How I Draw Dragon Wings – Tutorial

The large art pack I’ve been working on is finally finished! It was created to analyze my own method of drawing dragons and share it with you. This “tutorial” isn’t particularly lengthy but is quite visually informative.

The character ended up being a classic dragon with golden scales and green membranes. However, it was slightly altered at the client’s request, who asked for it to be shorter and with shorter legs—more reminiscent of monitor lizards or something along those lines.

First, I drew a detailed full-body version of the dragon, where I focused on illustrating the scales. In my interpretation, they layer on the surface of the body like this. The largest plates are on the shoulders, neck, and back, although this is, of course, optional.

I placed a major focus on drawing the wings. Almost always, I follow the method of “from simple to complex.” When sketching wings, I base their structure on a combination of human hands and arms but adapted for a reptilian look.

If you look at the wings “from afar” and simplify them into shapes, you’ll see two curved ovals—blue and red (as shown in the illustration).

The blue oval represents the base, attaching to the body and the main part of the arm (shoulder and forearm).

The red oval represents the primary wing structure, including the elongated finger bones extending from the hand.

This is clearly shown in the image.

The idea is that by using these two simple shapes, you can bend the wing however you like (within the physiological limits of a dragon, of course). You can play with the size differences of the ovals to create a wide variety of designs. For example, more pointed ovals can make the wings look sharp and striking, while rounder ovals can turn the wings into broad, scooping ones.

In addition to the wings, I also wanted to draw claws and illustrate how I envision the claw attaching to the finger. To me, a triangular, curved plate seems like the most beautiful and fitting option for a dragon.

Again, for such details, you can always draw inspiration from real animals, like birds of prey, dogs, cats, and so on. 🐾

Additionally, I deconstructed the dragon’s head by recreating its skull. The skull is what defines the shape of the dragon’s head and its overall appearance. Naturally, muscles, tendons, scales, and skin alter its form slightly in the final result. However, the skeleton remains the foundation—shaping the jaw, teeth, horns, spikes, pathways for breathing, and the space for eye sockets.

While working on these illustrations, I realized that the topic of dragon anatomy tutorials is incredibly vast. I personally still have many questions about certain parts of these creatures’ bodies that I haven’t fully answered yet. In the future, I’d love to dive deeper into this subject and share even more materials with you if you enjoy this format!