Crimson Daggers — Art forum

Two pics of some artwork i did, would love some instructions on handling textures and colors as i seem to not fully grasp that yet, especially textures.  And stuff about shading too probably. And backgrounds...oOk, there might be a lot wrong with my art. First one was a more serious attempt while the second one was a one day challenge. 
Also maybe a recommendation of literature, i haven't touched upon anything but Loomis ever. 

Will love critique givers forever
[attachment=71273](art thingy 1)
[attachment=71272](1 day challenge)

Got a good advice for you if you want to have feed back don't send people to a other site to see what you did. There a image insertion feature so that you can add the image directly into the post if you do know how to do it follow the intruction in the spoiler here http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-5...l#pid69307

thanks! updated per advice given

So, here's some long term advice when it comes to handling colours confidently: draw lots from life, shade/render what you're observing. Why? Because without a good understanding of values, your colours and painting will fall short. One cannot simply overlook values in order to paint, but one can overlook colours in order to paint. ^ ^

Book recommendations... Hmmmmmm.
A must: James Gurney's Color and Light.
http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-...0740797719

Further reading: Robert Henri's The Art Spirit
http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Spirit-Rob...8087888561

Hope I've helped in some way, keep at it! ~