That's really good. I 've recently started some art classes and struggling with depth and relief. I like the angle you chose. Don't be modest. You're talented. I started painting a few years ago but they were mainly tortured faces (they just came out that way). My husband thought I had potential (hee-hee) and was encouraging me to go for classes, which I adamantly refused to do.Couldn't let other people see my atrocities. Today, I'm actually improving but so sad my Gilles isn't around to see. You were lucky to have shared that with Andy.
Yes, I have a lot of tortured faces in my portfolio, too, LOL.
It's great you feel you are improving - honestly, for me it's just good to do it. It's something just for me and while I don't care whether it's "good" or not, it's nice that other people like it.
I have a friend that paints by numbers, and she is always talking it down, but I feel that's her way of expressing herself artistically, too. A shame she's not confident enough to do something original, but it's still art to me. I have told her to try painting the numbers in her selection of alternative colours - that could work!
