8:55 - "hey there little boy, don't be shy. I'm just you average evil metier from out of the sky"

PLEASE tell me on not the only one that thought this when the book monster showed up

This sounds like some killer cyberpunk club music

A fair attempt. I highly recommend working on proportions and anatomy to really nail the general form of the figure. After that, then work to refine your own personal style

Second, I recommend avoiding color till you are positive your line-work is up to snuff. Best to also practice grey-scale shading with a pencil.

Thirdly, never feel like you're cheating by using a reference for how something looks. Drawing from imagination is fine, but don't feel like you cant use an image from google to give you a starting point.

Lastly, if you're going to photograph your drawings, you need to make sure you don't do it at an angle so it doesn't look warped. It also helps to do it on a well lit room, just make sure you're shadow doesn't fall onto it. I used to take photos and many just didn't look as good because i didn't take them properly.

Just some handy tips. Keep at it.

DARE by Gorillaz is def a good fit for this gif