A Dragon Is Born

How do I find the time and effort to put detail and shading into my drawings, like the feathered sky dragon?? Here is the answer. Take a glimpse at how I work a drawing from a rough concept pose to a finished, fully shaded result.

First (see top left), I need a concept sketch. These are very rough, very light sketches I do in pencil to compose the drawing. No detail or other fine points, I keep it rough as I work out what sort of pose works and where everything belongs. From there I begin working in the refinements, detailing areas of both physiology and texture. Since this is a feathered dragon, I also sketch in how the layers of feathers will look (refer to my "Wings Tutorial - realism" for more description of that technique).

Once all the details are complete, then comes the final coloring and shading. I prepare it for shading by erasing the pencil and re-sketching the drawing (details and all) in appropriate colors. For shading, I generally mix about 3 or 4 colors together for each area. This is always the longest step, and often takes two hours alone.

Despite the long hours that a drawing can take, the process is a simple, straightforward step-by-step affair. It's not overwhelming by any count.