The best I have to offer-- large amount of images

[PrettyPinkKitty]

Hi, this is my first posting here and I'm both excited and anxious. I'm well aware that I possess mediocere skills at best and therefore fully expect harsh critique, but at the same time, I'm looking forward to actually being critiqued because dA really affords me little (I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I've actually gotten a critique).
Because I was one of those idiots that started with anime (and has since seen the grievous error that is putting stylization first) but with a desperate desire to kick the habit, I've been trying to get myself to do more realistic things.
These are some examples of what I've done in the last year, as far as finished products go (doodles and throwaways abound) that includes both realistic pieces and pieces in paint, which is a medium I had shied away from and now love.
While for the most part I can't go back and fix what's wrong, I will be keeping track of the consistant issues within my work, though I'll fix what I can.
Pictures are in order from newest to oldest.
Ladybug: Prismacolor markers
Portrait: Acrylics
Raspeberries: watercolor
Hand Study: charcoal
Otter: Acrylic and watercolor
Pink Hair+Rainbows: Acrylic
Robot: Acrylic

Here goes nothing ><;;

P.S. If there's anything wrong with how I posted this, please tell me so I can do better next time!

[Slash]

I'm a little short on time right now, so i won't give any specific crits, i just thought i'd mention that its a lot easier to get focused critique if you present your images one at the time. Right now i look at this and think "where do i start", and i'm sure others see it the same way.

There, bumped your thread to the top.

[Stoat]

Hello, Kitty

Slash is right; you'll get best feedback with one image. Better yet, pick a piece of work that you know isn't right, but you can't put your finger on why that is.

As a casual observation, your strongest piece and your weakest one are side by side.

The ladybug is a neat little composition. I like the way the bug and the leaves balance each other, but are stuck together visually with that green border. The bug is well painted. It's a nice graphical tableau.

The face has lots of proportion and anatomical problems that should have been worked out before you went to paint.

There! A mini-crit for a Friday afternoon.

[PrettyPinkKitty]

Thank you, Stoat. Now that I'm here I think I will get in the habit of posting the sketches for critique before I begin painting to minimize the problems with the underlying line art.

[KidApe]

That sounds like a great idea PrettyPinkKitty, it's true that if there are problems with the initial lay in then no amount of rendering can bring it to it's full potential and save it. Let's see, I do indeed like the texture you've painted onto the bug's shell, nice and glossy. I think you need to focus your studies on understanding how to show the element of form, and your idea of showing us your sketches is a great start! Looks like you love color, so once you understand how to depict form it will greatly benefit your painted works

[Jasonwclark]

I really like the Carnival Otter.

Its a great concept, you should return to it sometime when you get a chance.