@Sabrina-Gosselin that right hand definitely needs to be bulked up I was thinking that when I drew the initial sketch on paper but totally forgot when I transferred it to digital (thanks for reminding me!). I was also toying with the idea of a more hunched back or giving this guy a bag of half eaten fish to give the silhouette that more hunched shape. Thank you for your thoughts!
@s1h0k You're welcome! Excited to see what you come up with 
Haven't had much time to work on stuff this last week but I did settle on a pair of otters as my fairytale travelers! Hopefully they look like young otters, I'm also not too sure about the hat.
@s1h0k Oh looking good so far! The one behind looks younger I think, but the front otter, to me, looks more of an experienced veteran-type warrior. I think what could help is making the eyes a little bigger? That's my first go-to anyway... and a rounder face that's proportionally bigger compared to the body (which could also use some squishiness; google "baby otter", I know you don't want to go to that extreme but it'll give you an idea at just how round they are- also adds to the cute factor, which appeals to the general public so very much - I guess it also depends on your audience). It seems your style is more on the realistic side, so perhaps just pushing it a -touch- more might help?
OH and as for the hat, I think making it oversized would DEFINITELY help make the otter look younger!
P.S. I absolutely adore otters so I'm I super fan of this concept 
Sabrina Gosselin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabbygimagery/
Website (currently a WIP): https://sabbygimagery.com/
@Sabrina-Gosselin I made the hat abit bigger (might even go even larger for the final) and I rounded out the muzzle abit and it seems to have helped. I did some studies of otters both adult and baby to start with so my first inclination was to blow up the eyes as well. I kept on getting too much of a cartoony look I also went for the more wide set small button eyes like baby otters have but just couldn't dial it in. I'm hoping when I get to rendering the fur it will help since the baby otters have that fuzzy soft look.
Now that I have a pretty good idea of what my characters are going to look like I have to figure out how to set them all up in a composition. After a bunch of scribbly thumbnails I have come to the images bellow. I'm trying to figure out a good scale and position for the travelers to make things interesting. I have a long way to go figuring out the background and lighting as well. If anyone has some advice or recommendations on what I can improve on it would be much appriciated, thank you!
Here is abit more progress, not entirely set on the color of the otters or their cloths. Originally I had the closer otter have more grayish fur but it was too uninteresting looking. I do like how the goblins have turned out but I'm wondering if the should be out of focus, darker, or maybe even less detailed?
Ohhhh, I really like this!!!
As someone who as yet much to learn, I don't have much to say in terms of how to correct it, but yeah, my eyes are being a bit too drawn to the front left goblin.
I love the otters poses though, the environment... everything. 
Hi @s1h0k, that’s cool that you put the viewer with the goblins! I get the feeling the otters are being surrounded by the goblins, so maybe draw them all around? Also, you might want to face the back goblin looking to the right?
Looking good!
Thanks for the comments! I ended up throwing in one more goblin and darkening the ones in the foreground a bit as well as adding some additional highlights to the otters to bring some more focus to them. If anything else really sticks out or could use some improvement please let me know!
Here is abit more progress, not entirely set on the color of the otters or their cloths. Originally I had the closer otter have more grayish fur but it was too uninteresting looking. I do like how the goblins have turned out but I'm wondering if the should be out of focus, darker, or maybe even less detailed?
