How can I paint a dragon?
September 4, 2020 3:18 PM Subscribe
I would like to paint a dragon as a gift for a friend’s upcoming book release. I’m not a bad watercolor painter, but I am a very literal one. I almost always paint from life or from a photo (that I took myself). I obviously can’t do this with a dragon. I certainly don’t want to copy anyone else’s work. Any suggestions for what I can paint from?
Best answer: Most features of dragons are based on real life reptiles of one sort or another.
How about a red-eyed crocodile skink?
posted by automatronic at 3:30 PM on September 4, 2020 [10 favorites]
How about a red-eyed crocodile skink?
posted by automatronic at 3:30 PM on September 4, 2020 [10 favorites]
Best answer: Get a bunch of images of lizards, birds, dinosaurs, and dragons and copy the individual parts you like. If you take the pose from an Apatosaurus illustration, use the head and wings from a Harry Potter screencap, and add eagle claws and iguana skin, you'll end with up a dragon of your own making.
If you don't feel confident doing it just by looking, you could cobble the images together to make a ransom note dragon first. You can combine the images digitally in something as basic as MS Paint, or you could print things out at roughly the right scale and literally cut and paste them together.
posted by yeahlikethat at 4:11 PM on September 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
If you don't feel confident doing it just by looking, you could cobble the images together to make a ransom note dragon first. You can combine the images digitally in something as basic as MS Paint, or you could print things out at roughly the right scale and literally cut and paste them together.
posted by yeahlikethat at 4:11 PM on September 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
Best answer: First: what kind of dragon? Does it have four legs and two wings? Or two legs and two wings? Or two wings and no legs? Or four legs and no wings? These are very important decisions that affect what types of real creatures or art you want to draw from, and will affect anatomy as well as composition. If you can clarify, I'll happily suggest specific animals and direction.
But on balance: put some bat wings on an armadillo lizard in a pose you like and you'll have a pretty good western fantasy dragon.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:33 PM on September 4, 2020 [6 favorites]
But on balance: put some bat wings on an armadillo lizard in a pose you like and you'll have a pretty good western fantasy dragon.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:33 PM on September 4, 2020 [6 favorites]
Also I recently used this 'How to Draw a Chinese Dragon' guide, it was fun and informative for me.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:42 PM on September 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:42 PM on September 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
Best answer: So, a while ago I ended up painting/drawing at least 20 dragon-themed cards for gifts. When I first started, I didn't know anything about painting dragons, either.
Our approach to painting sounds similar, I'm also very literal. And I didn't want to infringe on or copy others artists' work. I wanted a cute, plump, peaceful-looking dragon, so I referenced stock photos of geckos.
If you want a fiercer dragon, check out the reptiles others have suggested above. I can also vouch for the "print out photos of 5+ lizards/bats/etc. and tape them together" method.
Have fun! Painting something just outside of your comfort zone can be such a rewarding project.
posted by Guess What at 6:11 PM on September 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
Our approach to painting sounds similar, I'm also very literal. And I didn't want to infringe on or copy others artists' work. I wanted a cute, plump, peaceful-looking dragon, so I referenced stock photos of geckos.
If you want a fiercer dragon, check out the reptiles others have suggested above. I can also vouch for the "print out photos of 5+ lizards/bats/etc. and tape them together" method.
Have fun! Painting something just outside of your comfort zone can be such a rewarding project.
posted by Guess What at 6:11 PM on September 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
A leafy sea dragon would be amazing in watercolor!
posted by clew at 8:09 PM on September 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by clew at 8:09 PM on September 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
First you're going to need a dragon egg.
posted by medusa at 9:21 PM on September 4, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by medusa at 9:21 PM on September 4, 2020 [4 favorites]
How about using a dragon figurine as a model? Schleich makes some amazing ones and they are available in most toy stores and online.
posted by purenitrous at 8:45 AM on September 5, 2020
posted by purenitrous at 8:45 AM on September 5, 2020
Clint's Reptiles. Take some time perusing the channel, because he is enthusiastic, and he can make pet black widows sound like a reasonable idea. Really.
Australian Water Dragon vs Chinese Water Dragon - head to head
Rhinoceros Iguana, The Best Pet Lizard?
Five of the Best Pet Lizards You Could Possibly Get
posted by TrishaU at 8:57 PM on September 5, 2020
Australian Water Dragon vs Chinese Water Dragon - head to head
Rhinoceros Iguana, The Best Pet Lizard?
Five of the Best Pet Lizards You Could Possibly Get
posted by TrishaU at 8:57 PM on September 5, 2020
James Gurney on modeling clay maquettes. And them make sure the lighting makes for an interesting composition, again, as per Gurney. He paints books full of dinosaurs in fantasy settings, both of which we don't see in real life, so he knows what he's talking about.
It's also worth looking at his book on Imaginative realism.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:20 PM on September 7, 2020
It's also worth looking at his book on Imaginative realism.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:20 PM on September 7, 2020
Response by poster: I just finished my dragon painting- I based it off a (digitally) pasted together image of an armadillo lizard and bat! (Bonus points to SaltySalticid to introducing me to armadillo lizards, truly the world’s cutest lizard!)
posted by rebeccabeagle at 12:31 PM on October 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by rebeccabeagle at 12:31 PM on October 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by advicepig at 3:24 PM on September 4, 2020 [1 favorite]