How to Draw a Dragon in 6 Easy Steps

Written by Gail Baker Nelson
Updated: January 23, 2023
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Dragons are hard to draw. Learning to draw a dragon means you must become comfortable going off the beaten path because they have no real-world equivalent. Instead, there are many types of dragons, all rooted in the mythology of a given culture. For example, dragons of the east are more serpentine or lizard-like and don’t always have wings. However, they generally have lots of horns. On the other hand, dragons of the west look like a T-Rex, a crocodile, and a bat mixed up in a genetics lab.

It’s a good idea to research the various forms to come up with one that you like. For example, I tend to like the western dragons a little more because they remind me of those in books like The Hobbit.

You’ll need a few supplies and a lot of patience; however, when you’re done, I hope you’ve created something you love.

If you’re using Photoshop or another art app on your computer, I strongly recommend also using a graphics tablet. The drawing stylus they include is much more natural than drawing with your mouse. For my computer illustrations, I use the Huion HS611. It’s fairly reasonably priced and allows you to draw more easily.

On the other hand, if paper is your preference, I’ve included links to a few options at the bottom of the page.

Supplies

SuppliesType Needed
Drawing paperConsider using thicker paper than standard notebook paper. Watercolor paper and Bristol are both excellent choices.
Drawing pencilsTry to find a few different hardness pencils, such as 2H, HB, 2B, and 4B; they’re perfect for beginners. Don’t spend a ton on these yet; unless you’ve been drawing for a while, you may be unable to tell the difference between a $5 pencil and a 50-cent pencil.
Watercolor or colored pencilsI used red and dark red/burgundy, bronze, green, and ivory; however, you can choose whichever colors suit your preferences.
ErasersPlease don’t skimp on erasers; getting decent ones only costs a few dollars. My favorites are the putty type you can mold and a standard rubber eraser.
Blending stumps or blending pencilsBlending with your finger or a q-tip are good options, but I feel like these give me more control over what I’m doing.
White gel pen or white pencilIt may sound like a waste if you’re not drawing on dark paper, but these help finish touches like highlights.
Watercolor paint brushesSmaller projects like this need small round watercolor brushes.

1 — Lay the Dragon Drawing Foundation

Begin by drawing a few basic shapes representing the body, head, and neck.

Start by lightly sketching a few basic shapes — a large circle for the body, smaller for the rump. Then, add a triangle for the head.

I modified the shapes we used for the horse and the unicorn for the snout. Instead of one square with two lines connecting to the head, I drew two of them to represent an open mouth.

Yes, I know, I use these for every drawing tutorial I’ve done for a-z-animals.com, but it’s because they work. There was a time when I would do anything to avoid using them because I thought it was silly. After all, if I were a good enough artist, why should I need them?

It’s simple: You use them because they make you a better artist.

Drawing a dragon
Add lines representing the wings, tail, and legs.

Next, add legs, tail, and wings.

The circles represent joints that you would see in the animal. The tail is like a snake because you won’t see the joints; it just curves around.

A note about the wings: Wings are hard to draw; I based these on the idea of a bat’s wings. They’re modified arms with elongated fingers. You could just as easily base your dragon’s wings on that of a bird, but the principle is the same.

Digital artists: Create a couple of layers. One layer is for the body, and another for the legs, tail, and wings.

Paper artists: Sketch lightly! You’ll have to erase or blend these into the final outline.

2 — Create a Rough Outline

Sketch a rough outline of a dragon.

It’s time to sketch that outline. Take your time! You do not have to include all the horns on the dragon. They’re purely optional and if they cause frustration, skip them. Remember that this is your creation, not mine or anyone else’s.

Your rough sketch doesn’t have to include much detail. I have more detail in mine because I had a relatively clear idea of what I wanted, and I sometimes get carried away in the earlier stages of a drawing. However, if you have any doubt about how the finished product needs to look, leave out finer details until later in the process.

Redraw the outline a little darker over the lighter sketch. Then remove all the extra stuff.

Now, take a few moments to redraw the outline and remove all the messy basic shapes. Pay attention to the wingtips with the claws — again; it’s okay to leave extras out — add only as much detail as you’re comfortable adding because you still need to color and shade this fantastic beast.

Add the belly scales because I can’t imagine a dragon without some reptilian belly scale.

A note on preferences: If you want to leave your dragon as a sketch, feel free to do so. There’s no reason to color it in if you enjoy how it looks as a sketch. Skip the color steps and go to the shading and highlights.

