I dont typically draw or paint goblins or mystical creatures... and i attempted to do a little sketch of one in my sketchbook. I did not look at any references or take ideas from anything, this is just a typical Warlock-Goblin in my opinion(imagination). I'm hoping to get some Critiques on this before i """"ATTEMPT""" to paint it.

Also! --> I'm most likely going to paint him casting a spell of some sort through his Right Hand, using techniques i learned from Sycra.

Hi man, I got some critique for ya.

First thing I saw was that his neck is turned way too much. Makes me think his neck is broken. ( I think the problem is that the base of the head is not attached to the neck)
He has a hunchback as opposed in being hunched over. (for a goblin)
His proportions are a bit off I think.
his right hand that is about to do the spell, is kinda unnatural. It feels as if the arm is missing the joint to attach the the body. Not sure how to explain it.


Hope this helps a bit.

Haha, thanks alot!
Regarding his back.. i was kinda going for a Hunched-back :/ but yea, now that i scanned it/enlarged it , i too see a lot of messed up proportions and other stuff!

i Twigged it a little and addressed a few things you mentioned.
I, FOR THE LIFE OF ME, Cannot! draw a face for this fella ! (As you can see lol)
tbh im bad at drawing faces in general, but yea, Can i get some finally pointers before i start painting it?

Haha sorry for uploading so many but, i fixed the face a bit.

Hey dude,

I scribbled a bit over your drawing to point out some things.

I started by making a very basic frame to see what your body is really doing and I found out a couple of things which can use some improvement. ( p.s. I'm not a goblin expert though. I'm just pointing out things that I might have done different. So any one else feel free to even correct me. xD)

- I found the pose to be kinda awkward. he seems to be bending to one side instead of bending to the front because of his back? (I dunno if that was intentional, but seems a bit unnatural )
- the eyes on his face don't exactly follow the frame of his face. I illustrated the placement with the red lines. follow the curve on the face contruction.
- the ear is a bit too high attached. if you move it down a bit, that should help. Remember to align ears roughly as high as the eyes.
- there is something odd about the smile which I can't quite grasp. ( perhaps for the good? I dunno)
- the base of the head is misplaced. As it is right now... it seems more as if the jaw is attached to the neck instead of the back of the head. If you would move it a bit to the left, it might solve the problem.
- the chest seemed a bit way too low. The chest should be roughly one head below the head.
- in turn the arm seemed a bit too low.

Below you can see the little things I had to point out.
Hope this helps you out.

It would help out too if you study some anatomy. Check out this website. it's pretty cool. http://vectology.com/category/anatomy/

Brian- liked the first face better, Jack suggestions are correct, I think you need to get some basic anatomy rules under your belt first know the rules and Then you bend them.check out my sketch book to see what anatomy basics iv'e studied, I don't have digaltal ability so can't interact with your work PS. 2nd face rather!

Wow thanks alot for the Responds! specially you Zjacklee
Ill do my best to make it look more appealing (After my final on Friday)
Also, its true, i barely know anything about Anatomy, i assume im learning about about it Next semester....
Again, thanks everyone.

Wow thanks alot for the Responds! specially you Zjacklee
Ill do my best to make it look more appealing (After my final on Friday)
Also, its true, i barely know anything about Anatomy, i assume im learning about about it Next semester....
Again, thanks everyone.

Your welcome man. Do your best and just keep at it. It will eventually get easier.
Also, don't assume about learning about it at school... take action yourself.
(you go to an art school right? that's what you meant?)

Of course!, tbh i decided to take action my self few days ago, and in only 3 days i learned more about Art,drawing, and painting than i did through an entire term at University...excluding Art-History and access to a life model every other Week. (i go to OCAD U, its a university for art)

Of course!, tbh i decided to take action my self few days ago, and in only 3 days i learned more about Art,drawing, and painting than i did through an entire term at University...excluding Art-History and access to a life model every other Week. (i go to OCAD U, its a university for art)

Ah, I see. I hear that way too often. (someone learning much more on their own, then at school itself)
too bad some of these schools aren't doing such a great job in teaching actual art skills. =/

i'm a self-taught artist bydaway!

all it really takes is someone who knows what theyre doing sitting there in the studio with the students and walking them through the process... just like the old, pre-university days, when you had to go to someones studio and you got to watch them do stuff. with all the fancy options we have nowadays... bollocks. learning by doing is the way.

Agreed Completely! i did learn about that in my Pr-historic to 1800.

