Dragons are beautiful creatures that, unfortunately, don't exist. This unproblematic fact makes drawing them quite problematic - is there any way to draw them correctly? I can show you lot how to depict a dragon head in a realistic mode, in every pose in 3D space. You just demand to consider the basic structure of a skull shape and work from there.

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1. View the Skull in 3D Shapes

Step 1

Hither's a 3D model of a dragon skull I've created for y'all (you tin download it and apply equally your reference in any 3D software). I'm going to refer to this 3D model to show yous the fundamental areas on the skull. Can you identify the upper jaw, the lower jaw and the brain example? Yous could even pick out the eyeball socket, the nostrils, teeth and horns. If you lot consider each one of these areas, you tin can build upon information technology to blueprint your ain dragon. That's all we're going to need.

Step 2

Here's a programme of the same skull. Simplified plans are the all-time way to start a drawing. This program is yet too complicated, though. There are as well many weird angles you'd need to take care of when turning the head. Allow's simplify it even more than!

Step three

There it is! Equally you can come across, it'due south less authentic - it doesn't fit the skull'south outline any more. Still, simple shapes make the pose establishment easier, and we can rework them after to suit our needs.

Step iv

While the upper part'southward movement depends on the neck, the lower jaw tin can move on its own up and down (and sometimes left and right likewise, just pure carnivores can't really chew). The circle bespeak shows the axis of rotation we'll demand subsequently. Try looking at other skulls of carnivores for examples of this mechanism, similar crocodiles. They take long palates which rotate on a similar axis.

Step five

OK, so nosotros know how to draw a dragon head from one side. But if you tried cartoon dragons before, you probably guessed how to go this far on your own, as it's quite intuitive. What you want to larn is how to create a 3D pose, right? So, let's create 3D blocks of the 2D shapes that the skull is congenital of.

Basically, we've got an oblate ball, a cuboid and an "50" shape laying apartment. These blocks will allow the states build a dragon caput!

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2. Create a 3D Pose

Before nosotros start, permit's become technical. This tutorial will be based on simplified perspective tips. While it's not "technically" accurate, it's a skillful practise to practice the thinking in 3D. How yous envision a dragon may be different to how I exercise; that is completely fine. However, we're going over the 3D mechanics of a skull for the initial role of the tutorial and this theory work will be valuable for your ain creations.

Step 1

Let'south start with a ball. It doesn't need to be perfectly round, what we do now is just a sketch, a base for something more.

• If y'all draw traditionally, keep the sketch light and almost invisible (a hard pencil may be expert for this phase).
• If you draw digitally, go along the sketch on a layer you'll be able to delete afterwards.

The arrow shows the direction our dragon will be facing.

Footstep 2

Time for the upper jaw. We need to draw the 3D cuboid. Intuitively, we should draw two rectangles. As the mouth is tapered, you'll demand to brand the rectangle at the front end of the oral cavity smaller.

The vertical altitude should depend on the oral fissure's length, while their horizontal distance should depend on the arrow'due south management. It's only partially correct, though.

Footstep 3

The one-point perspective cube that we draw in geometry classes is, in fact, an impossible effigy. This means you can describe it, merely information technology doesn't exist in 3D space. Don't believe me? Just take whatsoever cube and try to place it a position to run into a perfect foursquare and a fleck of two sides at the same time. Surprised?

To make the mouth more natural, nosotros demand to tilt one of the sides - a or b. The next step will go into more detail about this.

Step 4

Here comes some math! If you're familiar with perspective rules, you lot tin can skip this step. The rest of yous, don't worry - yous don't need to learn everything by heart, these rules are pretty piece of cake to follow:

• When all the sides are the same lengths and the angles are 90 degrees, we tin can see a square.
• When you rotate the effigy horizontally, the left or correct side appears. The more you rotate, the shorter c and a get, and then more of the new side is visible.
• When y'all rotate the figure vertically, the summit or bottom appears. The more you rotate, the shorter b and d go, so more of new side is visible.
• You can't run across both the peak and bottom at the aforementioned fourth dimension.
• You can modify the angle between sides to see three of them at the same time.

Pace 5

Allow'south come back to the dragon. At present create the correct 3D shape. Yous are free to use any lengths and angles for now, but later yous'll need to match the other elements to them.

Step six

We'll draw the lower jaw now. Exercise you remember the "L" shape? It should be longer than the upper jaw, with an additional part attached to it. It also needs to exist placed correct under the upper jaw.

My mouth is going to be tapered, then the part in the front is smaller then the ane behind information technology. Notice that I attach the bigger part to the back of the upper jaw.

Stride 7

Since the lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw, and they both start at the same indicate, we need to move the dorsum function a scrap deeper. To find the correct direction for it, you tin draw ii lines beyond the upper jaw's sides. If your mouth is tapered like mine, you need to pretend it's a cuboid for a moment.

