Allright you asked for my opinion so lets see if I can say something half-useful.
First off I would like to say that it's a very nice first try. The coloring on the skin is very good
The pic looks slightly blurry though and this is what you ought to work a little more on. Try and get the edges more defined, there seems to be a blurry line around his coat and face (bah, my bad english, I hope you understand what I mean) and there should also be better contrast between his arm/hand and coat, again a more defined line. The eyes stand out beautifully and look good, you are really drawn to them when you view the pic which is again good. But you should try to sharpen up the eyebrows and hairline a little too, paint in some more detail with a small brush, px 1 probably, that will help And lastly; don't be afraid to use more contrast, -more shadows and highlights. It makes the characters come more alive and gives them more form
I hope I was of some help and that you don't think I was too harsh

No, I wanted honesty! How else am I going to get half way decent if I don't have honest constructive critism? lol

I was having a hall of a time with his hair though lol I really need to work on hair.

--
It's a dog-eat-dog world
and I've got bigger teeth than you.

Tell me about it! I hate doing hair, lol. It's the most difficult part to get to look right =/

Or atleast half way natural which is my biggest problem. lol

--
It's a dog-eat-dog world
and I've got bigger teeth than you.

Whoa, really cool piece. I don't have any real crit to offer though. Good job

hojo...?

I was kinda thinking that when I made him way back when.

--
It's a dog-eat-dog world
and I've got bigger teeth than you.