Schoolism - 'homework assignment #1'

I am enrolled in a painting class at 'Schoolism.com' -- the class is:
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Oil Painting with Thomas Fluharty

Learn the historic approach of the Dutch Flemish masters through the incredible brush of Thomas Fluharty! In this course, Thomas will lecture on the principles of Dutch and Flemish painting and guide students through the process of creating a portrait in this method. He will discuss his techniques for creating a strong initial sketch, methods for laying down a good underpainting, color, and final adjustments. And of course, throughout the lectures, Thomas will reveal his best oil painting tips, tricks, and secrets that help set his work apart from all other painters. This course will be presented over five lessons and will run for nine weeks.

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I am REALLY looking forward to this class! 

Our first assignment was the sketch one of three photos that he presented us.. to gauge our skillset(s), etc. We submit our work to him.. and Thomas records a personal video feedback session, in which he talks about what we did right/wrong and could improve on. 

This was my submission for our 'assignment #1' -- it took me about 6-7 hours to complete.. most of that time was spent on the eyes/nose/mouth area.. there are things that i see i want to fix/correct and could have done better, but i ran out of time and had to turn this in! I felt good to use a traditional charcoal pencil and get my hands dirty! Now i can't wait to apply paint and learn the 'Dutch/Flemish approach!' 

(click image to view larger version)