Intro

Chances are, you already know how to draw. You might even draw dragons already. I'm not going to bore you with how a dragon should look or the anatomy. Neither am I going to go over coloring. Instead, this tutorial contains a few tips I use in order to brainstorm ideas for unique dragons, finding references, and breaking the ice into actually starting to DRAW dragons if you don't know where to start.

Base

When I started drawing dragons, I originally drew a lot of horses and birds. I discovered that by using the same frame and adding dragon-like characteristics, be it wings, teeth, scaly tails, that those creatures easily became dragons.

example: here are two identical base circles that I would normally use for a horse

Now, left: I've made a horse. But on the right I've made completely different features.

To spice things up, you can even use the same frame but completely change the shape and look of the creature. For example: here it looks like we're making a horse's nose...

Instead, however, we change the supposed nose into a head, then the original head into the body:

Then, we can use the rest of the original body curvature as a guide for the flow of the tail.

Using References

Since dragons are pure fantasy, there's no limit on how you can make a dragon. However, it can be difficult to solely rely on your imagination to conjure up the creature. You can help your brain by using animal pictures for references or for brainstorming ideas. If you use non-copyrighted images, such as those on UnSplash, you can even use the pose of an animal without worrying about copy-issues.

For example: Here I've found a picture of a lion and a goat and brought them into ClipStudio.

Focusing on the lion, I might create a dragon that has a mane and short snout. Maybe even some floppy ears.

Aside from using photos just for jogging your imagination, you can also use them to help you trace/get the feel for certain shapes. Here, I've made the goat picture opacity low so that I can trace the shape of the horns.

Then, after adding my own details, it becomes a unique dragon.

Of course, adding shading or color, even if only using the auto-color tool, adds some dimension to your drawing or sketch.

By using different animals as inspiration, you can end up with many different kinds of dragons.

I personally like drawing a lot of horse-like or bird-like dragons.

Detail

Sometimes adding a bit of detail is all you need for a unique flare on your dragons. Whether it be jagged teeth, talons or paws, or an oddly shaped eye.

You can even change the shape of the iris of the eye. While often times dragons will feature slitted eyes like that of a reptile, you could also give them square iris or soft round eyes.

Different Styles

Of course, dragons come in all shapes and sizes. You don't need to limit yourself to drawing what you think a dragon should look like. Explore different styles.

You could go for a somewhat mystical aura...

A fun, friendly dragon...

Or even just a downright comical creature that we might as well call a dragon...

Lines of Action

Sometimes it helps to draw a line at the start of your drawing in order to make sure you feel an action. It can be sharp or subtle. I often start my drawings with a reference line. You should be able to still point out this line once you've completed a drawing.

Don't Worry or Overthink It

Sometimes a drawing turns out... odd, to say the least. But don't get down on yourself if you think something is wrong with your drawing. You can still use it as an experience.

Maybe you think the claws and wings are messed up, but you like the way the teeth turned out:

Maybe you feel something looks too simple and won't be interesting, but you still like the goofy expression:

Or maybe you had an idea but never finished it:

Afterward

I often find that people have very set ideas of what a dragon should look like. I've had friends who only drew mean looking dragons, because they thought dragons had to be scary. Or only scaly dragons, 'cause they thought dragons must be reptiles. But I feel that one of the most satisfying aspects of drawing dragons is that there IS no set of rules to follow. Your dragon isn't limited to breathing fire; have it spit acid or even bubbles!

Hope this was somewhat helpful and that y'all have fun drawing dragons~