How to Draw a Cartoon Goblin

Here we present a tutorial dedicated to fantasy, including the Dungeons & Dragons universe, and show you how to draw a cartoon goblin.

This tutorial will differ significantly from our tutorial on drawing a goblin from the Dungeons and Dragons in a realistic style. Here, we have greatly simplified the details and stylized many elements.

In this tutorial, we focus more on how to draw a goblin in the style of book illustrations or animated series.

The equipment of the fantasy character is also optional, and during the drawing process you can remove some elements or add others.

The weapon can also be easily changed to any other, just as we showed in our cartoon orc drawing tutorial.

How to draw a cartoon goblin step by step

Step 1: Block in the fantasy character head

At first, sketch the general shape of the head using an oval. Draw the facial symmetry lines. The vertical line will indicate the center of the face, and the horizontal line will help you place the eyes. The lines should intersect at the center of the oval. Note that the head shape is more rounded than in a realistic human head.

Step 2: Draw the cartoon goblin torso

Slightly below, sketch the outline of the cartoon goblin’s torso, keeping in mind that the proportions in this style differ significantly from realistic ones. Draw the torso of the cartoon goblin slightly higher than usual to convey a hunched posture, with raised shoulders and the head lowered.

Step 3: Sketch the fantasy character arms

On the upper part, indicate the shoulders on both sides as two spheres. Slightly below, sketch the arms as simple cylindrical or rectangular shapes. You can also mark the elbows with two spheres. Below that, indicate the hands of the cartoon fantasy character with light, general lines.

Step 4: Draw the legs of the cartoon goblin

In the lower part of the torso, indicate the pelvic area as a triangular shape. From it, draw the legs of the cartoon goblin extending outward, slightly bent at the knees. To convey a cartoon, fantasy look, make the legs shorter than usual and the feet long and elongated.

Step 5: Draw the cartoon goblin facial features

From this step, start drawing the face of the cartoon goblin. Draw the cartoon eyes and the brows above them. The eyes should be placed along the eye line drawn in the first step. Draw a cartoon hooked nose of the goblin positioned on the vertical line, starting from the intersection of the guidelines. Using a curved line, draw the mouth.

Step 6: Sketch the pointed ears and headwear

On both sides of the head, draw the cartoon goblin’s ears with pointed tips. Do not add too much detail so the drawing stays within the cartoon style. Indicate the outline of a bandana on the head, or replace the goblin’s headwear with any other option you prefer. Mark the outlines of the jaw and chin.

Step 7: Refine the goblin face and erase guides

Starting from this stage, begin using cleaner, more defined lines while gradually erasing the construction lines and refining the details. Outline the facial features of the fantasy character, as well as the ears and the bandana. Draw the pupils as two small dots and add folds to the bandana.

Step 8: Sketch the goblin clothing and weapons

On the mannequin of the body, begin sketching the clothing and weapons of the fantasy character. First, indicate the outlines of the clothing with light, non-detailed lines, showing torn edges. In one hand, sketch a short sword, and in the other, a shield, without adding details yet. Indicate the outlines of the footwear and a knife on the back. You can also choose not to follow our example and instead draw any other clothing and weapons you prefer.

Step 9: Refine the goblin body details

Erase all the remaining guidelines. Trace the lines to make them clean and smooth. Add some folds to the clothes. Draw the simplified cartoon lacing in the abdomen area of the goblin. Add notches on the sword and wooden planks on the shield. Try to give the cartoon goblin’s weapons and equipment a worn, rough look to convey the character’s personality.

Step 10: Trace the cartoon goblin with bold lines

To give the cartoon goblin drawing a more expressive and interesting look, you can trace it with dark, bold lines. Make the lower edges of the forms thicker than the upper ones, and increase the line weight in curved areas so the drawing does not look too flat.

Practicing cartoon and book illustration drawing

The cartoon style is closely connected to the tradition of book illustration, in many ways originating from it.

Simple forms, simplification, exaggeration, and other techniques that were used in book illustrations for decades became a strong foundation for animators in creating distinctive character designs and creatures.

In medieval book illustrations, for example, you can often see a simplified style with clear lines and minimal detail.

We can trace many of the roots of the familiar cartoon style back to these medieval illustrations, and this is especially noticeable in the depiction of fantasy characters.

Before widely recognized tabletop role-playing settings and earlier literary works, there was no standardized appearance for goblins – different stories portrayed them in different ways.

Try drawing several different cartoon goblins, both in the familiar style seen in modern media and in more archaic variations, or create a completely original design of your own.

To further develop your skills in this style, also study our cartoon knight drawing tutorial, which follows many of the same principles.

In our cartoon wizard drawing tutorial, we present these techniques from another perspective and cover additional methods. Reviewing these lessons will help you better develop your ability to draw in this style.