Julia's Sketches

On our trip to the mountains, Julia and I stopped at Michael's, and I bought her a new sketch pad and a couple of good pencils. She loves to draw and does it every day. We were chatting, and I told her she should draw a picture of a penguin with big feet sticking out from under his fur, little round glasses, and a long cigarette on a long cigarette holder. Here's what she drew, in the car.

Then we named him Murgatroyd and began coming up with all kinds of stories about him. He's a chef who runs a restaurant with some other interesting penguins. Here's Murgatroyd, cooking in his hat.

And Murgatroyd, slipping on a banana peel.

Julia's involved in an art workshop. Here are three sketches she did yesterday. The swans:

Her instructor showed the students a photo of a dog, and here's what Julia came up with.

Julia really liked this heron that she drew yesterday.

I'd love some feedback from any artist friends out there. What would you consider Julia's skill level to be, for a 13 year old? What would you recommend for her future art training? Thanks for any input you can give!