The Art of Drawing Dragons: Mythological Beasts and Fantasy Creatures

November 21, 2022January 30, 2023 Gupta

Fantasy creatures may not be real, but that doesn’t mean we can’t draw them in a realistic way. Two mighty wings, sharp teeth, fiery breath, and gleaming scales—when you think of a dragon, these are often the first characteristics that spring to mind. There are no limits to what a dragon can look like. After all, they are fictional creatures that are only brought to “life” in series, films and books.

If you take a closer look, you quickly realize that all these dragons are different from each other. But what exactly do these differences mean? The real question is: how to draw a dragon step-by-step? We prepared an easy tutorial for any beginners. There are only 20 steps and if you follow them, you will quickly have a dragon in front of you.

Step 1: Split your canvas vertically

Dragons have unusual proportions and complex bodies. Since you are going to be drawing the entire body of the dragon, you should use a trick to get everything in the right place. Take it slow and go step by step.

First, dividte the canvas into three equal parts.

Step 2: Split your canvas again

Divide your canvas horizontally into three equal parts. Now you have a very familiar composition grid and the perfect help for drawing complex pieces.

Step 3: Draw an ellipse

Draw a moderately sized ellipse on the lower left side of your canvas. This will be the central part of dragon’s body.

Step 4: Draw a circle

In the upper left part of the canvas draw a small circle. This will be dragon’s head.

Step 5: Connect the body and the head

Connect our dragon’s head and body with a long curved line. Draw two more circles to mark the position of the limbs.

Step 6: Draw a distorted rectangle

Now draw the structure of the head. Add a distorted rectangle to set the shape of the head, then add a small triangle right next to it.

Step 7: Complete the neck

Complete the dragon’s neck with two more lines. Make sure that one connects the center of the head circle to the left side of the body and the other leads from the right side of the head.

Step 8: Draw the front leg

Using two bean-like shapes, draw dragon’s leg.

Step 9: Adding the Claws

Now add the claws. Use three different sized lines to mark the claws.

Step 10: Repeat

Repeat the above steps for the other leg, noting the intersecting shapes and erasing any unnecessary lines.

Step 11: Draw the other leg

Draw the other leg with two ellipses. The hind legs are thicker than the front legs and their claws are shorter.

Step 12: Adding the Tail

With a curved line, outline the tail and draw the end with a rhombus.

Step 13: Draw two triangles

Now start drawing the wings. Draw the first part with a triangle and the second with an inverted triangle.

Step 14: Draw the mouth, eye and horns

Add the mouth with an elongated W shape starting at the top of the triangle and ending at the halfway point of the head circle. Add the nose in the shape of a small V.

Draw the eye with another rhombus and draw a semicircle inside.

For the horns, you can use the following shapes or choose your own. It’s important to remember that horns are mostly symmetrical and both sides should look the same.

Step 15: Draw the Head

In this step, you can let your imagination run wild. Dragons come in many shapes so you can make them bigger, smaller, etc. Keep in mind that dragons are primarily reptilian inspired, so the lines in the head will not be smooth or curved, but rather rough and irregular.

Step 16: Draw the legs

Now draw the legs and add small spiky bumps near the joints to add more detail to the drawing.

Step 17: Add the Tail and Claws

Draw the tail and add the claws. Also draw the visible part of the other wing. Remember to keep adding the spinal protrusions on the tail.

Step 18: Shading the Wings

Now shade the wings, fill them with graphite and blend them. Shade more heavily under the overlapping wing.

Step 19: Adding the Scales

This part will take the most of the time. You can add a few scales here and there if you don’t want to spend a lot of time drawing the entire body of the dragon.

Step 20: Draw the Floor

Add soft tracks under your dragons and mix them up to mimic the ground.