DrawRabbitDrawing guide · Dragons
How to draw a flying dragon
Your first dragon with its wings open. In 16 easy steps you’ll draw a cute baby dragon flying through the clouds, using a pencil and paper: a circle and an oval to start, then the wings, a curling tail and soft shading.
How do you draw a flying dragon?
To draw a flying dragon, start with a light circle for the head and a big oval for the body. Add a long curved line from the head through the body to the tail, curling like an S at the end, and a bent line for each wing’s arm, reaching up and out. Draw the head with its horns and a tiny ear, then the face: a big smile, a nostril, a brow and an almond eye. Add the neck and back, the front legs hanging under the chest, and the big round back leg. Open the near wing with two long fingers and curvy edges, then the far wing peeking up behind it. Finish the curling tail with its arrow tip, a row of little triangle spikes and two puffy clouds. Rub out the guides, go over the outline, and shade softly under the wings, neck, belly and tail. It takes 16 easy steps with a pencil, paper and an eraser.
You need a pencil, paper and an eraser16 stepsBeginner
Draw a flying dragon, step by step
In colour: what to draw nowGrey: already drawn
Draw everything in pencil, lightly at first. Save all 16 steps to Pinterest
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Step 1 of 16Guide lines
Head and body guides
Start light: a circle on the right for the head, and a big oval in the middle for the body.
Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 13.
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Step 2 of 16Guide lines
Line and wing guides
A long curved line from the head, through the body and out to the tail, curling up like an S at the end. Then a bent line for each wing's arm, reaching up and out.
Draw these lightly: they’re only there to help, and you’ll rub them out in step 13.
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Step 3 of 16
The head and horns
Now the outline. Along the jaw, up round the nose and over the top of the head. Then the horns: a small pointy one on top, a tiny ear, and a big curved one at the back.
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Step 4 of 16
The face
A big smile along the jaw, a little curl for the nostril, and a curved brow. Then the eye: an almond shape, a curve inside it, a small oval and a tiny circle.
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Step 5 of 16
Neck and back
Two long lines down from under the jaw for the front of the neck. Then from behind the big horn, down the back of the neck, and along the back towards the tail.
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Step 6 of 16
The front legs
The front legs hang under the chest. A short line up to the chest, then the far leg, down and back up. Then the near leg, down to its hand and up the other side.
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Step 7 of 16
The back legs
Along the belly to the big round back leg. Round its bottom, down to the foot and back up into the body. Then the belly underneath, little toes, and the far foot peeking out.
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Step 8 of 16
The near wing
Your first dragon with its wings open. Along the top of the near wing to its tip and back, then two long fingers, and the arm down to the back. A little claw, then the curvy edges.
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Step 9 of 16
The far wing
The far wing peeks up behind. From the near wing's arm, a curvy edge up to its tip, along the top to a little claw and down to the horn. Then two fingers and a line along the top.
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Step 10 of 16
The tail
From the back leg, along under the tail and up round the curl to the arrow. Round the arrowhead, back over the curl, down its inside and along to the back. Then the bottom edge.
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Step 11 of 16
The spikes
Little triangle spikes in a row: from the middle of the back up to the wing, then from the middle down to the tail. Then a few more up the back of the neck.
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Step 12 of 16
The clouds
Two puffy clouds. One sits behind the tail, so it starts and stops at the tail. Then one on the right, below the dragon: a flat bottom and two round bumps.
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Step 13 of 16
Erase the guides
Rub out the circle, the oval and the guide lines. Only the dragon and the clouds stay.
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Step 14 of 16
Go over the outline
Now press harder and go over the outside edge of the dragon and the clouds, so they stand out from the lines inside.
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Step 15 of 16
Shading
The light comes from above. Shade softly under the wings, the neck, the belly and the tail, and along the bottoms of the clouds. A little darker in the deepest spots.
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Step 16 of 16
The darks
Last of all, fill in the pupil, leaving the little glint beside it white.
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Finished
Your finished flying dragon
Your dragon is flying! Go over any lines you want darker, then sign your drawing in the corner.
In the DrawRabbit app
The dragon world has 9 more drawings
Every animal has a whole world of narrated drawings in DrawRabbit, each one a little story you draw with a real pencil and paper. The first drawing in every world is free.
Free to start · iPhone and iPad
The baby dragon
The fire breather
Asleep on the gold
King of the mountain
Tips for a better flying dragon
A line through the whole dragon
One long curve from the head through the body to the tail, curling like an S at the end, gives the dragon its swoop. Keep it light: it gets rubbed out in step 13.
Wings are arms with fingers
An arm reaching up and out, two long fingers, and curvy edges between them. The far wing only peeks out behind.
Spikes are little triangles
A row of small triangle spikes along the back and down the tail, and a few up the neck. Keep them small and evenly spaced.
Clouds make it fly
Two puffy clouds, one behind the tail, are all it takes to put the dragon in the sky.
Shade underneath
The light comes from above, so shade softly under the wings, the neck, the belly and the tail, and along the bottoms of the clouds.
Questions
Is a flying dragon easy to draw?
Yes. It starts with a circle, an oval and a few guide lines, so the pose is right before any detail, and each step adds only a little. The wings are just an arm with two long fingers and a curvy edge between them.
What do I need?
A pencil, paper and an eraser. Draw the first steps lightly: the guide lines are rubbed out in step 13.
How do I draw dragon wings?
Think of each wing as an arm with long fingers. Draw the arm reaching up and out, two long fingers from its tip, then curvy edges swooping between them. The far wing peeks up behind, a little smaller.
Can kids draw it?
Yes. It’s made for beginners of any age. If reading the steps is hard, the draw-along talks you through each line while it draws.
What is DrawRabbit?
A drawing app for iPhone and iPad: narrated, step-by-step lessons you follow with a real pencil and paper. 95 drawings in 10 worlds, free to start, no account needed.
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