Ray's sketchbook and journey for improvement!

[RayxBees]

Added some practice sketches and a question about college. Please reply and thank you in advance!
I also need some college help, but I won't put it here so I made a new thread:
http://conceptart.org/forums/newthre...ostthread&f=15

I have my first quick idea



and then my more thought out sketch.




I just want some critiques on: ideas on what I should have kept from the first one, what I should change, so on and so forth.
I really need some help on the right foot. I don't usually draw creatures so I have no clue how to go about it. I haven't done any shading yet either (except for the ribs, but that's just a reminder for me).
Sorry for the poor quality, I just sized it down and saved it as a Jpeg so I wouldn't have to go through much trouble.
Another thing I'm concerned about is that I feel like I should do more with it... The band is just fine with it, but I'm not, you know?
Thanks for all the help in advance!

[threecharles]

What if each wing was one cover of the book and his spine was the book spine?
Try looking at 3d dinosaur reference. For shading you want to think of thing as planes and set up a direction for your lighting and imagine where the light would be striking and what kind of effect/ texture that will produce, again any living creature that you think would work well could work as a reference. Keep working at it. Good luck, see you on the battlefield!

[RayxBees]

I actually did a sketch like that, but I scrapped the idea because I thought it wouldn't function properly. As in it wouldn't actually be able fly, but I'm also worried that I've been looking at this too....realistically? I'm not very good at wording my thoughts, sorry. I was thinking that if I made each wing a whole book they would move in some of the same ways as actual wings.
Thanks for input!

[RayxBees]

I was practicing drawing some poses after taking notes for finals (urgh...) and I kinda got off track and drew this cartoony girl. I imagine her pretending she's a pirate, sailing on a ship... The pose is really weak, but this is probably my best coloring! I'm pretty bad at coloring so this is quite the achievement for me
I'm not done coloring it yet, of course.

My scanner sucks and I just use regular pencils so it was practically impossible to see the sketch even after adjusting it, so I digitally 'inked' it and then decided to color it.

[RayxBees]

I hadn't been drawing and I decided to practice the other day. Every thing looked horrible, so I tried to draw something more... realistic/serious(?), but I couldn't. I feel like I've forgotten all the basics! So I made a promise to not draw anymore cartoons until I've got the basics down again. Unfortunately, I still haven't found a copy of Constructive Anatomy. I'll have to buy it online, which I hate doing.

Sorry for all the comments I have. Like people who have a problem with just saying what they think, I write/type whatever goes through my head