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Marvin makes more good points. I have been blessed with very good teachers who really have saved me decades of frustration, and I have been lucky enough to be able to find the time to go and work with them when the door was opened to me.
However, I will disagree just a bit on the value of self study and the value of forums like this one. There are those out there who will talk you out of painting altogether if you let them, with doom and gloom stories of your artistic career. (Please understand that I am not talking about Marvin here):
"If yea do not get thy self hence to an Atelier forthwith and doth sacrifice thy life and livelyhood to the great plaster cast...foresoothe the sky will fall and cleave thy skull which thee don't know how to draw, and thy career will perish in smoke and flame to the ruination of thee and thy family and thy decendants!"
Let's face it, many of us have children, families, mortgages, and car payments. These realities of life are not forgiving while we at midlife or later up and go off for four plus years to find the basics of art. Mind you, if you have the means and time, then by george, get thee hence, but most of us don't and thereby are forced to find other means of improving our art without leaving for lengths of school.
You cannot and should not sit politely on your hands while you wait for the great master to come to your door and fulfill all of your artistic dreams - you have to go to the mountain, and you have to be elbow deep in the paint when you get there.
So, I will still encourage you to read all you can, go to a life drawing class as often as you can for years and years, and realize that teachers are out there who can really help you. However, you may have to forestall the four year hiatus from your life and settle instead for one week a year for several years.
I have found that the universe gives you exactly what you need if you first act to help yourself.
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