How to draw
How to Draw a Friendly Dragon
- Confident (level 4 of 5)
- 25 min
- 14 steps
- Ages 7–12 (a guide, not a rule)
Draw on paper: Paper, Pencil. Optional: Eraser, Green, yellow and orange crayons, colored pencils or markers.
Draw it on the screen
This dragon is a made-up creature, so you can make it your own. A big round head and a chubby body make it look young and friendly. You will learn to stop lines behind other parts, to curve the belly stripes around a round tummy, and to make the spikes smaller toward the tail.
Rather color it? Print the friendly dragon coloring page.
Step by step
- New lines: purple, thick and glowing
- Lines you already drew: gray
- Guides: dashed blue, draw them lightly
- Erase: dotted pink with an eraser
Step 1 of 14
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Step 1 of 14 Draw a big light circle for the head. Overlap a smaller oval on its right side for the snout. -
Step 2 of 14 Draw a big pear-shaped oval for the body under the head and a little to the left. Add a light curved line down its front for the belly. -
Step 3 of 14 Draw the head around the circle and the snout in one smooth line: over the top, around the round nose and back under the chin. -
Step 4 of 14 Add a big round eye with a dark pupil, a nostril on the snout and a wide smile that curls up at the end. -
Step 5 of 14 Draw two short horns that curve back. Draw the near horn first; the far horn is behind it, so stop its line where it meets the near horn and the head. -
Step 6 of 14 Draw the body: the back curves down from behind the head to the ground, and the round belly curves out in front. -
Step 7 of 14 Draw the near back leg: a big round thigh and a long foot resting on the ground. The far foot peeks out in front; draw only the part you can see. -
Step 8 of 14 Draw a short arm on the front of the belly with a small round hand. The far arm peeks out past the belly, so draw only the part outside the body. -
Step 9 of 14 Draw the belly patch along the belly guide. Then draw stripes across it that bend downward, so the tummy looks round. Stop them at the arm and the leg. -
Step 10 of 14 Draw a small wing behind the back: a long top edge out to a point, then a wavy bottom edge with two scoops. Stop at the back line and add two thin lines inside. -
Step 11 of 14 Draw the tail behind the body. It curls out to the left and up, and ends in a pointed leaf shape. -
Step 12 of 14 Draw spikes on the back and the tail: big ones near the shoulders and smaller and smaller ones toward the tail tip. -
Step 13 of 14 Erase the guides: the head circle, the snout oval, the body oval and the belly line. -
Step 14 of 14 Finish with toes and claws. Light comes from above, so add short shading lines under the chin and under the round thigh, where the shadows are.
You did it!
Your drawing does not have to look like this one. Every artist draws a little differently.
Tips for this drawing
Helpful hints
- Keep the guide shapes light. The head circle and the body oval should overlap a little so the neck is short and chubby.
- When a part goes behind another, draw the front part first, then stop the back part's line where it touches.
- Make it yours: change the horns, the wing scoops or the tail tip, and give your dragon a name.
Common mistakes
- The belly stripes are straight and the belly looks flat. Bend each stripe a little downward, like a smile, so it wraps around the round tummy.
- The wing covers the back and the body looks flat. The wing is behind the body. Stop its lines where they reach the back line.
- All the spikes are the same size. Start with big spikes near the shoulders and make each one a little smaller toward the tail.
Make it simpler
Draw the head circle with the snout, a pear body, one eye and a smile, a curly tail and a row of spikes. Skip the wing, the far arm and the far foot.
Proportion
A head almost as wide as the body, short legs and big eyes make a creature look young and friendly. Long legs and a small head would make it look older.
Overlap
The wing, the far horn, the far arm, the far foot and the tail are behind the body, so their lines stop where they meet it.
Curved stripes show form
Belly stripes that bend downward look like they wrap around a round tummy. Straight stripes would make the belly look flat.
Size change
The spikes start big near the shoulders and get smaller toward the tail tip, which makes the tail look long and pointed.
