Fantasy artists draw dragons, this is just a fact of life, and as it happens a friend of mine asked me to draw one for him.
Not just a random dragon, this one specifically.

I’ve already said how rarely I accept assignments from friends. But he’s not picky, he didn’t give me any deadline and he has no requirements whatsoever, a part from the fact that he would like it to be painted in oils.

Now, this particular thing scares me a bit , I haven’t used oils in ages.
Also, I found out I’m probably allergic to most thinners, and after an hour of breathing that crap my face becomes all red and swollen. As a matter of fact, I kind of remember at some point I made a solemn oath that sounded like “fuck you oils, never again”.
However, the friend who asked is the kind of person you just want to do nice things for, so I was happy to say “yes, I’ll draw your dragon”.

Now, it’s not that I mind doing this thing. Dragons are amongst the most interesting things to draw. They’re full of spikes, and curves, and teeth. You can make them evil, or wise, or ancient, or vicious, or noble, and you never go wrong.
So, since I can take as long as two years to finish it, I decided to take my time and study the topic thoroughly, make sketches, practice on the subject and only eventually expose my face to the poisonous fumes of oil paints.
I’ve painted dragons before, but the deadline that time was so tight that I barely had any time to give it any thought.
Funnily enough, one of the blogs I follow most closely just finished a series of posts about anything dragon-y, so good thing someone else already did some of the research for me:)

Anyway, here are some sketches of dragons.
The dragon I mean to draw this time is not supposed to be magical at all, or particularly smart. More a big, vicious winged predator, more fond on swallowing sheep whole than amassing treasures in a cave.

I made a few thumbs just to figure out the right balance of shapes (top left on the following sketch).

For once I used REAL pencils instead of drawing directly on screen. Pencils on paper are my favourite media, hands down.
I also did some studies to work out the best way to position its head and neck. I went for the one at the bottom, I think it would make sense for him to tilt his head that way to pick up something so close to the ground at full speed. Plus, the other two heads were kind of dull.

I made another bunch of thumbnails to figure out the value masses, and whether to use a bright shape on a dark background or vice versa. I think the one in the middle would work best, the head is clearly the point of interest, and it leads the eyes to the bright shapes of the sheep. The wing should lead the eye back into the painting, creating a circular movement. Hopefully.

Then I made some other sketches to come up with a convincing head. Did I already say I love drawing with pencils?

 

 

 

Anyway, I haven’t decided yet which one I shall use, I might go on sketching before I make up my mind.
I’ve also already started with the proper painting, hopefully I will post it in a couple of days.

by Paolo Puggioni

2 Responses

1. Toby Deveson says:

   October 1, 2012 at 14:27

   As usual, fantastic…

   Reply
2. Paolo Puggioni says:

   October 1, 2012 at 18:52

   Thanks Toby!:)

   Reply