I've been drawing for about 10 years or so... I think the best thing for getting realistic results is probably to read loads of tutorials and "how to draw" books (I'm constantly browsing the web for tips on drawing and such) and also study some anatomy. (I had to learn a lot of anatomy for my Marital Arts exams and the stuff about bone structure and muscles comes in really useful for getting poses and shape right...
(...also, having a muse and a sympathetic model helps no end if you can find either) ;)
-K-
how many years did it take to bring your work to this stagew........Shirley I do portraits but I still would like to bring them more to life like yours....