I think the pencil sketch is awesome. While the painting is meritous technically, I don't like the subject matter, so it doesn't make me really "look at it", ya know? I had to go back and take a good look (twice) before I was ready to comment, just to be fair, and say it's really pretty awesome. How anyone can make paint do anything is beyond me, and the skull is really very complicated and intricate.
Well done, my man.
I think you're going to really make this thing go in a big way.