Digital artists: Use multiple layers. For my drawing, I used a layer each for the head, body, legs, and wings. It allows you to remove things you don’t like without reworking the whole thing.

Paper artists: Again, sketch lightly if you’re using paper.

3 — What Color Dragon Do You Want?

Color in the body first.

I had a hard time deciding between a green or a blue dragon. Maybe purple. In the end, red won the day. This dragon became dark red because I thought it looked good with the green I already colored the eye. When I started this, I got a little ahead of myself and colored the eye green, even though, in reality, it probably should have waited.

My impatience aside, the green looks pretty good, and while you’re at it, color the mouth pale pink. Then, make its tongue a little darker, and add a hint of pink to the edges of the eye where the tear ducts would be located.

Start your coloring gently, then layer on more color until you’re satisfied with it. As you work, you can leave some areas, like the top of its head and tail, maybe its knees, a little lighter than the underside of its belly or legs. It may make highlighting easier later. Also, be careful around the horns and claws. You don’t want to color over them accidentally and have to fix them later.

Choose a lighter color for the wings because they’re made of skin and could be somewhat transparent.

Dragon wings are often depicted as being bat-like. Bat wings are made from skin stretched out between their elongated fingers. It makes them thin and somewhat transparent, although they’d be much larger and presumably thicker-skinned in a dragon. Keeping that in mind, even if it were the same basic color as the body, dragon wings might have a bit of transparency or perhaps a slight color shift. It’s just more diluted than when they’re folded.

Color carefully around the bones, and blend the two colors at the base of the wings. If you blend the darker color up toward the lighter color, it’ll look like it’s stretching out.

Coloring your dragon drawing
Now, color the chest, horns, and claws.

Take your time with the horns because they’re small and easy to color too far outside the lines. Pick a color you enjoy because you’re in charge of its final appearance when you draw a mythical creature. Be creative, and have fun!

Digital artists: Each color needs to have its own layer. Save yourself the hassle of redoing things if you decide you don’t like the way it looks.

Paper artists: Begin gently, and add color as you feel it needs more. Don’t get too hung up on perfection; remember that sometimes, less is more.

4 — Shading Your Dragon Drawing

Shading the drawing
A drawing without shading is flat.

To shade your dragon drawing properly, keep the light source in mind. In this case, it’s coming from the top left of the dragon. Shadows are the flip side of light; more accurately, they’re the absence of light. They only exist where enough light exists to cast shadows. The stronger the light source, the deeper the shadows, so decide now how dark the shadows in your drawing will become.

Think about real-world animals and how the muscles shape their bodies. Muscles pull but don’t push. For example, the biceps pull the forearm (or foreleg) inwards, while the triceps pull it out. This is why a push-up works one set of muscles, and a pull-up works an entirely different group of muscles. Consider this when you add shading to the legs.

Take a look at a few different animals or even people in active poses and ask these questions:

  • What are their muscles doing?
  • How does that affect the shape?
  • How do the shadows and light look?

Now that you have a clearer mental picture of where the shading belongs, it’s time to get to work. If it’s difficult to picture the light, draw diagonal lines from the light in the direction that it’s heading. I did this in the horse tutorial, so if you’re unsure, take a look. Either do it in a separate layer or light enough that you can erase it easily.

Add shadows to the space under and behind its legs, lower and back sides of its tail, and under its chin where the light is casting a shadow from its huge, toothy mouth. Soften the edges of the shadows, and use a blending stump or Photoshop blender tool to drag the edges up and around a little to create the shape you want to see.

Create sharper-edged shadows around the edges of the horns, claws, teeth, and belly scales. They’re harder surfaces, so the shadows need to indicate the hardness by not blending in as much.

Digital artists: Create a new layer for the shadows, and set it to multiply. As you add shadows, they’ll build and darken the color behind the layer without completely obliterating it.

Paper artists: Instead of black, try a darker shade or heavier layer of whatever color it is. Sometimes, it looks more natural than a standard black shadow. However, black is probably the right color to use if it’s a very deep shadow. Then, make any shadows that touch the ground black/gray.

5 — Creating Highlights that Make Your Dragon Drawing Pop

Highlighting a drawing is a great way to help it come to life.

Highlights are where the light is strongest, and the parts of your dragon drawing closest to the light will have stronger highlights. Why didn’t we do the highlight portion first? I suppose you could, but I’ve always done it this way, and it works. I’ve done the highlights first in a few drawings and always seem to have to re-apply them because something got messed up. It may be just me, but I figure it pays to do things in a way that gives me confidence that it will work. I don’t have the patience to do otherwise.

