How to Draw Easy but Cool Dragons
For as long every bit humans have had mythology, dragons accept been fundamental characters. Breath of fire, intimidating wings, tough scaley skin, and fiercesome teeth are the trademarks of the mighty dragon. When it comes to drawing a dragon, the kickoff thing to consider is what type of dragon you want to bring to life. There are countless varieties of dragon friends and foes, all with different features. In this comprehensive tutorial, we volition investigate these differences and pb you through the procedure of breathing the fire of life into your unique dragon.
Table of Contents
- 1 Commencement and Foremost, What Are the Dissimilar Types of Dragons?
- 1.1 The Classic Dragon
- 1.2 The Drake Dragon
- 1.three The Wyvern Dragon
- 1.four The Amphiptere
- one.v The Wyrm Dragon
- 1.half dozen The Oriental Dragon
- ii How to Draw Dragons: First, You lot Need the Correct Equipment
- 3 How to Draw a Dragon Step-by-Step
- three.ane Planning the Anatomy of Your Dragon Drawing
- 3.2 Time to Add Some Detail and Linework to Your Like shooting fish in a barrel Dragon Drawing
- three.3 How to Describe a Dragon in Color
- 3.four How to Describe a Dragon With Scales
First and Foremost, What Are the Unlike Types of Dragons?
Although we may presume that dragons typically have 4 legs, a long tail and neck, 2 leathery wings, a scaly trunk, and space spines along their spine, there is actually a great deal of variety amid dragon types. Nosotros are going to introduce you to the complexities of six different dragon species. Then, we will lead yous through how to describe dragons like these.
It is of import to call back that dragons are fictitious (or so we believe), and as such, it is not possible to separate them into strict groups. It is also non necessary for you to stick to whatever strict guidelines when creating your own dragon. Your imagination is your only brake, so feel free to play with mixing colors, shapes, and sizes.
The Classic Dragon
Y'all are probably most familiar with this dragon because information technology is the most common. This dragon has four legs with large claws, a long neck and tail dotted with spines, and ii immense wings that allow it to glide through the air. You may recognize this archetype dragon from Sleeping Beauty or Shrek. Classic dragons with larger wings could fly much higher for longer, while dragons with smaller wings could only glide for shorter distances. This may be the easiest dragon to draw because information technology is the ane you are likely to exist nearly familiar with.
The Drake Dragon
Although nosotros typically moving-picture show dragons with wings, the Drake has no wings at all. These dragons typically have more robust bodies designed to cover the altitude on pes. You may detect Drake dragons living in water, in which case they may have fins on their tail and dorsum to make gliding through the water easier. The Drake is a strong dragon with thick scales. Many of the dragons in the Lord of the Rings saga are Drakes.
The Wyvern Dragon
The Wyvern dragon is a happy medium between the Archetype dragon and the Drake. Defective forearms, the Wyvern has enormous claw-like thumbs on the upper border of its wings. Wyvern dragons tin utilise these thumbs to support themselves on the ground, with some using them as front legs. Other Wyverns walk exclusively on their muscular hind legs that aid propel them into the air. Smaug from the Hobbit trilogy is a Wyvern dragon, every bit is Pendragon from Jack the Giant Killer.
The Amphiptere
You tin can think of the Amphiptere as the polar opposite of the Drake dragon. This fiercesome, just oft quite small dragon, has no legs but ii strong wings. When it is non silently flight through the air, the Amphiptere slithers across the basis much like a snake. The Amphiptere dragon has its origins in ancient European armory design.
The Wyrm Dragon
Also known as ancient dragons, the Wyrm dragons are an ancient race revered amid other dragons. The Wyrm dragon does not have any limbs and generally cannot fly either. They move around by wiggling through sand or over the footing. In improver to the lack of limbs, you lot tin identify a Wyrm dragon by its wide jaws. The Wyrm dragon may exist the easiest dragon to draw because information technology does not have limbs and wings, which tin can be complicated.
The Oriental Dragon
The Oriental or Asian dragon varies widely in its appearance. Some Oriental dragons have iv legs and two wings, while others have no legs or wings only tin can nonetheless fly. You can easily place the Oriental dragon by the glorious mane that flows from their head across their back. Oriental dragons also have horns that look like antlers extending from the side of their noses. Mushu from Mulan is an Oriental dragon, as is Haku from Spirited Abroad.
How to Describe Dragons: First, You lot Need the Right Equipment
To breathe the firey life into your dragon drawing, you will need some supplies. You tin make dragon drawing easy with the right tools, so we advise y'all endeavour to go hold of the post-obit:
- Good qualityA4 paper for your final cartoon (weight between 135-190 1000)
- A unproblematic HB pencil for the initial planning, as it tin easily be erased
- A 3B or 4B pencil to add the detail
- A good quality eraser like those from Staedtler
- Adept quality coloring markers similar Copic Markers, or more affordable Prismacolor Markers
- Fine liner pens like the Sakura Liners for terminal detailing
These equipment suggestions are for your final drawings. If you like to carry around a sketchbook and pencil or pen to capture any moments of inspiration, these do not accept to be of high quality. We practice propose using a mechanical pencil if yous adopt to use pencils over pens, because you volition not demand to carry a sharpener around.
How to Draw a Dragon Pace-by-Step
Now that you know what kind of dragon you would like to create and have the right tools, we can get going. Following the steps in this next section of the tutorial will make dragon drawing easy for y'all. You can use a reference picture from Google if you are not comfortable drawing a dragon from your imagination. When learning how to draw a dragon, step-by-step processes are your best bet.
Planning the Anatomy of Your Dragon Drawing
Ane of the trickiest parts of drawing dragons is nailing the anatomy. Luckily, dragons are upward for a certain degree of interpretation, simply information technology is all the same of import to capture the right sort of anatomical construction. Let us go over some strategies for achieving the perfect proportions in your dragon drawing.
