- Sketching / Drawing
- Level: Beginner
- Subject: Dragon Scales
Dragon Workshop: Head | Body | Scales | Wings | Limbs And Talons | Horns And Other Addons | More…
As mentioned earlier, after drawing the main body of the dragon, it would look bare and naked without all the addons like scales, horns and wings. In this short tutorial, you can learn how to draw scales on the dragon’s body you constructed.
Construction Lines
It is quite simple to draw construction lines if you want to draw a patch of scales.
You should actually take care of the angle and curve of the cross hatched lines - but for practice, just have two sets of straight lines perpendicular to each other.
Sketching Scales
After that sketch over it. Do it in a separate layer if you are doing it in digtal medium. Use the construction lines as guides, and draw the ‘U’ shaped lines.
Scale Types
Drawing the construction lines with a different angle between the two sets of straight lines, gives you a base to draw a different type of scale. After you experiment with those angles, you should be able to draw patches of scales of varying types.
Drawing a patch of scale is easy - but wrapping it around the dragon body is a bit tricky.
Shape The Scales
Let us consider the neck (or the tail part) of a dragon.
Now we need to draw the construction lines of the scales - but remember that the area is curved and not flat.
When you draw one set of parallel lines, it will be curved around the part of the dragon - it might be a bit tricky, but visualizing and practicing helps. This is the important step and take your time and practice.
Once the construction lines are layed down, sketching the actual scales is an easy exercise.
Practice applying different types of scales to different parts of the dragon. You will need to experiment with the ‘flow’ of the scales - which go from the tip of the nose to tip of the tail.
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April 16, 2008 at 4:16 am
Pingback from Painting A Medieval Dragon - Part 1 | KalaaLog
February 29, 2008 at 12:50 am
David W.
Thanks! Helped me a lot
February 29, 2008 at 4:34 am
Vyoma
You are welcome, David!
November 7, 2008 at 8:29 pm
helen
a bit lumpy … but if you smooth it out and minimize the scales it could be even better …
November 28, 2008 at 11:59 am
Ian
All your dragon parts have helped me no end, Thanks
December 23, 2008 at 5:06 am
Chris
Thanks for another very useful part of the dragon workshop! (Also, sorry about the double post on the dragon head’s page, feel free to delete one of those comments!)
December 23, 2008 at 5:40 am
Vyoma
You are welcome!
And Chris - no worries of that double post. Only the first comment from a reader gets held up in the moderation queue.
January 26, 2009 at 8:09 am
Scotty
THanks, man this will help tons on my new sketch.
January 26, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Vyoma
You are welcome Scotty!
April 11, 2009 at 5:07 pm
sorena
you rock!