Now, let’s get to work on those highlights. Remember, they’re strongest in places where the light touches first, so that gives the top of its head, leading edges of wings, horns on its forehead, and to a slightly lesser degree, the chest the brightest highlights.

Soften the edges where it’s either a softer highlight, like on its hide or wings. Don’t soften them as much on hard surfaces.

Other highlighted areas:

  • Nostril edges
  • Thin highlight edge along the far edges of its snout
  • Claws
  • Front edges of its legs.

Digital artists: Just as we did for the other steps create a new layer for the highlights. It’s hard to fix things if you haven’t created layers when you discover a mistake. You can use either white or lighter shades of the colors you used for your dragon drawing.

Paper artists: Get ready to use your moldable eraser, gel pen, or white pencil. Start by using the moldable eraser to lift away the color in areas that need highlights. Then, on the horns and claws, use your white pencil or gel pen to add more pronounced, hard-edged highlights.

6 — Finishing

finished dragon drawing
Drawing a dragon takes patience and a lot of practice!

Before you do anything else, stop! If you’ve been working on this dragon for a few hours or days, your eyes need a break. You’ll miss details that you would otherwise spot unless you take a break. So, walk away from it for at least a day.

After you’ve let it sit for a day or two, open the file or pull the drawing out again. You may see something that doesn’t look quite right or that looks a little flat. If so, take a moment to address it.

In mine, I realized that I had neglected the fold in the skin right behind its rump where the tail starts, so I added a few short vertical lines to that spot. I also added a ground shadow and background color.

Now, step back from your dragon drawing and look at it from a distance. If you’re on a computer, zoom out. Do you see anything else that needs to be adjusted?

Best Bristol Paper
Borden & Riley #120P Bristol Smooth Paper Pad, 11" x 14", 270 GSM, 20 White Sheets, 1 Pad Each (12PP111420)
  • 157 lb. paper with neutral pH
  • Sturdy, 2-ply paper with smooth rendering surface
  • Perfect for pencil, pen, dry brush, and other mediums
  • 11" x 14"
  • Made in the USA
Check Amazon
Best Watercolor Pencils
Arteza Watercolor Pencils, Set of 48
  • Includes 48 artist-grade colored pencils
  • Highly pigmented
  • Water-soluble
  • Unique triangular design makes these pre-sharpened watercolor pencils easier to hold and control
  • Break-resistant
Check Amazon
Best Eraser Pack
June Gold Kneaded Rubber Erasers, 6-Pack
  • Pack of 6
  • Kneaded rubber/gummy erasers
  • Erases and/or lightens most dry media
  • Also helpful for blending, highlighting, shading, smoothing, correcting, and brightening drawings
  • Easy to clean by kneading between your fingers
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Best Sketching Pencil Set
Amazon Basics Sketch and Drawing Art Pencil Kit
  • Designed for artists of all skill levels
  • 17-piece set includes pencils, charcoal pencils, compressed sketch sticks
  • Also includes a standard eraser, a kneaded eraser, a blender/smudge stick, and a dual-barrel sharpener
  • Allows artists to experiment and combine different techniques
  • Budget-friendly
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Best White Gel Pen
Pentel Arts Milky Pop Pastel Gel Pen, White Ink
  • Set of 2
  • Add a pop of milky white color to any artwork
  • Features smooth gel ink
  • Works equally well on light or dark-colored paper
  • Latex-free grip for comfortable drawing
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Best Drawing Tablet for Computer
2020 HUION HS611 Graphics Drawing Tablet
  • This is the first graphics tablet equipped with 8 multimedia keys
  • The multimedia keys are intuitive and can be used for a variety of artistic needs
  • Can be connected with Android 6.0 (or later) phones or tablets via an adapter
  • Battery-free stylus doesn't require a battery or charger
  • Sleek and slim design available in 3 colors?
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Best Artist Glove for Drawing Tablet
Huion Artist Glove for Drawing Tablet
  • Wear on either hand
  • Prevents smudges from your hand transferring to your tablet
  • Comfortable, soft, Lycra and Nylon
  • Flexible
  • Black
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The photo featured at the top of this post is ©


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About the Author

Gail Baker Nelson is a writer at A-Z Animals where she focuses on reptiles and dogs. Gail has been writing for over a decade and uses her experience training her dogs and keeping toads, lizards, and snakes in her work. A resident of Texas, Gail loves working with her three dogs and caring for her cat, and pet ball python.

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