|
|
| Tutorial Listing | Drawing Dragon Heads By fireEyes tailchaser Background: Dragon heads come in many different shapes and sizes, so remember that it is important to experiment with as many different forms as possible to add variety in your drawings. I also recommend studying expression as much as possible as it will add a lot of character to your dragons. Learning how all the muscles move in the face and the forms they take during certain expressions is a task in itself. Practice makes perfect! Let's Draw: A dragon head almost always starts with one basic shape : the circle. Everything can be built up and added to this circle. I normally start by drawing a circle and dividing it in half both horizontally and vertically. Splitting the face helps to keep symmetry. Onto the circle, I build the basic shape of the snout. This can be any length or thickness that you desire. If you keep the top part of the snout sloped downwards, it will make it look more realistic and streamline. After I have the basic shapes down, I draw a circle at the center of the two lines segmenting the head. I then place a circle on either side of that circle for the eyes. (See illustration below left) This is to help keep symmetry in the face.
Next, I begin forming the snout, nostrils, ears, and shape of the eyes. Then, I erase my guidelines, and finish everything off by shading. Remember that eyes are set back into the skull, and are round; however, the lids will give them a "slitted" shape. I suggest drawing a circle and building on top of that for the eyes. (See illustration above right) Bring the center corner of the eye forward to give depth to the snout. (See illustration below)
There are basically 3 angles on which faces can be drawn : profile, three quarter, and straight on. Personally, I find profile to be the easiest to work with; this is reflected in my examples :) Below, I've illustrated steps taken to draw 3 different heads on 3 different angles. I have then shown 3 different heads on 3 different angles each. These are far from perfect, but they are a good place to begin studying from.
In closing, here are a few tips. Remember that horns are part of the skull; draw them accordingly. If you can't get something to look right, try drawing it on different angles to get a better understanding of the subject, then go back and try again. When drawing open mouths, remember that teeth are rooted individually and are not one big piece of bone. Teeth are also different sizes. Study anatomy. Practice practice practice. |
fireEyes' Tutorials 
