Dragons appear to us as magical creatures of the most different color, character, image in history, size. People include these mythical creatures in movies, cartoons, fairy tales and various stories, they are very proud and majestic creatures.
There are no clear rules on how to draw a dragon. Each one is unique in nature. However, a few basic steps in the drawing of body parts are still present.
A strong head with sharp teeth, a massive muzzle, an elongated body, spikes, scales, and wings are common features for every dragon. But here, too, you can let your imagination run wild and modify these body parts to create a creature for a certain theme.
The first way
The dragon is easily drawn if you follow certain steps:
- It is necessary to draw two circles - the future head and the lower part of the torso of the dragon.
- Then you need to connect them with two smooth lines, which as a result will create the body. It can be with curves, if the creature stands in a certain position.
- After a large circle also need to draw two lines that will converge at the end. They should be longer than the rest. This will be the tail of the dragon.
- Next, at the level of the torso it is necessary to draw two broken lines, which will be the wings.
- At the end of the tail we draw a small triangle.
- On a large circle, which is the back of the body and under the head make two ovals - the future legs of our dragon.
Next comes the drawing. You can add veins, spines to the wings. Draw claws on the legs, you can add elements of scales in different parts of the body. Draw eyes, nostrils for the future dragon.
The final step will be drawing in color. Both paints and colored pencils can be used. The dragon can be absolutely any color, because it is a mythical creature.
Variant of the step-by-step image of the dragon is suitable for both adults and children. Initially, the sketch is made with a pencil, not too soft, so that afterwards it will not shine through the paint.
Use swatches
When you draw dragons keep the corresponding pictures close by.
It's not a bad idea to visit a zoo and sketch animals to get inspiration from real-life objects, but you can also sketch from photographs.
Gerard suggests mentally noting qualities of objects that might enhance your understanding.
"How far from the mouth are the eyes? How big is the upper jaw compared to the lower jaw," he says. "When you sketch these details, you add them to your mental piggy bank, your library, from which you can retrieve them in the future when needed. And it also expands your understanding of how living things in general are organized." Then, when you start drawing a dragon, keep a collection of appropriate photos nearby to refer to as you work.
In creating the drawing above, Stone was inspired by dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus Rex and used photos of its skull to reference the dinosaur's bone structure and anatomy.
In addition, he turned to images of forests and reptiles, uneven patchy light to inspire color, texture and lighting.
Second version of creating a dragon
- Draw a circle, which in the future will be the head of the dragon. It is necessary to finish drawing a small rectangle - the future muzzle. Also outline the area of eyes, ears, nostrils.
- Under a small circle in the distance draw another, but larger in size. This will be the torso. Ovals outline feet, finish drawing the tail.
- Next, connect two circles together - this will be the neck and beginning of the body of our dragon. Draw paws, they are pointed, like a triangle. Inside, erase all unnecessary.
- Finally, we finish drawing the wings, teeth, claws on the front and back legs. If desired, you can add spikes.
Three-headed dragon
- We start with a sketch. You need to draw three circles at a distance from each other. This is the future head of our dragon. From each circle down the line - the neck, under them draw a triangle with rounded edges - the body, the tail line and ovals for future legs.
- On the three circles outline the muzzle. Draw it in the form of an oval. Next, begin to draw. Think of any shape: in the form of a beak, butterfly trunk, mammal's mouth.
- Thicken the line of the neck by drawing two lines parallel to it on the right and left, then erase the one in the middle.
- Add volume to the body and tail. Smoothly connect the planned lines and erase all unnecessary from the inside.
- Form the feet of the animal. They can be given any shape. As you wish.
- Next comes the drawing of the eyes and nostrils. Eyes can be made large. To do this, on each circle draw large elongated ovals, in them mark the pupil. Nostrils do rounded.
- In conclusion dragon add spikes throughout the body, finish drawing wings, outline the elements of scales, claws on the legs.
Creating a professional dragon drawing requires certain techniques and time.
Detail the head of the beast
Eyes, mouth, nostrils are drawn on the head. Then all unnecessary strokes are removed with an eraser and the head and paws are drawn in more detail.
The drawing is outlined with a bold line, spots are depicted on the body, claws on the paws. After the final detailing, the beast is painted.
The story of your dragon
Another important point is to create a story for your dragon. This makes it easy to come up with a background for your drawing and to think of even more details for the dragon's appearance.
For example, if the dragon is small, dotted with flowers and, like the smallest bird in the world, collects nectar from flowers, you can assume that this is one kind of flower dragon.
You will be able to depict large, beautiful lush flower petals on the canvas as your creature flies through. The dragon itself will be graceful, in delicate beautiful hues, with some floral decorative elements.
In contrast, one can imagine a huge, mighty dragon who has been through many wars and battles. Its body bears countless battle scars. The background around the reptile is dark, with red-brown hues. The dragon on the canvas is large, majestic, intimidating.
Look at people, too.
Study human faces, and you'll find that their expressions seep into your art. Referring to human faces can help create your dragon image. "In the dragon's appearance, we're trying to strike a balance between a sense of reptilian malice and human intelligence," Gerard says. - You can create, as I did, a folder of images of politicians with sinister facial expressions-sometimes there are surprisingly sinister-looking types."
Drawing out the details
To create the most realistic dragon, it's a good idea to observe your surroundings. The dragon is a kind of animal, albeit mythical, which means that it has the same moments as the world around us.
For the base, the main features of drawing will be useful to observe reptiles: lizards, snakes, crocodiles. Make different sketches of these animals, and then, choosing the best one, transfer it to your paper.
You can think of dragon features common to other types of animals - insects, mammals, birds, beetles. Combining different traits will help you create a unique creature.
Drawing in color
You should start working in color from the background, from dark places to light places. Combinations of matching hues should be made to create a painterly work.
You can use any color, but for a better transfer of shade and flavor it is better to use oil paints. This type of paint is very good for highlighting light shades, the color comes out saturated, bright.
Start drawing the dragon by applying a base color to the canvas. At this stage, drawing is not important yet, outline the darkest and lightest places, use different shades to create a three-dimensional drawing. Once finished, let the paint dry a bit and proceed to detailing.
You can experiment with different types of scales. Each scale is three-dimensional, at its borders it is darkened, closer to the center it is light and reflects the surrounding colors.
It is important to remember that if the scales are in shadow in relation to the surrounding reality, then their lighter part in relation to everything else will be darker. This is an important consideration in creating quality work.
In addition to the scales, the dragon can have fur, plumage - whatever your imagination can do.
Important point is the drawing of the eyes. Dragon have big, expressive eyes. The eyes reflect the essence and character. The large, bloodshot eyes will make your dragon savage, fierce.
Round or elongated pupils can give him wisdom, a kind disposition. The shape of the eye can be learned from the reptiles around us to make it appear most realistic.
An additional technique to create volume is to blur the boundaries of the torso and, conversely, to highlight. Part, which goes into the distance, can be blurred, not detailed, combined with shades of blue.
The head and the front of the torso need more detail, so we create an image in space.
Now you have enough theoretical background to draw a realistic and beautiful creature that we so often see in stories, movies, cartoons. With a little imagination and time, you will have a truly impressive work on canvas!
Explore different skin textures
Want to be unconventional? Paint your dragon with feathers.
Think about what texture you want for your dragon: leathery scales, armor plates as weapons?
"I imagine a very old dragon would have thick, knotted plates like an old crocodile, while a younger individual should have smoother, flatter skin," Stone says.
"If you want to be somewhat unconventional, consider drawing a dragon with feathers or fur instead of scales. You can even look for inspiration in materials like bark or rocks, try different things!"
