First Large Scale Piece

[WabbaJakke]

Since video game / concept design is what I plan on going to college for next year, I figured it'd be a good idea to start doing pieces that aren't small sprites, and undertake a large project. So I decided on drawing the goblin king from the Hobbit.

Since I've never done this before, I thought the forums would be the best place to go!

Here's the reference image:


And here are my WIPs:

1.


2.


3.



Any C+C would be great!

[Joe]

The interrelationships are correct, which is great, but the most general dimension is off: he should be taller. Seems squashed right now.
The ear could be smaller and there is a hunch on the back. Facial proportions could afford to be more like so:


Keep going.

[WabbaJakke]

fixed the height problem and used a smaller version of the ref as a height guide
fixed other minor problems but probably created many more
havent worked on the face yet however

[Cyangmou]

at this size everything you do with pixels has really little to do with what makes pixel art special. Of course it's possible to do pixel art pixel perfect at this resolution too.
However It rather seems to me like you are stuggling with proportions and angles.

Other mediums like pencils or digital painting lend themselves much better to practice angles, proportions and measurements than pixels, where you are always "off" (well not at this res, but at smaller res).
Maybe you should practice measurement and proportions via tons of sketches to be a lo more comfortable with it.

Here we have tons of problems in the spaces which have to do with getting him recognizable, like in the face.
FOrms and depth are also a problem, if you look at the chin and his staff 8skull-hand intersection)

might seems like a ton of tiny things, but all those tiny issues sum up and will cause trouble in the further process to get it right.