Q&A for How to Draw a Dragon Head

Shading makes the art look more real. Redoing the color makes it look more like a cartoon.

Try sketching it lightly and use the picture of the dragon you want to draw. Then, lightly draw what you see and, if you happen to get the shape you want, draw a little darker. With practice, you will improve.

Use dramatic shading. For instance, if your dragon is facing slightly left, add shading under its chin, along its neck, at the left end of its eyes, and at the base of its horns.

Draw a more rounded outline than that of a human, more like a cat's eye. Give the eye a thin, curved pupil. Add shading to suggest a colored iris and surround the eye with scales.

If it's a fire-breathing dragon, add flames! If your dragon lives in the ocean, draw fish, coral, and bubbles.

Add lots of shading, i.e., depict where the lighting would show.

It depends on your level of ability. If you want simpler processes, you can start with easier dragons and build up from there.

Frills look like smaller versions of wings that are attached to the head. Just look at wing references and size them down. If you need a better visual, tissues and pipe cleaners will help you get the positioning right.

You can make two wavy lines that connect at the top and form a point, and if that doesn't work, you can make a stretched triangle with some overlapping skin at the base.

You can draw a cave by drawing a rocky circle and adding shading in the background, darkening as you go deeper. Try to make the cave walls uneven, and if you want, add some hanging rocks, rocks hugging the cave wall, etc. Gray or brown would be good default colors, but you can add multiple colors if you want to include glowing jewels and gems.

Reference other scaled animals for assistance but normally if you want to go for a minimal look, only draw little shapes (triangles without the base, semi-circles, etc.). If you want to go for a full on look, try drawing small misshapen circles around the body and bigger ones close to the underbelly.

You can draw a classic European style dragon head by starting with a circle in the center of a piece of paper. Add a rounded trapezoid to the side to create the dragon's snout, and then make parallel lines coming out of the bottom of the circle to for the neck. Sketch a curved horizontal line through the snout to make a mouth and add some triangles to give your dragon some teeth. Place an eye above the mouth and add bumps, ridges, or horns on top of the dragon's head to finish it. Erase the lines and add details like scales and color to make the dragon look more realistic.

You can start by drawing the head of an Eastern-style dragon. Make a circle with a rounded rectangle for the dragon’s head and snout, then add the dragon's neck coming out of the other side of the head. Add a mouth by drawing a horizontal line through the snout and draw small triangles to give your dragon some teeth. Draw a circle or oval above the mouth to create an eye and add a few antlers or horns on top of the head. Then, give your dragon a beard and a mane to give it the iconic look of a Chinese dragon. Erase the guidelines and add details and colors to bring your dragon to life.

Start by drawing a circle in the middle of a piece of paper and add a rounded trapezoid on the side of the circle to create a snout. Make sure there aren't any sharp edges on the mouth so your dragon looks cute instead of menacing. Add a neck to the bottom of the circle by drawing 2 parallel lines. Give your dragon a mouth by drawing a curved horizontal line through the trapezoid. Above the mouth, add some cute eyes so your dragon looks friendly. Add some rounded horns or ridges on top of your dragon's head and then erase your guidelines. Add some soft colors and scales to your dragon to make it look more realistic and cute.

Of course you can! Remember, it's your dragon, get creative! Maybe with the flames you can add a little smoke too?

Shade the parts darker that are close to the lines, and progressively make it lighter when shading the parts that are farther from the lines.