Draw a surreal dragon
In this tutorial I will show you how you can draw a surreal dragon. I will guide you step by step on how to draw a nice looking dragon. For this drawing one of our staff members “Andreea” worked a few days until she realized this effect. For this surreal drawing we have used a Wacom Cintiq tablet. Such designs you can realize only with a Wacom Tablet and a lot of patience
I will start with a new document with the following size:
Then I will add a dark color over the document and with Brush Tool i will add some highlights. In that area i will create the sky.
I will create a new layer (press CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+N) and I will draw the sketch of the dragon. This step took me a few hours. First of all I have tried different combination on paper. I have scanned the image, and with my Graphic Tablet, I draw the dragon on my original document
I will create new layers and I will start drawing the scaly of this dragon
I will draw also some horns
Then I will add some scaly on the face of this dragon
I will create a new layer, and I will start drawing the background color of this dragon. On this layer I will change the opacity to 75 %, because I want to see the sketch
I will duplicate the layer (press CTRL+J) and I will add some light and some shadow with Burn Tool and Dodge Tool
I will find an image with some rocks and I will add the rocks under my dragon
I will use one more time the Burn Tool, and Dodge Tool to create some lights and shadows
I will create another layer and I will add with Brush Tool a background. I will use a dark blue color.
I want to create some flames. I will start with drawing on a new layer with Brush Tool. I will use a thin white brush
Then with 2 different orange colors I will make another drawing. Do not forget to make it on a new layer
I will create another layer and with a big smooth brush I will add more details to the flames
On the dragon I will add the reflection of the fire
Now I will try to accentuate the sketch of the dragon. This time I will use the Burn Tool, and Dodge Tool to create some shadows and lights
This is my result so far
With Dodge Tool and Burn Tool I will add some details over the scaly of this dragon
Now I will work on the dragon’s wings
I will add some thin lines with Burn Tool
The same thin lines I will add for the other wings
Behind the dragon I will draw some mountains
You can see my result so far
I will accentuate the eyes. With a small brush I will add some red colors in the dragon’s eyes
Behind the dragon I will add a big moon. I will not add more details behind the dragon. If you want to play with layers please apply for a VIP subscription and you can add as many details as you want
Now I will add a filter because I want to accentuate the image a little. It is very good if you will select all the layers, and make a copy of all of layers. You can merge these layers into a single one by pressing on CTRL+E
I will select this layer, and I will go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen
This is the image before applying the filter
These are the settings for the Smart Sharpen filter
And this is my result
This is my result so far.
I can modify the levels (CTRL+L) and the look of my drawing will be changed
I hope you like my end result. If you want to play with the settings please apply for a VIP subscription and you will be able to download this layered PSD file
PSD size 200 MB
Resolution 2000 x 1800 pixels
Number of layers : 70
Responses to “Draw a surreal dragon”
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Wonderful design. Please let me know if you are able to work for me on a few projects. If you take freelance work please contact me by e-mail. Hope to hear news from you
Right now we are very busy. I will contact you in maximum one week. Thank you
Wow Very nice and detailed work. Really good drawing
wow, i’m shoked….it’s amazing…reaaly great work…
what tablet are u using?
this tutorial was made with a Wacom Cintiq 12″. I am sure the same effect can be achieved also with other types of tablets
I like this dragon very detailed work. thanks for great tutorial..
Well..this could have been done better, especially since the purpose is a tutorial. For example the fire would reflect more on the scales, and give a reddish color to the whole scene. Also, if it’s hitting the earth at a high speed, it should be repelled. Plus this it has no texture, it looks more like a bright mist than fire..the wings would reflect more color too, etc etc. The sketch wasn’t too bad, but the coloring needs a lot of work. The dodge and burn tools are a no-no, because shadows and lights have different colors than the midtones, usually shadow is a little mixed with the complementary of the base color, and highlight has some of the light source’s color.
But i must admit i’d kill for a Cintiq. Sweet.
Very cartoonistic, great tutorial! good design
very nice drawing, all the details were done perfectly. very good work, thanks.
how many hours have spend with his drawing????????????????
Our staff member ” andreea ” worked a few days for this tutorial
Dude, you have major pen skills but this pic could have been a lot better.
You first went wrong with your abuse of the burn and Dodge Tool but I guess you’ll get better at it the more you use it.
Second mistake was that fire…. Not really “firey” .. A quick google search for fire spray and you can see what I mean.
Third.. What was the point of adding all those cool colors just to filter rape the piece?
Fourth.. Its pretty dark so all the time you put into adding all those cool details were lost.
and Lastly…what exactly is surreal about this pic? Its a dragon spittin fire where dragons are usually spotted in fiction.
Sorry if I’m harsh, I really think you have SKILLS when it comes to drawing but you’re a lil weaker on the comp tip. Plus I just love dragon pics and I felt you could have came harder with this one.
Cool Tut tho!
It is always place for better. Thank you for your comments.
Hey, beautiful drawing, and a good tutorial, but how do you add the color?
Please mail it to me
AWESOME – I’m new to this so I am way behind and still learning . . . I love the pic the only problem I have ( being a nerd and what not ) that Green Dragons don’t breath fire (
) . . . other than that KICK BUTT . . . thanks for the tutorial.
Wow.. Great..
This is REALLY advanced….BUT I reconize the tools. I think I can do it! Thank you!
Great tutorial i like the concept, the colors
very nice ! I like all your tutorials especially those with web layouts, i will try them to improve my website design. Thanks for sharing your skills
Thank you. I like your tutorial : turn your girl into a witch. maybe i should try someday. lol