what a strange thing for an art teacher to say :P (well not it isent really I had an Art teacher like that too but mneh thats why they are teaching innit ;))
Lovely picture wonderfull attention, you managed well to avoid the traps of either to much shade or to much light, the balance is very nice :)

I love your shading, and the whole thing is so well finished. *kicks the teacher* :D

this one is very nice patience. You're right, don't listen to your art teach (about digital art), and you may have never heard it, but there's an old saying....."those who can do, those who can't teach" (no offense meant to the many great teachers out there who actually can "do")

Sad to say for a long while I was like your teacher, I always said computers took the heart out of art, but after graduating old school adv. art, only to find what you know obsolete because of the advent of computers, it makes one a bit bitter and stubbourne to accept it. But now I see the computer as just another tool, just another means to get my feelings across, and damn me if I don't do better stuff on it. At least with a computer if you make a mistake you can delete, try and do that on an ink drawing.

So the man is probably an old school dog who refuses to learn new tricks, too bad for him, I've seen the gorgeous work done on this and others sites, and trying these appelets I can say it's as much work as using a canvas and mediums. Maybe he should try first, then he'd have the right to say what he thinks.

And this, so beautiful and brilliant, proves that digital art can produse masterworks. The texture of her dress is amazing. It's a sad little picture though. Guesse I'm trying to say in 100 words or more is I love it.