how to draw a dragon with just a few lines. This makes it easier to pose your dragon, and fill in the details for it once you've got its basic shape right.

This is what the finished full-size dragon looks like. Scroll down for the tutorial on how to draw this dragon in 14 steps.

I've got two tutorials for how to draw a dragon head. Scroll down to learn how to draw this dragon's head at an angle.

Dragons can be very easy to draw if you simplify their image like we've done above. If you want to draw a more detailed dragon, you can use the tricks we showed to get the pose right, then add your details.

Because there are no real dragons around to draw, the best way to "draw what you see, not what you know" is to borrow parts of different animals and incorporate them into your drawing. Lizards are excellent to study, because of the way they pose and move. Notice how lizards have a small hole behind their eye -- that's actually their ear, so if you wanted to draw a "more realistic" dragon, you might include a very small hole behind their eyes, like lizards.

Iguanas are great to study, too, because they have hefty claws and those terrific spikes going down their back. This is terrific material to borrow for a dragon study. Bats wings are another thing you should pay close attention to. There are videos available online that show bats flying in slow motion, and you would do well to study those and draw them in several different poses from different angles. It will open up your ability to draw dragons in dramatic motion, which is definitely when dragons look their best.

Anybody can draw a dragon head with a few simple lines. This is what the final drawing looks like.

Step 1 The first step of how to draw a dragon. The first arc down makes the spines of the dragon's head. The dip of the stroke is the dragon's forehead (think of a horse's forehead and nose). The last bit is the hook of the dragon's nose, or beak - think of a hawk's beak.

Step 2 This makes the jaw of the dragon's head.

Step 3. This is the bottom jaw. Adding a little hook, like the top part of the jaw, adds a nice touch

Step 4. Making the other spikes from the dragon's head.

Step 5. Adding the eye. Dragon eyes seem to look better if they're sharp and slanted instead of being round like human eyes.

Step 6. The bottom of the eye. Fill it in for better definition against the rest of the image.

This dragon drawing shows the head at an angle.
	Step 1: Draw one long line. The top curve or arc of the line is the side spike of the dragon's head. The tighter curve in the middle is the eye socket. The end of the line hooks down to make the dragon's nose.
	Step 2 The second line forms the far side of the dragon's head. The upward curve in the middle is the far eye socket.
	Step 3 Draw diamonds for the eyes. Don't make the far eye too wide or it will look weird. You can shade the eyes to make them look round, or leave them solid for contrast.
	Step 4. The jaw of the dragon. Take a look at Arab horses for how to make a sleek jawbone.
	Step 5 The bottom part of the jaw. I like the hooked look for the bottom jaw as well - kind of hawk like.
	Step 6 Filling in the jaw so it looks three dimensional. You could also add a forked tongue if you wanted.
	Step 7 Adding the spikes on the back of the head. This dragon has five spikes, but it could certainly have three or seven spikes. One spike doesn't look quite as good unless you draw the jaw differently.
	Step 8. The finished head. With the neck drawn in. You could add spikes along the back of the neck, too. And, of course, you could give your dragon visible nostrils.