@ monstahunta: You're missing opportunities to add depth to your work by not painting in certain lighting changes and cast shadows. Take, for instance the lower fringe on the flower -- look how light is catching the edge and showing that the fringe has a bit of a curve upward compared to the edge of the flower that it extends from. (You can see the actual upward curl of the delicate hairs on the fringe below the petal on the upper left if you look.) By not painting in that highlight, you've indicated that all the hairs simply curve downward, which changes the shape of the bottom of the flower. 
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[img]http://i.imgur.com/3t9h6Wt.jpg[/img]
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By not painting in cast shadows (caused by areas of the plant which block light from reaching other spots on the plant), it takes away a lot of the depth and the direction of the lighting, which helps to make the subject more visually interesting. By missing the cast shadow being created towards the center of the plant, for instance, you've taken away the ability to show which parts of the plant are actually receiving more light than other areas -- this negates any sense of depth there.

Always pay attention to the direction of your light and the subsequent shadows that the specific direction creates. Cast shadows can be a HUGE thing to miss when trying to indicate any realism/depth in a piece because cast shadows can really help solidify a light source. (Unless all the lighting is diffused, which is rarely the case.)

@ Sketcher: Not bad for rough sketches. I'm not particularly up on anime/cartoon styles, so perhaps someone will be able to offer more help than I can on the style you're working in, but just watch your anatomy -- you're not always leaving enough room for features to sit correctly. Take, for instance, this side view:

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[img]http://i.imgur.com/oZNf3Ti.jpg[/img]
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While it's acceptable to make some sacrifices for anatomy when stylizing artwork, you still have to take into consideration your proportions. Right now, this guy has no room for a brain to be in his head and almost no jaw. By stretching those two areas slightly, the anatomy becomes much more feasible. If you do studies from realism and learn to understand how the body works, it'll help your cartooning immensely. (Because even the most stylized cartoons/anime do have roots in realism.)

Also, be more confident with your line work -- right now your lines are a bit chicken scratchy in places. If you make more solid lines rather than hatching them in, the work will automatically jump to the next level. (Because it makes it look like you're doing everything on purpose, rather than guessing and being hesitant to commit to the lines you're making. If you're going to make a mistake, it's no problem because you can erase it. Don't be afraid to draw those lines with confidence, even if they're wrong! If you believe in your work, others will too.)

@ Dinh AaronMk: Don't paint with black and white -- it's really making your color work suffer. (Everything looks dull and washed out -- you're missing some really awesome opportunities to have vibrancy with things like the explosion in the first piece or the directional lighting in the second one.) 

I think the best thing I can recommend for you is to do master studies. You clearly have a decent handle on how to use your chosen program to paint, now you just need to learn how to apply your colors and render out form. Do you have any favorite artists? I usually recommend starting with the classics (Sargent, Bouguereau, Caravaggio, ect.) because they really are masters in how they used colors/lighting/brushwork, but some of the artist today have studied under them and you can also use their work to learn from as a result. Tell me some artists you admire and we'll see if we can't point you in the right direction in getting your work up to the next level.

@ Roran: Watch your anatomy -- the foreshortening in the first piece is a very tricky angle. The second piece is more direct, but the head and the left wrist are at funky angles, themselves. (That wrist looks really painful bent like that. Try to emulate it with your own wrist and you'll see that angle isn't comfortable at all. lol) The head on the second piece feels a bit small to me, despite it looking downward. (You may want to do some studies from photos, or life, of heads in similar positions so you can see how it works in relation to the rest of the body. 

You're definitely improving at layering your armor pieces and the general gestures of your drawings. Keep it up!

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Keep up the great work everyone! I look forward to seeing more updates! ^_^