become, or how you are going to develop.
There is no such thing as a Photoshop concept. It is a nice program, and it has a lot of great toys to play around with. But untill you grasp the basics of art, they won't make your art magically go better. Great art doesn't need Photoshop either. And Photoshop doesn't actually produce great art. It is a tool, and like most tools, you need to learn how to use it before something can come out of it. If you just started, the tools you need to learn to use mostly now are just your hands and eyes.

[Ian Mack]

I'm only going to agree...as an enivoronmentalist...I would love to see you turn off that computer and sketch with your basic recyclable paper! Go outside and enjoy the sun and draw the people you see.

The proportions on your picture are good from what I can see. It all looks flat though because you aren't using enough tones. Here's what to do. Get a pencil and try to make ten different tones(shades) in a line. Once you have those shades, practise using them by trying to draw something simple likea cylinder or an apple. Once you can convince yourself (and others!) that the surface of the apple is turning in space, you're ready for the next step!

[K1ssmycrunchy]

Actually, I do a whole lot of sketches and I have started a sketchbook (granted i bought it yesterday.) I have started to put it on the site and soon i'll put a link to it. I understand it takes YEARS and it's not like I haven't sketched anything. I have; just on printer paper like said. I'm just trying to work with different mediums in the meantime; get a feel for everything

Sorry if i sound so redundant or a little agitated in advance.