>>/2447/
thanks man.
the thing with talent is it's all innate, but skill is something like half talent and half practice.  some say it's all about one or the other but they're both wrong.
e.g. my little brother wants to be a great singer but has zero talent for it, and so the result of his hard practice every day for the last couple years is he's gone from sucking to being okay.
my little sister on the other hand had moderate talent for drawing, and she chose that as her career path and practices every day, and she went from being okay to being far better than me.
also, in my opinion part of talent is passion.  if you really love it that will change the way you practice and whether you see it as a chore.

you did that other Christmas picture right?  my honest opinion is the shapes and proportions are good but the lines are messy.  I think you have some talent but just lack refinement.
the same is also true for me though.