Sexy ninja cat thing~ Need critique :p

[WanderingFlame]

I didn't complete a few parts of the picture like the sword and hands, but I think it looks too cartoony, I'm looking for a way to push more realism into my drawings. Any suggestions??

[Amit Dutta]

Just some quick suggestions:

1. If you want realism focus on your lighting, materials and texture. Use reference for everything, and do studies specifically for the piece and in general from life and observation .
2. Don't use blatantly unnatural stamp shapes to do natural things like leaves. Again study specifically the effect you are trying to achieve from real sources or photographs.
3. Anatomy needs to be right on the money, even if it is stylised.

The most general and actually best bit of info I was told once by Robh Ruppel is that almost any issue with any piece comes down to either poor drawing skills (fundamentals) or not using reference enough (visual library). This is obviously from a technical viewpoint. The why of any piece is a seperate issue.
Hope it helps.