I noticed bluchez's request for sources on dragon entries in one of the other entry threads. I figure they're all personal interpretations, but I guess I just feel like sharing about mine.... I've tried to draw dragons for a couple past derbies, but couldn't make it work. When this derby was announced, I decided that was going to be the day I actually finished a dragon. I looked dragons up online and pretty much found they can look like anything from a bird to a snake, 4 legs, 2 legs, feathery, scaley, spikey, with or without head plates/spikes, bat wings, bird wings, beak nose, lizard nose.... really pretty much anything goes. In the end, there was nothing I found to use as a "reference" from which to draw my dragon, but a lot of ideas for what could be included. My sister (who's into such things) said she liked the skinny-head/long-nosed type with crests and spikes on the back, which was a good enough starting point for me. You can see some of the work-in-progress above starting with the sketch I settled on and including my first (failed) attempt at the head. I basically painted the whole thing in PhotoShop not knowing if I'd try to make a line drawing of it or just go with the spot colors when I was done. Just the painting turned out to be challenge enough -- by the time the derby opened, going with spot colors was the best I could do. People weren't digging the original background, so I took it down, took a nap, and resubmitted in the evening, sans archway background.
Like I said earlier, it may not be seeing the fog, but I'm really happy to have just gotten a dragon to look right (to me at any rate) and I really appreciate the votes it's getting. Of course there are things I'd do differently "next time"....
Anyhow, that's my story. If the end result is working for you, I appreciate the vote!
