Dragons and Bedtime Stories

I'm still working on my dragon! This is the same thumbnail canvas, just with a few more colors added.

























...and this is a pen and ink sketch I worked on for a few nights while sitting up in bed instead of reading. I will be trying to continue this kind of thing as an ongoing creative drawing exercise.
















("Bedtime Story #1" )

Cave Dragon-- Thumbnail in Oils

Oil thumbnail for Cave Dragon painting, 3" x 7". I'm not really done with the thumbnail-- however, working wet in wet I began to make mud, so I had to stop for now to let these layers dry at least until tomorrow. (I guess I didn't use enough Galkyd to get it to dry faster... still catching on to all the finesse involved with oil painting!) Anyway I thought I would simply take pictures of it as I go, to keep a record of the rougher thumbnails, but take it right up to as much finished detail as I can fit on this rather tiny canvas-not usual for a simple thumbnail, but that way should give me an idea of how best to approach the final, and give me some extra practice with oils in the meantime. I think it is going to be tricky to keep some of the glowing haze effect from the "fun digital mock-up"-- which I liked because it seemed to imply a dusty atmosphere. In fact, it has occurred to me that I may have to start Learning About Glazes to achieve the effect I'm looking for in the very end.

In the meantime, you can see that I have lengthened the frame, which I did because the focal point seemed too centralized, so I think this makes a better composition. It now has some *new* challenges, of course, such as: where to put the tail, if anywhere? (I brought it around front for that Classic Draconian Style, but it seems to be competing with the head and neck, so I may have to alter it a bit, or at least dim the highlights.) I do like that it echoes the sinuosity of the the neck, but it shouldn't *compete* with it quite as much in my opinion, since the upper neck and head are the focal point. Allowing the highlights to creep further down the body lessened the "drama" of the "spotlight" ray, which could be a bad thing, but I still like the overall effect well enough and I *do* think it's a fair trade-off for a better composition. To me, almost anything is a fair trade-off for a better composition-- since a good composition is an absolute requirement for a good painting! And now, with the added highlights for emphasis, I've realized the front legs are a bit too symmetrical, so I'll probably be changing the one furthest from the viewer to be stretched downwards.

More to come soon! Thanks for visiting!