Stepz

Hey friends!

Color palette tutorial time!

@lunardeercat

My go-to advice for any “how to draw [x]” type question is usually to study photo references …of course, when it comes to dragons and other mythical creatures, this presents a bit of a problem.

Since you can’t look up real photographs of dragons’ talons, the next best thing is to find photos of similar structures on similar animals.  This could vary depending on your dragon’s design, but as a starting point I would recommend looking at human hands, lion/cat paws, bird talons (especially birds of prey), and lizard/alligator feet.

(Photo sources: human, lion, eagle, alligator)

When you’re looking at a photo, try to break it down into component shapes – starting with the largest, overall shapes, and then moving towards smaller, finer details.

For hands, I usually start with the palm, then the shape of the fingers all together as one piece (often broken in two by a line denoting the knuckles), then the last joint of each fingertip, then each of the individual fingers, and finally the small details like finger nails, wrinkles, etc.

Here’s an animated version, in case that helps you visualize the process better:

After studying the creatures you’ve chosen to base your dragon on, you can blend their traits together to create something new.

I’m so excited to finally be able to share this!

I did this for the YOI AU zine: Lifetimes @yoiauzine and my AU was the myth of Eros and Psyche. The inscription carved into the base is: “By the sweet wounds of thy piercing darts, by the pleasant heat of thy fire" (Lucius Apuleius, Book IV:28-31 of Metamorphoses)

Obviously, inspiration was derived from the skating program’s music, but it’s also my favorite Greek myth, so I’m super glad it turned out so well in my favor.

And nothing in the evening.

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