#toothless drawing

To this

Means that he has been practicing!!

Referencing

This is why having pictures/references of whatever your drawing is so important! Especially when you are drawing or interpreting well known characters from media. Having something to look at to guide you with your drawing is very helpful.

"Without Reference" Toothless, I tried to do by memory and attempted to remember his overall look as a character but, in my opinion, I failed. I know people would know it's Toothless only because his image is so well known but it's also very noticeable to see how "off" he looks.

"With Reference" Toothless is way more recognizable as the lovable character from How to Train Your Dragon. ALOT of people know what Toothless looks like and can tell when something is supposed to look a certain way.

I used pictures from the movie, searched how other people draw him, and broke him down to basic shapes myself. To people that are starting to draw I'll list specifically what having reference helped out with:

1. Eye placement and size

2. Mouth shape and size

3. Shape of his profile (side view)

4. Where to shade and how dark, creates depth and mass

5. "Ear" shape and how he holds them (very important because he's such a unique character)

6. Proportions of his head and neck

7. Shape, size, and how many of his frills I needed to make him recognizable

Anywhoo hope you enjoyed this little guide for referencing, have fun you crazy weirdos! I hope this made referencing a bit easier to understand and use.

As always I hope you enjoy the art and I'll see you guys later!

I finally caved and made a Night Fury character...