HOME | DD
LittleFireDragon — How To Draw Your Dragon
by-nc-nd
Published: 2011-03-30 01:21:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 52723; Favourites: 1912; Downloads: 905
Redirect to original
Description
This is my guide to dragon anatomy. It is not a traditional tutorial that shows you step-by-step, "here's how to draw this picture of a dragon", because nobody ever learned anything from that, and if they did it was from subconsciously doing what I'm skipping to here.
You see, a tutorial that walks you through but never explains doesn't teach you how to draw, it teaches you how to copy. To truly draw, you need to learn to See. Seeing is understanding how something works, so you can picture it in your head and understand how it all connects. For animals, this requires you to know how the bones work.
Thus, I've shown a reference, rather than a how-to guide. I've explained in detail, and hopefully by my explanations and good old observation, you'll be able to figure it out.
Give a man a tutorial, he'll fill a page. Give him a reference and he'll fill a sketchbook.
One more thing: practice. I took years to get this good. You won't get there overnight. Deal with it. Just keep trying.
Note: Should be antorbital fenestra. I keep typing anti for some reason.
Part 1: Basics
Part 2: Skull
Part 3: Eyes
Part 4: Basic Flesh
Part 5-1: Back Legs
Part 5-2: Front Legs
Part 6-1: Bat Wings
Part 7: Torso
Related content
Comments: 128
There are more parts (muscle system and such) if you keep going.
Yeah, and this and its other parts are my most popular deviations. Half the messages I get are "someperson has added How to Draw Your Dragon to their favorites".
It kinda bugs me. I do all this art that I work for days, weeks, months on... and then I did this in about fifteen minutes for fun, and THIS gets all the spotlight.
I hope this helped you. XD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh man, I know that feel bro. It's like, guys, this isn't even that good, why do you love is so much? That said, this was really helpful. I wish I could draw the E4 Lance battle right now...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Seriously, people ignore things that I work my ass off on, and then gush over something I doodled quickly.
Then again, the things I work my ass off on are usually for my art teacher, and the things I doodle are usually for me... Maybe that says something about the sort of things my art teacher approves of. >.>
That last sentence, there...
I'm already excited. The sheer epic.... Oh, goody, with this to help you, that's gonna be incredible.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
thank god!!!!!!!!! i need this!!!!!!!!!!!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
your tutorial really helps a lot (i am trying to find a way to draw dragons more properly cause they all have a "dog with wings" look 
and i agree about the traditional tutorials teaching you how to "copy"( for that reason i never follow them properly 
it really shows the anatomy of dragons
LOVE IT
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hmm, dog with wings eh?
Make a tutorial for me, lol! Mammals give me trouble. I've always been a reptilian-style artist. XD
I'm glad I could help.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
But I don't think a 'thumb' is the right word for that little digit on a dragon's wing unless it's prehensile? Lol, that just struck me as strange..
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I was calling it a thumb more to emphasize that it's analagous to the human thumb. Look closely. It's like a hand. Four fingers and a thumb.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Aha, I get it now! Sorry, I'm such an idiot
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Nah, it's fine. Sometimes I don't communicate very well.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Amazing! And reading the comments, I feel you've got the right idea when it comes to tutorials! I wish more people were like you!
Hmm.. my style is sort of more cartoony so I'm not sure how I'll use this.. but it would be fun to have a go and see what I can make anyway~!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Once I got over the shock of "Oh crap, bones... I can barely draw the flesh ON the bones!", this actually made a lot of sense.
Thank you for making this.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Well the reason you can barely draw flesh on the bones is because you don't understand the bones.
Once you get the bones the flesh makes sense. Things like muscle and skin aren't made to be pretty, they're made to WORK in a logical fashion. THIS is the key to drawing biologically plausible organisms.
I'm glad you liked it.
Also, I'm glad I made sense. All too often I get people just staring at me like I'm insane.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ah, ok. That actually makes a lot of sense! Guess I should go look at some human skeletons then. To search I go!
Nah, it was actually pretty interesting- not to mention cool- to see it laid out like that.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You see, muscles are MEANT to move bones. So they connect to bones in ways that make sense. Move your limb a certain way? There's a muscle to move it that way and a muscle to move it back. Muscles usually go in pairs for that reason. Skin goes on top of that, which is pretty simple. If you look in the artist notes, I've got links that show how muscles and stuff work with the bones.
I'm glad you think so. XD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I'll take a better look at those- only glanced over them when I was trying to mentally get a feel for it. It really is quite well put together.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
^^ No prob!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This definately helps me a lot, thanks so much for making this!!!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
great tutorial 
how do dragons fly with torn wings? 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I never said anything about torn. Just tattered - that is, the edge isn't pristine and nicely ) shaped. I meant slightly ragged.
[link]
This is a bit of an extreme example, as it shows a bit more wear than I meant, but you get the idea.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Pretty cool
I actually knew all this already, but it's a good tutorial for those who don't
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Well that's who it's intended for.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
PPFFTT!! YAY!
*is trying to draw better with anatomy*
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
<= Prev |