How to Draw Dragon Heads

Artist: Dawn / April 15, 2011
How to Draw Dragon Heads

Step 1.


This is a rough sketch of how a dragon head should look when viewing or drawing it from the front. The neck is almost perfectly aligned with the jaw bones, and the eyes are almost perfectly aligned with the snout of the beast.

Step 2.


Here is a sketch of a dragon head drawn in a 3/4 view angle. As you can see the horns seem different and the eyes and nose still seem to be aligned.

Step 3.


A sketch of a dragon's head drawn from a side view profile. You can see how the characteristics of the dragons face seems to flow in a backwards motion.

Step 4.


These are the different types of frills that are usually seen on the heads of dragons. Of course you can choose not to sketch in a set of frills, but I almost always add them to my dragon drawings.

Step 5.


Now that you've seen the different types of frills you can draw on your dragon head, there is only one question to ask now, where to put the frills. You can either draw them on the head, at the snout, along the jaw, or behind the cheeks.

Step 6.


Before we actually start drawing the dragon head, take a look at some of these different heads that I sketched for this tutorial.

Step 7.


Start with a circle for the head, and then draw in the lining for the snout and mouth of the dragon.

Step 8.


Here in this step all you have to do is draw out the top and bottom jaws of the dragon in a very primitive or skeletal way.

Step 9.


Before you sketch out the sharp teeth, you will need to sketch out the shape of the dragon's eye like you see here. Once that is done you can begin drawing out the teeth in a very uneven manner. Once that is done you can color in some nostril holes.

Step 10.


Begin sketching out the actual structure of the dragons head like you see here and don't forget to draw out back jaw bone. You will also need to draw in some bony frills on the forehead, and a couple of small horns on the tip of the nose.

Step 11.


Here you will sketch out the upper angle of the dragon's mouth like you see here. When that is done you can also sketch in more of the teeth, and then add some detailing as well.

Step 12.


Sketch in three large horns behind the head, and then sketch out the beard as well. When that is done begin drawing out the chin under the neck.

Step 13.


For the last drawing step all you have to do is draw out the back of the neck, and then sketch in the stripes on the horns, and under the neck like so. Erase the lines and shapes that you drew in step one to clean up your newly drawn dragon head.

Step 14.


Here is your dragon head when you are all done. Now you can draw out a body, or leave it the way it is. Color in your dragon head for added detailing and texture.

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Details

Artist: Dawn
Date Added: April 15, 2011
Steps: 14
Favorited: 1 (view)
Views: 0 in last hour, 16 in last day, 81 in last week, 107689 total
Comments: 0
Tags: dragon drawing, dragon drawings
Description: How long has it been since I submitted a dragon based lesson on Dragoart? It’s been a long while since a dragon tutorial went up on the site, but today that is all going to change because I am going to teach you "how to draw dragon heads", step by step. The request came in for dragon heads and at first I was going to shy away from the request for a while because I know how time consuming such a lesson can be. Needless to say I'm already strapped for time so making a tutorial based on dragon heads would literally take me a few hours. I started and completed the tutorial and now I am going to present it all to you right now. I always say that everyone has their own style when it comes to drawing dragons. For instance, I use a combination of dinosaur qualities along with other reptilian creatures when I create a different dragon every time I draw one. I sometimes try to make traditional dragons just to fill that need, but I find that when I go outside of what I’m used to, the dragon or sketch doesn’t come out as good. Either way I think all you dragon lovers will appreciate and love this tutorial on "how to draw dragon heads" because it will enable you to tackle your dragon in a whole new and understanding way. I guess that’s all for now I better shut up so you can get busy with this lesson. I shall return people with some more great fun so try and stay tuned in. Adios mi amigos!

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