Dr. W.D. Gaster |Speedpaint|

Greetings.
It's rare to see artwork of Gaster, along with a request for critiques. I'll gladly oblige, and I hope the input will be useful.

I will start with your scores.
Vision is a difficult matter to pin in place. My first inclination is to place this work in relation to your others relating to Undertale. That is to say, where more candid and whole moments are seen in your works, here we have only the stark, spartan, and overshadowed figure of Gaster himself - a visual affront or challenge, both distant and keenly looking on at the same time. This very edge and difference becomes it's own standing.

Originality is another difficult topic. There is plenty of artwork of Gaster, and Gaster alone. Yet, the very subject of Gaster himself is subject to a very broad array of interpretation - and in my opinion, subtlety can be embedded just as deep in how others view him. With that in mind, gauging originality is difficult, since in my view much of it comes down to the nuances which the artist had in mind which - as I understand well - do not always find their way to the end product.
More objectively, the forward-facing, symmetrical image is quite simplistic - however, the outward flow of his robes, carried on arcane currents, bring the notion that he is the flowing darkness and his cloak is merely an expression of that directed Shadow. This perspective of stillness-and-motion works nicely, contrasted with the restful set of his hands on the walking staff.

Technique: this is a speedpaint, and so that carries it's own connotations. You have a painterly style with visible strokes, and with respect to the flow of Gaster's robes, this works well. However, overall stroke type or brush type seems limited - again, speedpaint in mind, I've little to add on this area.

Impact: I could largely blend this into the matter of Vision, in that so little is known of Gaster that the viewer carries plenty of notions along with them into viewing a work, especially one as stark in presentation as this. Of your work, I see an image that evokes that feeling of being on the cusp of some great change or revelation - that essence that comes with facing a being whom one cannot predict, or whose own aims are shrounded in various unknowns.

Now, onto your work as a whole. First, what actually strikes me is not Gaster, but the background. It evokes old halls of refined, polished hardwood, almost like a museum, that at one time (or may still) house specimens or artifacts from older times... All either removed, or out of focus in the watery hues. It's almost illusory, actually, as it could easily be hewn rock, or many other potential settings, all hidden behind the veil of time and perception, lost in faded sepia and umber of memory or altered vision.

Considering Gaster, the smooth essence of his face and hands contrast the rest of the image. His facial scars and weight of his expression, along with the set of his hands, hold unforeseen thoughts and actions at the edge of potential that he decides.
Details along his suit indicate areas of folds, all the while tracing essential areas of structure. The ruffles at his collar and wrists evoke clothing or styles of earlier centuries, that of gentlemen or people of standing - while at the same time, they also mask his wrists and neck: being skeletal in many interpretations, these are not only prime areas of articulation and expression on a figure, they'd also be connective points that would trace unnervingly to bone, indicating his true nature.
Elsewhere downward, the clothing strokes merge into the linear flow toward the more turbulent, almost alive outer gyres of his garments. You've captured a good living, whipping, or writhing flow of fabric

In closing, I like your work, and the chance to offer a Critique is always welcome.
Cheers, and here's to looking forward to future works of Gaster. <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/t/t…" width="17" height="15" alt="" data-embed-type="emoticon" data-embed-id="411" title="Tea"/>

(Disregarding this bracketed comment, this entry had exactly 666 words. How... Fortuitous.)