Portfolio Class- Character Development!

[KyTran]

I'm really new to this whole scene, I just found crimson daggers last night! Really inspired by the community, you should all be proud cause i'm positive this community plays a big art in facilitating the next wave digital artists. I'm very much a novice but i hope to finish 3 sketches for the Merlin assignment!

I'm impressed with all the sketches, they look great! :)

Edit: Here is my first one, i'll probably have to do the other sketches on the go with just paper and pencil. I'm having trouble with this. If you have advice i'd love to hear it.

I was exploring Merlin as a Native American/ Indian (tribal) shaman female. I'm pretty sure my final will be a male though.

Dan can you answer a few questions for me please?
1)You said Merlin doesn't have to be human, just humanoid, but does he have to follow a specific culture that existed at one point?
2)If our Merlin design is rooted in a culture, can it only have elements of that culture, and do they have to be completely accurate to that culture or can we exaggerate certain aspects?
3) Can our Merlin exist in a fantasy world? for example, Merlin rooted in elven culture?

Thanks Dan