How to Draw all Kinds of Dragons

How to draw a dragon tutorials are often too complicated for young artists. This one will keeps things easy with simple shapes. Looking for something more complex? Scroll down for more options.

A dragon is a large, serpent like creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures all over the world. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably, but dragons in western cultures since the Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures.

It’s not clear when or where stories of dragons first emerged, but the huge, flying serpents were described at least as early as the age of the ancient Greeks and Sumerians. 

Children are often interested in drawing dragons at a young age, no doubt in part to the many movies and stories devoted to them. The catch is that most dragons have so many details that they are one of the trickier things to draw. The long body with spikes and horns and clawed feet are quite a bit to take on when you are just figuring out how to make the pencil do what you want.

Not to worry, this dragon tutorial is designed to keep all those fun details, but add them in a way that is not overly confusing. By starting with a large curved body, and adding all the fun elements second, details are easy to see and understand where they need to go. It all adds up to a dragon lesson that works for a wide range of elementary students. There’s no reason why they can’t join in on the dragon drawing fun too!

MATERIALS

• Draw a Dragon (click for a PDF)
• Drawing paper
• Black marker
• Crayons

DIRECTIONS

More Dragon Drawing Projects