My courses this term was:
Drawing
Critical Writing
Color Exploration
Time Based Media
Pre-History Art
--------------------------------|

Brian- l'm self-taught mostly with a few good books and a lot of pencils why not start your own small library with a good book on each subject as you go, in addition to school texts, you gotta dig around, don't dismiss graphic novels and artists sketch books and collected marvel comic reprints by fave artist etc

Allllright guys! im hoping this would be the last one, Besides that fact that the Right arm is Ridiculously thick, what else should or can i work on?
Looking forward to Responds

[Ambiguity]

What's the point of this pose if you don't mind me asking? It looks possible, but it still seems awkward, especially without any context.

What's the point of this pose if you don't mind me asking? It looks possible, but it still seems awkward, especially without any context.

Well as i mentioned earlier, this is only a sketch. I will be working on this, on photoshop.
Regarding his pose; nothing significant about it, but he will be casting a spell of some sort through his right Arm, also i will be painting a background for him as well on photoshop. It will most likely be a Dark place, which would give his spell a purpose (which is to produce light) :/

Not sure if that answers your questions :/

What's the point of this pose if you don't mind me asking? It looks possible, but it still seems awkward, especially without any context.

I think he was supposedly going to do a magic spell. fire or lightning. As far as I know, it's going to be an experiment in painting those effects like in Sycra's video.

I think it does look better then the previous. I see you fixed the chest and a few other things.
there is still something a bit awkward on the pose. Maybe someone else can tip in a bit about it here.

Haha yea thanks to you!

Hmm.. the neck is .. i dono a bit hide to work on becuase of the necklace ... not sure if "Work on" is the best term for it but its kind of hard to see whats going on.

Also i always notices things after you point them out lol.. now its bothering me!

Haha yea thanks to you!

Hmm.. the neck is .. i dono a bit hide to work on becuase of the necklace ... not sure if "Work on" is the best term for it but its kind of hard to see whats going on.

Also i always notices things after you point them out lol.. now its bothering me!

Well, seeing is the first step. finding the solution the 2nd step and taking action is the third. We are getting there.
Might be good if you could check out a few references too, see if you can find the eyesore. That's what I usually do. Look around a bit... get to understand what you are trying to draw.

I dont know why... but whenever the thought of looking at a reference crosses my mind, i feel like i am cheating and what im drawing is not my idea...
i get a horrible feeling..

But yea you're right i should put those idiotic feelings aside and actually LEARN about what im drawing

Here's an analogy you NOT using references is like trying to be a boxer with no trainer, not learnig anything, no sparring . Just throwing amateur girly punches, no punching bag and then going against a seasoned pro! Is the pro embarrassed because he spent years be taught from his trainer, step by step, the entire art of boxing that every other pro learned the very same way? Of course not. Man discovered drawing skills over centuries,and you want to re-invent the wheel? Copy, man emulate until you're great, learn the art then do your thing! PS there is no easy way, someone would've found it by now, it's using your brain to get what you can from any source and HARD work! Mark my word

you do whatever you can to learn the TRADE. (techniques, media, perspective, anatomy, color theory, composition principles, etc. etc. - to be a good draftsman.)

theres nothing you can do to learn ART. its either there or it isnt. only very very select few are good with art - but you can be excellent at the trade regardless of the art.

Here's an analogy you NOT using references is like trying to be a boxer with no trainer, not learnig anything, no sparring . Just throwing amateur girly punches, no punching bag and then going against a seasoned pro! Is the pro embarrassed because he spent years be taught from his trainer, step by step, the entire art of boxing that every other pro learned the very same way? Of course not. Man discovered drawing skills over centuries,and you want to re-invent the wheel? Copy, man emulate until you're great, learn the art then do your thing! PS there is no easy way, someone would've found it by now, it's using your brain to get what you can from any source and HARD work! Mark my word

Great Speech! Tears are running down my face right now!
lol no but seriously, you gave me a new perspective thanks

haha you too alnoth, thanks

Totally agree with Marvel and Alnoth.

Also this is my addition.
If you can not see it, you can not draw it. If you can't visualize it, you can't draw it. You have to build that memory first with real life things.

even if we Take the example of the goblin as a non real subject...
keep in mind the goblin already has a place in our memories. People are familiar with the concept of looking at a goblin and knowing it's a goblin.
you have to know all the details of what makes a goblin, a goblin. you have to be able to visualize and see all those little details that common people don't see... but is still essential. having a reference at first is like studying the subject.

Sure, we can say... I want to draw an original goblin. but underneath that original goblin, there are those things that make it a goblin, and without them... it would simply be some other creature.

even when you want to invent a creature... this creature will have something that can't be invented.. cause it already exists. Anatomy.

I ranted enough again.
So yea... know reality, know the rules... then you can bend them.