How to Draw a Dragon

In this article, we will study a rare animal... the dragon! As with many creatures from a fantasy bestiary, their representation involves certain conventions, but as I will remind you, it is important to know the basics but also know how to break away from them. If there are subjects that allow for all sorts of eccentricities, it is these fantastical animals.

PRESENTATION OF THE DRAGON FOR DRAWING

In many mythologies across all civilizations (to a lesser extent in the Americas with the feathered serpent Quetzalcóatl of South America) we find various similar reptilian creatures that can be categorized as dragons. Their attributes, representations and symbolism, however, vary from one civilization to another.

The first appearances of the animal date back to the Neolithic period. In a simplistic manner, we tend to divide dragons into two groups, Western dragons and Eastern dragons. We will mainly discuss here the "Western" type dragons, not without making a brief aside on the characteristics of Eastern dragons.

The first Western dragons were traditionally associated with earth and fire (it was common for them to be fire-breathers!). They are a reptilian creature, usually large and bulky and often winged. They are of a wild nature and regularly associated with being a "guardian," protecting something (gold, magical objects, etc.). Later, Christianity would associate the dragon with "evil," bestiality, paganism, something to dominate and defeat. Saints defeating dragons then began to appear widely...

But even in Europe, the representation of dragons is not entirely uniform. For example, on a side note, the city of Metz is home to the legend of the Graoully, a dragon that caused trouble in the city and was driven away/killed (depending on the version) by the patron saint of Metz. Interestingly, the creature can be depicted with wings and four legs, or just with rear legs. This is due to the fact that, throughout its history, the city has been heavily influenced by German culture. It was long customary in Germanic countries to depict dragons in this way, with wings at the front and only rear legs (this pattern, for example, applies to wyverns, categorized as dragons).

All this leads to the first choice you will have to make: 4 legs and wings (like the drawing on the left) or wings at the front and just simple legs at the back (like the model on the right)!

Recently, the dragon with wings directly attached to the front legs/wings has been quite common. This is quite close to the pattern of a bat. We see this design, for example, for the dragon Smaug in the movie "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" by Peter Jackson, or for the dragons in the series Game of Thrones. However, the model with 4 legs and an additional pair of wings remains a classic in the fantasy universe.

DRAWING THE DRAGON'S WINGS

Once you have made your choice, whether they are independent or connected to the "front legs", you will need to draw the wings.

The simplest and most commonly used base is that of bat wings. The idea is to construct the frame using 3 segments. Segment [1] can be likened to the upper section of your arm, section [2] to the forearm, and part [3] would be the hand/finger segment. I relate the parts to your own body because it may help you visualize certain postures by simply "miming" them with your arm. Between segments [1] and [2] and [2] and [3], you will just need to add an "armature bone" to structure your wing.

Whatever choice you have made, even if the dragon may fly a little by magic rather than by the mechanical force of its wings, be careful not to make your wing too thin at the base (pink circle / segment and purple arrow).

Additionally, especially if you choose the option of wings on the front limbs, make sure to equip your animal with sufficiently developed claws so that they can use them for support (red circle).

THE DRAGON'S SCALES

Now another recurring detail of dragons: the scales.

Of course, you will not have to draw each scale one by one for a good rendering of your dragon. I would even tend to recommend, unless you wish to create a very detailed "realistic" drawing, to suggest the scales rather than actually drawing them.

It's better to add a few scales here and there without overdoing it, as it might overpower your drawing.

Nevertheless, it is good to see how to achieve them. On reptiles, the overlapping scales are arranged in a staggered pattern. This means that the "lines" follow one after the other with an offset. We can clearly observe this system in drawing A² (drawing A' being the tilted version).

I create a first row of scales in orange and mark the center of the scales with orange lines. Below, I draw new scales whose center (green line) is offset and located between the orange lines. I continue with the yellow scales which align with the orange scales again. The following scales, in blue, align with the green scales... and so on.

NOTE: Laure-Hélène suggests another method in her article about the snake in a small chapter: DRAWING THE SNAKE'S SCALES.

You can find the article in the blog and directly here:https://www.dessindigo.com/blog/how-to-draw-a-snake 

The principle (diagram B) is to create a grid that follows the movement of the animal and to group the scales at the junctions.

But you can also opt for a scale pattern that does not overlap.

We will be dealing more with scaly patches, as can be observed, for example, on some turtles.

To illustrate my point, on the left a paw and on the right a close-up on a head. In both cases, I place my scales along strong lines. For the paw, I move up along the front of the "fingers" (strong lines in blue and scale pattern in purple).

For the head, I place the scales mainly on the cheeks (areas marked in red) and the green lines define the "groups" of scales. In purple, I place a few pieces along the strong line that follows the nostrils (in blue).

CUSTOMIZING THE DRAGON'S HEAD

You will be able to vary different elements to customize your dragon. I suggest some examples based on the same base [A] by modifying the horns and "horned" elements (indicated by blue arrows).

In B I add scales above the eyes and long, slender horns.

In [C] I add a growth above the nostril. I place central scales on the forehead and choose more curled horns, in the style of a ram.

In [D] I place a small horn between the nostrils and a line of horns in the middle of the head that continues onto the neck. I add some "whiskers" under the chin.

And just by changing the thickness of the jaws you can change the look of your dragon. In the following drawing, the top part of the animal is the same (horn, forehead line, eye, and top of the upper jaw).

In drawing [A] I made a thin upper jaw and a very imposing lower jaw. In drawing [B] both jaws are more balanced. The effect is still striking, dragon [A] seems much more bulky.