Step eight

At present but "slide" the dorsum part across your guides to get the correct altitude.

Stride 9

This is the piece of cake role: depict in the rest of the jaw.

The pose is ready! Wait... A dragon with its mouth airtight is a peaceful dragon, but what if we want to draw a fearsome muzzle seething with anger? See the next steps if yous want to learn the answer.

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three. Describe an Open up Oral fissure in 3D Space

Stride 1

If we want an open mouth, nosotros need to depict the rest of the "L" shape. Its back, upper part volition be the axis of rotation; we demand this axis to ascertain the side by side pose.

Stride 2

Let's open the oral fissure as much as possible (a right angle is the limit, in my stance). A 90 degree rotation is quite like shooting fish in a barrel to do; the top becomes forepart side and the back becomes height. The right side just switches the lengths.

Pace 3

We need to find the middle of the oral fissure. To do this, depict a line beyond the upper jaw and the rotated block. Then draw a vertical line down. The angle betwixt the 2 lines is 90 degrees, but perspective alters it.

Step 4

Imagine a huge circle with a center in the corner of our correct angle. Describe only the function that'south betwixt the lines.

Step 5

An open mouth will be moving forth a curve. You tin can run across the front part of the lower jaw volition go on narrowing while sliding down, until nosotros end seeing its front end (and the within is visible instead).

Step 6

To have the oral fissure wide open up, yous need to describe the front of the mouth turned abroad from you, so connect it as usually with the rotated back part. The lower lip should bear upon the curve.

Stride 7

Since yous know how the closed and fully open up mouth looks, you can easily observe every transitional position. You just need to imagine the "Fifty" part rotating over the axis, and the mouth sliding over the curve between jaws. Retrieve to always impact it with the lower lip!

Step viii

This is how my dragon guide sketch looks. If you're drawing traditionally and your sketch looks very messy now because of all these lines we don't demand any more, you tin trace the sketch on a new page. Keep information technology light! If you're drawing digitally, just lower its opacity, lock it, and create a new layer.

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4. Form the Basic Structure of the Dragon

Stride ane

Once we have our uncomplicated blocks defined, nosotros need to add more than complicated blocks to pad out the face. When yous draw a dragon without thinking about 3D, y'all just depict an heart or eyes, nostrils and horns, and that's all. The whole face is flat and unnatural. You need to plan the confront masses first, and then draw all the bulges and depressions. See them in 3D!

Once more, it'due south yet in the sketch stage. It means you need to go on the new lines light (or on a new layer). Let's draw the upper jaw first. It should be connected to the ball, only y'all don't actually need to be strict with the shape. Use the pose sketch every bit a guide, but don't trace it.

Step 2

Draw a forehead too. Equally you can see, I didn't worry virtually the model's size at all. It'south the direction that matters.

Step 3

Add the forehead ridges at a whole brow's width. You can fifty-fifty draw them from the olfactory organ to the end of the head.

Pace 4

The lower jaw is almost traced, as there's no room for any changes (still).

Step 5

Place the eye in a socket. Where to identify information technology? Ane helpful tip: herbivores generally have their eyes on both sides of the head for the widest field of vision possible (to see an enemy while eating). Carnivores have their eyes on the front of the face for a precise sight (compare a horse and a lion). Therefore:

• If you want a dragon with gentle expect, place its eyes relatively far from the forepart of the face up.
• If you lot want a murderous creature, place its eyes closer to the oral cavity.

Tin you approximate what kind of dragon I drew?

Pace half-dozen

Since all the shapes are nicely defined, we tin beginning drawing for real! Grab a softer pencil or create a new layer and permit'southward go!

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5. Draw the Dragon'due south Features

Stride one

While horns await pretty piece of cake to depict, people tend to take problems with them. Everyone has their own manner, only if you want your dragon to look natural (so, more realistic), don't make them sharp. Horns wear down when used! As well, directly ones look quite artificial, so bend them a little.

Step 2

Dragons are by and large covered with small scales that resemble pare (like snakes), or with big plate-scales. While modest scales are very easy (and boring) to draw, plates are what brand them await massive and armored. Once you larn how to draw them, you lot'll run across information technology'south much faster than covering whole body with a bazillion lilliputian ellipses! So, iii tips:

• Y'all can imagine a single plate-calibration is a mitt with 3 fingers. This hand tries to cover the surface it'southward laying on, and so most of the time nosotros'll see but a one-half of it (two fingers).
• When the scales grow bigger, they don't just increase their size - they're like fractals. It works like a growing tree that gets more branches with a time.
• Scales lay upon each other, only they're not glued together; when their base is bending, they "open".

