Paint a Dragon Scale Dragon scales are an interesting texture to paint on a dragon. They are very challenging, but they can also be fun if you know the right way to approach it.
This article will give you an insight into what it is like to paint dragon scales, how to do it well, and where I got inspiration for my own dragon scale painting.
I will also give you some tips on how to get started with painting dragon scales and how to paint them in Photoshop.
**I used Photoshop for this tutorial, but the same process applies for any other software program that can create textures.**
I hope you enjoy reading this tutorial and that it helps you become a better artist.
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You might have seen some tutorials on how to paint dragon scales and thought “I can do that!” But this tutorial is a little bit different from the others. This one focuses more on the artistic aspect of painting fantasy art than the technical aspect.
This tutorial is for those of you who want to look like you know what you’re doing, even if you don’t. I will show you how to paint with a basic painting technique that looks good, but doesn’t take a ton of time or effort.
This is a beginner’s guide, but also a good refresher for people who have been painting for awhile. There are lots of great resources out there that go into detail about how to paint specific things, but they assume you already know how to paint which can be confusing if you’ve never painted before. This article assumes no prior knowledge so it’s perfect for beginners!
So what do we cover in this tutorial? We’ll start with some general information and tips then move onto the specifics of how to paint dragon scales the way I do.
Scales are the one of the most complex elements to get right in a fantasy painting. It is a difficult part of the body for two reasons. First, because obviously it is complicated and second because it has to be done correctly if you want to achieve an authentic looking dragon.
Tutorials by other artists are fairly easy to find on the subject but I wanted to make a tutorial that covered all aspects of painting scales even though I’ve only really scratched the surface when it comes to using them in my own work.
To me, painting scales is not just about getting them right but also making them effective in a composition as they can take up quite a lot of room on a dragon. I hope this tutorial will give you some insight into how to incorporate scales into your own work.
There are many ways to paint dragon scales. The following steps are the way I do it. I have used this method for years and it is simple, produces good results, and is flexible enough to allow for different paint styles and techniques.
I usually use a photograph as a reference for my dragon’s scales. My methods for painting scales can also be applied to feathers, skin, fur, or any other pattern you may want to paint.
This tutorial will first cover the materials I use, my general painting process, then move on to each step separately as I cover painting dragon scale patterns.
Materials
The most important part of painting any pattern is the canvas (or paper) you choose to work on and what medium you paint it with. You can use any size canvas that works for the project and any medium that is compatible with your paints (watercolor, acrylics, oil paintings). For most examples in this tutorial I am using a 12″ x 18″ canvas panel that is primed with gesso. This is an economical choice if you are just starting out because you don’t need to invest in expensive canvas and paints.*
*Note: A canvas panel (or board) is preferred over stretched canvases for this type of painting because it has a
While searching for some dragon art, I noticed that dragons are more popular than ever.
There are several different styles of dragons, from the European style to the Chinese style. They all have one thing in common: their scales. A lot of artists have a hard time replicating those scales. I have spent many hours studying real life creatures and their scales, and I have found the perfect way to replicate them.
Tiger Scales
The first example is a tiger’s scaled belly by Sue Waters. You can see how she used broad strokes to create her scale pattern. The key here is not to be too neat or exact with your lines, but also don’t make it too far apart either! If you look at a photo of a real tiger’s belly you will see that the scale pattern is not perfectly uniform, and they aren’t placed exactly next to each other. Use this as a reference!
Dragon Scales, also known as Reptile Scales or Dinosaur Scales, are a very interesting type of design to paint. They come in many different sizes, shapes, and colors. They can look rough or smooth and have many variations of texture.
The easiest way to paint scales is to first paint each scale individually and then find ways to connect them all into one picture. Another way would be to start with the bigger scales and work into the smaller ones, although this method can be frustrating because you may need to completely repaint some scales that were painted earlier.
Tutorials by Maryanne
I have been painting scales for a while now and I have learned some things.
1. Scales are not just scales, there are different kinds of scales with different shapes and sizes.
2. You can use them on all sorts of things, like Dragons, Birds, Cats, Dogs, and even Mermaids or Mermaid like creatures.
3. They look cool