Other details you can play with are the eyes and teeth.

In [A] the teeth are long and sharp, quite numerous and the eye is in the "slit" model of many reptiles. In [B] the pupil and iris are round and the teeth are less sharp.

All combinations are possible and it's up to you to invent other variations (and we're not even talking about variations in colors and patterns!).

DRAWING A CHINESE DRAGON

As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, we will quickly discuss the oriental version of the dragon.

 

Here is a wood engraving of a Chinese dragon from the 19th century displayed at the Library of Decorative Arts in Paris.

While the dragon in Western depictions is generally an aggressive, violent and dangerous creature, the Eastern dragon, though just as powerful, is not really hostile. Physically it is also different, being much slimmer, very long, and usually does not have wings.

Among Oriental civilizations, variations are minimal. The Chinese dragon, widely represented and well-known, is typical of its counterparts, whether they be Japanese, Korean or Vietnamese.

In China, the dragon is a symbol of life and power, strongly connected to nature and air. In Japan, the dragon is traditionally a water creature. In both cases, we are no longer dealing with an animal of earth and fire.

I've quickly made a color version of an Asian dragon for you.

The shape already leaves no doubt, the animal is long and slender. It is really more based on the body of a snake. The animal still has legs, which are rather thin and short. Often you will observe dragons with legs reminiscent of bird legs (arrow 2 with variations) with long claws.

It will be entirely possible to create ears (arrow 3), to be placed well at the back of the head, rather horizontally (avoid ears attached on top of the head).

Generally, the Eastern dragon has several areas of fur along its back (with or without dorsal scales) (arrow 4), at the tip of the tail, sometimes under the belly, and all around the mouth. Typically, the dragon has two long whiskers around its nostrils.

The head has a rather round shape, the muzzle is rounded and soft, the eyes are round as well. The tongue is never forked. The belly is well-defined and the scales there are clearly defined. The scales are also rounder.

At the head level, the eye is topped by a thick eyebrow that is quite prominent. The teeth are generally quite curved and not very long.

If the representation of the Western dragon is quite codified, you can nevertheless make some variations on the importance and length of the hairs around the muzzle and mouth, or on the horns.

Here I offer you some horn models on a common base [A]. You can choose either rounded shapes [B] and [C], or pointed but then curved shapes [D].

If you happen to be interested in dragons in Eastern cultures, be aware that the subject is quite complex. For example, the number of toes the animal has varies depending on the distance the animal has traveled... There is a lot to learn!

DRAWING ORIGINAL DRAGONS

But don't let all this make you forget a very important element: have fun and vary the forms!

Your dragon doesn't necessarily have to conform to any of the stereotypes we've just discussed.

Do you want to make a dragon with a rounder, somewhat frog-like head, purple with spots? Well yes, why not! Do you want to make a small furry dragon with stripes and dragonfly wings? Well yes, you can!

 

DRAWING A DRAGON STEP BY STEP

We are going to create a "Western" type dragon. The creature will have 4 legs + a pair of wings. The wings will have a traditional structure, similar to that of a bat. The skin will be scaly. The animal will be shown in profile with the head at a 3/4 angle, mouth open.

Step 1: I place the muzzle by making a small ball.

Step 2: I place the bulk of the head slightly behind, offset, because of the ¾.

Step 3: In red, I show the line of symmetry of the head (the middle). I draw the mouth. The jaws are quite thin and balanced.

Step 4: I continue from the back of the head and begin the neck.

Step 5: I stretch the neck and position the shoulder area.

Stage 6: I draw the back line, quite curved and fluid, and add the shape of the thigh. In front, I extend the front paw.

Step 7: I extend the rear leg and also draw the limbs on the other side (in red). The legs are sturdy and not too long. That's a personal choice to maintain a not too sleek animal.

Step 8: I finish the belly of the animal by connecting the bottom of the neck to the bottom of the back. From the back, I pull the tail. I lightly sketch the partially unfolded wing and horns.

Step 9: I am going for a wing in 3 parts (as seen above). Part 3 (in green and red hatched) will be the element most "in front" of us.

Step 10: I place the wing on the other side (in red).

Step 11: In red, I place the horns and the more scaly elements. I finish the legs.

Step 12: I go over my construction line again. In purple, I add plates on the wing's leading edge, at the joint on the top, and on the rear leg. I add plates on the back (in purple). I finish the wing starting fairly low on the back (in green). I add a forked tongue (in green) and a visible claw on the rear leg.

Step 13: The defining feature.

COLORING THE DRAWING

In [A] I'm starting with a fairly neutral brown background and adding the rear attachment of the wing that we can't see (in green).

In [B] I color the wing membrane with a light pink (mainly so that you can spot it easily), as well as the inside of the mouth. I place some ground beneath the dragon to set the scene.

In [C], I add some details to the basic outline (scales here and there and folds on the wings). I break up the uniformity of the wing with patches of yellow and violet/gray. I highlight the scaly areas with red and color the claws and the tail tip with the same shade. I speckle the basic brown flat color with a warmer shade.

To finish in [D], I add shadows and light and I add a hint of orange at the bottom of the throat (it is very likely that it can breathe fire!). I place a simple background behind and it's done.

This is quite a classic representation of a dragon. Feel free to describe the animal in more detail.

I hope this article has given you some ideas and, more importantly, the desire to create your own dragon! The subject is so open to creation that some artists have specialized in dragon drawing.

Whether you want a powerful gigantic creature, all flames and strength, or a small magical creature, mischievous and very gentle, you can create the dragon that you desire!

Illustrator and writer: Elo Illus