Kudos on the painting. For some reason your picture looks "washed out". Like the colors aren't very rich. I'm going to assume it's the way you took the picture of the painting. Use natural sunlight if possible to photograph your work. Or, when you get to the point of being serious about it, almost ALL print shops have a large flat bed scanner now. They normally charge a few bucks to create a PDF of your work.
As far as "African Sunset" goes, I really like the leaves in the tree and the birds, you did a superb job on recreating those. So you're coming along, the biggest thing is to never stop painting. There's that old adage, it takes 10,000 hours to master something. You're young and have lots of spare time, use that time to paint instead of going out to party. Spend a few nights a week in and work on your craft.
Don't be afraid of painting things you see around you either. I take photos of places I travel to and come back home to paint from those photos. Try it, it'll make your work that much more meaningful to you and other people. I don't know where you are, but I can't see it, because I don't think you're in Alabama. SO I would like to see other places and people's perspectives, think "local", think "home grown".
When you take photos to paint later, remember your best times will be morning and afternoon. This is when the sun is rising or setting and gives a lot of great contrast, rich colors and nice deep shadows. Often times I have to plan exactly where I want to be when the sun is setting that day. I see a scene and think "I need to be back here at 4PM to get ready to capture that scene again".
One of the best things I've done for my art was to pick up a photography book. Because what you are doing is in essence is to capture that scene like a photograph, it's just a different medium.
Another pro-tip, never use black. Use it to mix in with other colors, but never use straight up black. There are lots of reasons, google it. You'll learn more by researching it, than for me to tell you why. Also, don't be afraid to use straight up white. Another pro tip, don't worry about canvas, they are expensive and in my opinion, not that great. I prefer wood. I'll find some scrap plywood, cut it tot he size I want, prime it, let it dry, prime it again (kiltz water based for acrylic & kiltz oil based for oil paints).
I'm proud of you as a young person for following your desire. I always wanted to become a classical artist, though I knew I couldn't feed my family by it, so I went into Architecture which was a nice marriage of the arts and money making. If you look at the paintings we herald as a culture (think Van Gogh, Mucha) those are all people who made painting a priority. They were people just like you & You could be that person too. It's all in your drive.