To begin, using your HB pencil, map out the basic anatomy of your dragon. Draw circles where the head, belly, and thighs of your dragon volition be. You can also describe a line to map out where your dragon's tail volition lie. Post-obit this, you will but connect the circles to create the outline of your dragon's trunk.
At this phase, your dragon may look more similar a sausage, but trust the process!
Information technology is now fourth dimension to depict in the legs and wings of your mighty dragon. Begin by using crude circles to place the various leg muscles onto your dragon'southward torso. Using circles helps you lot to separate the proportions equally.
The largest circle will stand for the shoulder or hip of your dragon. Use smaller circles for the thighs and biceps, and so even smaller ones for the calves and forearms. This stage of the dragon drawing procedure may take some time to become the hang of, then if it does not look right, simply erase information technology and try once more until you are happy.
To describe the wings, you can bring a curved line from only below your dragon'due south neck up over its head. From this top edge, you lot tin draw another slightly downward curved line towards the back of your dragon. The back lesser border of the fly should see the torso but before the tail. You can connect this edge with your tiptop curved line with small curves similar a spider'due south spider web.
Fourth dimension to Add together Some Detail and Linework to Your Easy Dragon Cartoon
In one case you are happy with the anatomical proportions of your dragon, you tin start to add together some details. You lot can add horns, spines, or fins to the dorsum and tail of your dragon. The details you add together depend on the type of dragon y'all are drawing. One time you lot accept added all your desired detail and you are happy with your dragon, we can move onto the outline.
We similar to employ a 4B pencil to outline the important lines before going in with the liner in order to make sure we are happy. If you are satisfied, y'all can use a liner to draw the main lines of the dragon.
Outline the body, caput, and limbs with your liner, allowing the lines to go thicker where they see. For the finer details like scales, scratches, or scars, you can use a thinner liner. At this stage, y'all accept a beautiful line drawing dragon of your cosmos.
How to Draw a Dragon in Color
Yous may be happy with your line drawing dragon, or you may similar to add some color. If you lot would like to add color, y'all need to determine whether it will be a single colour or a few different ones. For simplicity, nosotros are going to atomic number 82 you through coloring your dragon with a unmarried colour.
Nosotros like to outset with the darkest shade of your color. You will use this darker shade to contour the body of your dragon. For your color drawing dragon, you will need to consider where the low-cal source is. We suggest using the darkest color shade to add the shadows cast by your dragon's torso.
Once you have defined your shadows, accept a slightly lighter shade of your color and get over these same areas, merely extend them a little further. You can exercise this again with an even lighter shade to achieve a squeamish gradient of color.
Finally, yous tin can employ your lightest shade to color the residuum of your dragon. The last stride is calculation some detailing with a white liner. This pace tin actually make your dragon come to life.
To color the wings of your dragon cartoon, we recommend using your darkest shade of color or black. Brainstorm your coloring strokes at each of the membranes and gently curve them into the middle of each fly console.
We similar to go out a small area of open space in the center of each wing segment. Once you are happy with the nighttime shading in your wings, y'all can use a lighter colour to fill in the open spaces.
Finally, use your white liner to add some crisp detailing, and tada!
How to Depict a Dragon With Scales
To accept your drawing from an easy dragon drawing to a masterpiece, y'all can add some scaling details. Scales may seem intimidating, but having a good technique volition make learning how to draw a dragon easy. The level of detail yous put into your dragon scales is completely up to you lot.
It is crucial to pay attending to the structure of the scales you add to your dragon. We always suggest determining the proportions of your dragon equally outlined above earlier attempting to add scaling details. Outline the master muscles in your dragon's limbs, and then nosotros tin begin to consider calculation the scales.
First, we must decide where the biggest and strongest scales will be. The scales of a dragon are its armor, and as such, the largest will probable exist forrard-facing. Mark down these areas, and then you can begin to add a regular blueprint of scales. Once you have your largest scales in place, you can fill the skin around them with a smaller calibration design. Yous can experiment with the shape and placement of your dragon scales to find what you similar best.
Y'all can apply the same principle for scaling the body as you did for the limbs. Place the strongest scales down the center of the dragon's back, neck, and belly, where you believe it would need the well-nigh protection. One time you lot have all of your scales in place and yous are happy with how it looks, you tin utilize a fine liner marker to outline each scale.
Following this, you can erase the pencil marks and add a little shading. Nosotros similar to shade around the edges of the scales, paying detail attention to the place where one scale slots over another. This shading technique volition make your scales appear more three-dimensional.
Nosotros promise that you have found this detailed guide on how to draw a dragon pace-by-step helpful, and that you are now feeling inspired to brainstorm working on your own dragon drawing creation!
We have as well created a little web story for the dragon drawing tutorial.
Lisa Hustedt
Originally from Lower Saxony, Lisa Hustedt has been an artist since she could pick up a pencil. Throughout her years of school, Lisa adult an increasing interest in drawing dragons. In addition to her school art classes, Lisa taught herself to draw. This lifelong learning culminated in her completing her Abitur with a focus in art in 2018. Today, Lisa works at a local paper equally a trainee editor and paints in the evenings. Although her schedule is busy, Lisa still finds fourth dimension to take some commissions for work.
For Lisa, drawing time is a time of relaxation, and she loves to mind to music while she draws. Lisa hopes she volition never stop drawing, and we do too. Her beautiful and intricate dragon drawings have inspired u.s., and hopefully you equally well. Lisa dreams of working equally a character designer or animator, and nosotros believe that she has what information technology takes. Many thank you to Lisa for this wonderful and easy dragon drawing tutorial.
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