Footstep 3

When y'all draw a scale (or anything made of natural material), information technology doesn't demand to be perfect. Nature isn't perfect! Scales aren't made of plastic; they have been growing for a long fourth dimension, in the rain and cold; they take been hit and scratched, and that has changed them. (Or, if your dragon is fabricated of adamantium, nothing changed them. Perfection is fine in that case.) Don't be afraid to heighten your pencil and come dorsum to the line you just started - long, smooth lines requite a cartoony expect. Don't try to prepare your lines either, or you'll get a mess.

Step four

Since we know how the scales work, we can kickoff to dress our dragon. First, we'll accept care of the eyebrows. They look simply similar tapered cylinders, so it's easy to imagine how the scales should be placed. Kickoff with the 1 on the front - the only one that will exist fully visible. And then draw another, a piddling bigger, so on. Every other scale may exist more than complicated than the previous one, just as if you lot were drawing them growing!

Step 5

At present, place your scales from the nose to the terminate of the caput. This time they're quite similar, as the surface they're laying on barely changes its shape. They also tin can lay flat.

Footstep half-dozen

I'g not going to teach you nearly an eye's shape, because they can be really different. However, there'southward one universal affair: the eye is placed in the eye socket, covered with eyelids, and protected with two big bone masses - the brow ridge and the zygomatic bone. There are two things to remember:

• If dragon's skin is very thick, the eyelids are probably quite thick likewise - therefore, when the eye is open, the eyelid volition accept a strong wrinkle.
• There'due south a right angle between the summit of the zygomatic os and the eyeball, and so keep that in mind when changing the pose.

Step 7

This is how I drew the heart:

Footstep eight

Time to describe the rest of the mouth. Draw it with your hand shaking - this way you'll go a lot of interesting shapes, which are so much improve than dull smoothen lines. Also, can you run into the piddling low? It's not required; you tin can keep your mouth round if y'all want.

Stride ix

Let's draw the lower jaw! It'due south going to be quite complicated, considering of all the teeth and and so on, so let's accept it slow. First, draw the front role of the jaw (a shaking manus will help y'all over again). Nosotros as well demand to add this strong jaw musculus that opens the mouth. The bigger the angle of opening, the more stretched the muscles. This tension adds a lot to the picture!

Stride x

Generally, teeth are going to employ the same bend to slide over when the oral cavity is opening, because the upper and lower ones desire to meet - just like the jaws. As well, don't forget:

• Teeth clothing out as well! Don't make them all pointy or they'll seem unused.
• The kind of teeth tells a lot about your dragon. Should they be like a T-Rex's, or more than similar a lion'south? What does information technology eat, and how does information technology hunt?
• Dragons can't expose their gums like wolves, because their skin is much harder, merely they however should be visible when the mouth is open up.

Stride 11

A tongue is usually plump, and then don't make it flat. Information technology needs to help the huge fauna eat quite big things, later on all! Points to consider:

• If your dragon can eject its tongue long out of the mouth while roaring, enquire yourself: what's the point of this? I don't really know any animate being that does it, so you need to observe a practiced reason to brand information technology "realistic".
• A forked tongue is an organ of scent. Snakes flick their tongues out all the time and, theoretically, your dragon should do the same if it has a forked natural language. Otherwise, it'south pointless!

Step 12

The head is almost complete, so let'due south just add together an element to merge both jaws together. You can use bony wings here, additional horns and spikes, annihilation you like! Simply remember - it all should serve a purpose (for example, to look bigger or more attractive for a potential mate).

Step xiii

So, the head is washed! It's still just a line art, so if you lot want to learn how to make it more attractive, see the next step.

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6. Add a Spark to Your Drawing

Step 1

We're going to exercise the inking now. Digital artists are in a improve position here, but traditional markers and brawl pens will do too!

Our motion-picture show is made of lines of almost the aforementioned width. Stress some of them to add importance to the diverse areas.

Step ii

Add some darkness to wherever it's needed. Here, I want to show the difference betwixt the inside and the outside of the oral fissure.

Footstep iii

Embrace the horns and teeth with sparse curves. They should be thinner than most of the lines that build the pic.

Step 4

Use the same thin lines to sketch shaded areas. Keep it loose and fast. When you want to darken a identify, cross the lines, but don't change the pencil!

Footstep v

Here is what I've got by calculation depth to the scales.

Stride 6

Look at your picture and cheque whether it needs any more than contrast. If a place is already covered with lines and you desire to make it darker, y'all can use a bigger brush or softer pencil in that location.

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Awesome Work, You lot're Now Done!

Yous've just learnt how to create a 3D pose and draw a convincing dragon head. I hope you liked it! Feel gratis to come up back hither whatsoever fourth dimension if you need a quick reminder.