How to Draw a Realistic Dragon

1. Begin the realistic dragon outline by sketching the dragon's face. Use curved lines to outline the upper and lower jaws, noticing the overlapping "U" shaped lines of the nose and side of the head.

Outline the eye and brow using curved lines, and draw a slit-like pupil within. Draw the nostril using a curved line and a shaded dot.

2. Continue the outline of the head using a long curved line for the jaw and shorter lines for the scales below the chin and at the side of the head. Use another curved line for the base of the horn.

From it, extend two curved lines and allow them to meet at a point. Draw triangular teeth inside the mouth.

3. Use curved lines to draw the tongue within the mouth, and place more small triangular teeth on the far side of it. Use a pair of curved lines to draw a second horn on the head.

Then, draw a curved line between the horns. Next, begin to outline the dragon's muscular body. Use overlapping curved lines to trace the neck, chest, and upper arm.

4. Draw four curved triangular claws, and use curved lines to sketch the fingers and attach them to the hand. Extend a curved line to form the belly, then begin sketching the rear leg.

5. Draw the remaining forearm, again using overlapping curved lines to create the rippling muscles and the fingers. Draw a curved triangular claw at the end of each.

Then, complete the rear leg, using curved lines for the toes and sketching curved triangular claws.

6. Use a long curved line for the neck. At the shoulder, use a series of overlapping curved lines to sketch the musculature. Then, extend a long curved line to begin the dragon's wing.

7. Draw a long, narrow triangular claw at the tip of the wing, and a curved line parallel to its edge. From the wing joint, extend pairs of curved lines and allow them to meet at points.

These are the supportive "fingers" that hold the wing membrane. Draw curved lines between the tips of these spines to indicate the membrane. Then, extend a long curved line to sketch the lower back and tail.

8. Extend a curved line from the foot and allow it to meet the tip of the tail at the foot. Draw a series of small curved triangles down the dragon's back.

At the tip of the tail, use a series of curved lines to create a pointed shape like a leaf. Finally, extend a pair of curved lines from the neck to form the far wing. Draw a triangular claw at the wing joint.

9. Complete your realistic dragon outline by finishing the wing.

Use pairs of curved lines that meet at points, with curved lines between the tips. Texture the wings and contour the dragon's muscles with curved lines.

Color your realistic cartoon dragon. We've shaded ours red like Smaug from The Hobbit or the Monstrous Nightmare from How to Train Your Dragon.