Dragons take on many roles in myths and legends, both good and bad. They are normally categorized into distinct groups based on physical and behavioral characteristics.
Elemental dragons are the types of dragons that connect to and personify the elemental spheres. They are fire, water, earth, and air. Here is an illustrated guide for drawing each type.
Fire Dragon
The fire dragon is the most unpredictable of the elemental dragon group. Fire dragons often live near or at volcanoes, but can be seen in other hot areas. Fire dragons are often red, yellow, or orange in color. The dragon’s body is usually a bit chubby, with legs and a tail that are long and often described as snake-like.
Step One
First you start with an S shape for the body, with a circle and triangle that are together, attached to the top of the S, for the head shape. Then cylinders and boxlike shapes for the legs and hands.
Step Two
Add extra lines to connect the bodily shapes, and more cylinder shapes to start the legs and arms. Use long lines and circles to make the shape of wings for your fire dragon. Add horizontal lines down the belly of your dragon to give detail. Add face guidelines to help for later on. Do natural shapes for the feet of your dragon.
Step Three
Now it’s time to use the shapes from the first two steps to actually start drawing a dragon! Focus on the head first by adding horns, eyes (or a single eye, based off the pose), a mouth as well as other details to the head, getting rid of some of the guidelines from the shapes in the process, to start to bring your fire dragon to life! You can do a beak like mouth, or a less-beak like one, whichever you prefer. If the mouth is not visible much, or at all with the pose your dragon is in, that is alright too! Details such as extra horns, ears, or other things can be added or left out, it’s all up to you!
Step Four
Using your shapes as a guide, draw the body, arms, legs, wings, and tail of your dragon. Refine the parts as needed, in comparison to the guidelines made with shapes. You can add patterns to your dragon if you want to, but that is not necessary. If you missed a body part in the previous step, you can add it in before you refine the body in this step. I drew my fire dragon as if he’s dancing, but you can do whatever pose you like.
Step Five
Now it’s time to color your fire dragon. You can use red, orange, or yellow hues for your fire dragon, in any combination you like. You can also add shading if you like,
You could add a background to your dragon drawing if you’d like to, but you do not have to. I did a simple background to my dancing fire dragon drawing as an example.
Water Dragon
The water dragon is another elemental dragon. This type rarely has legs or wings, so therefore cannot fly. The water dragon is usually blue, silver, green, or a combination of those colors. As the element of the dragon suggests, water dragons usually live in bodies of water, such as lakes, ponds, rivers, and even oceans. The water dragon usually represents a sense of calm and fluidity.
Step One
Draw a spiral or curved shape (doesn’t matter how exactly you draw it) to create the basis for the body of your water dragon.
Step Two
Draw a circle enclosed by a box to create the head shape, and smaller circles within the larger circle for the eye(s) depending on the pose of your water dragon.
Step Three
Using the shapes as a guide, draw the head of your water dragon, adding details such as eyes, teeth, and other things.
Step Four
Draw stripes or another pattern on the dragon’s body. Then draw spikes on it’s body, and then add some flippers since he’s a water dragon. You can also add scales to your dragon if you’d like to.
Step Five
Add bubbles around your water dragon, so it’s not confused with a flying type of dragon. After that, it’s time to color your dragon.
Step Six
Use blues, greys, greens, or a mixture of those colors to color your water dragon, and you could do a water-ish background behind your dragon if you’d like. Shading is also optional.
Earth Dragon
Out of the elemental dragons, the earth dragon is the most practical and levelheaded of the group. Earth dragons usually live in forests or on mountains. Earth dragons can be green or brown, depending on their habitat. Earth Dragons take their lives, and relationships both very seriously.
Step One
Make a large oval for the basis of the body of your earth dragon. Draw a small circle and a squarish shape at the bottom of the large oval to make both the head and muzzle of your earth dragon. Then draw two lines outside the large oval, for the neck and tail, respectively. Draw a horizontal line through the head circle for feature guidelines for later steps.
Step Two
Use cylindrical shapes to ‘block in’ per say, the shapes of the legs and wings. Draw a semicircle (or a half circle) at the guideline from the previous step for an eye. Add another line on the snout shape for the mouth, and add the tip of the tail.
Step Three
Using the construction lines and shapes, start to form the shapes of the dragon. Add wings folded over the body, and spikes on the wings. Don’t forget to erase any unneeded guidelines.
Step Four
Draw a curved line for the lower jaw, creating an underbite or overbite. Then add spiky hair, eye details, and a nose. You also could draw spikes along the dragon’s neck and back, but that is entirely up to you. Don’t forget to give your dragon an expression. Do you want your earth dragon to be tired? Angry? Happy? Sad? Do whatever emotion you think fits your earth dragon the best! You can also change smaller details on this step before the coloring begins later.
Step Five
It’s time to color your earth dragon. Will he be green like grass and trees? Or brown like dirt and roots? Or a mixture of both? It’s all up to you!
Storm Dragon
The storm dragon is the dragon of the air element, which includes storms, as well as the weather in general. Storm dragons are usually blue or yellow in color, but can turn red, orange, purple, or black when they are controlling weather. The storm dragon has a flexible mind, and is often open to new ideas.
Step One
Put basic shapes that will make up your storm dragon. Start with a circle for the basis of the head, an oval for the dragon’s body, and two circles for the dragon’s knees. Then add lines for the neck, and lower back legs. Show the basis for the mouth with lines coming from the head shape.
Step Two
Add the sickle-like wing shapes, blocky feet, and long cylinders for the front legs. Add the shape for eye’s and add to the lines for the mouth.
Step Three
Add the wing outlines, then refine the face by adding more details to it. Finish the nose and mouth, and add the dragon’s tongue if your dragon’s mouth is open (or if you just want their tongue to be hanging out, like say if you were drawing a silly storm dragon). Add a curved horn(s.
Step Four
Add lines down the neck and belly of the dragon, and add a tail, curled around something. The tail does not have to be curled around anything if you find a curled tail difficult to draw.
Step Five
Use your construction lines as a guide, and erase any no longer needed lines once the shapes of the dragon are made out. If the dragon is perched on something, add that to the drawing now. After the drawing part of the dragon is done. You may color the rock or whatever your dragon is perched on during this step, so you don’t have to do it later.
Step Six
Do one more check to make sure there aren’t any leftover guidelines, then it’s time to color your dragon! You can use blue, yellow, black, red, purple, or orange, or even a mix of those colors! Go wild with your dragon! Add a background too if you would like.
