In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw an Earth Dragon step-by-step.

 

Stay tuned for more free drawing lessons by:

Liking us on Facebook>>

Subscribing on YouTube.com>>

Following us on Instagram>>

 

All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.

 

The Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

To draw this Earth Dragon step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

 

The Written step-by-step video tutorial:

 

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

 

Step 1: Draw a circle near the middle of the paper as a guide for the first part of the earth dragon's body. First make four small marks to indicate the circle's height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circle, just trace the outer rim of a small, circular object like a coin or a lid. For a more detailed guide on the different ways to draw a circle check out this tutorial: Four simple ways to draw a circle.

 

Step 2: On the right side, draw a smaller circle as a guide for the back of the body. Use the four-marks method to draw this circle as well. Pay attention to the space between the circles. The farther apart they are, the longer the earth dragon's body will be.

 

 

Step 3: Draw another circle on the top, left side as a guide for the head. This circle should be about one-fifth the size of the first circle. The higher up it is, the longer the earth dragon's neck will be.

 

Step 4: On the left side of the head, draw the guide for the dragon's muzzle using a couple of short lines. The resulting shape of the guide should be blocky and almost square-like.

 

 

Step 5: Draw two curved lines that connect the head to the body to form the guide for the neck. Add two more lines that connect the first two circles to finish the guide for the earth dragon's body.

---

 

Step 6: Under the big circle on the left, draw two angled lines as guides for the front legs. Pay attention to how these lines bend. This will indicate where the earth dragon's joints and feet go later on.

 

Step 7: Draw another angled line under the circle on the right as a guide for the dragon's first hind leg. This line should bend twice in the middle for the joints and once at the bottom for the foot. Add another angled line to the right as a guide for the other hind leg.

 

 

Step 8: Starting on the top, right side of the body, draw a long, curved line as a guide for the top part of the tail. The line should dip down and then curve back up. Add a similar line underneath for the bottom edge of the earth dragon's tail. The base of the tail on the left side should be wide, and the right side should end at a pointy tip.

 

Step 9: Draw a line on top of the body that bends in the middle as a guide for the first part of the earth dragon's wing. Now draw a very long line that curves toward the tip of the tail as a guide for the rest of the wing. This line can extend farther to the right than the tail. Then longer it is, The bigger the wing will be.

 

 

That's it for the guides! From this point on, press harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.

---

 

Step 10: Inside the head, near the top, left side, lightly sketch a small oval for the eye. When you get the size and shape right, draw a curved line at the top for the first part of the brow. Darken the bottom part of the eye so that its shape is similar to a triangle. Above the dragon's eye, draw three short spikes for the bony top part of the thick brow.

 

Step 11: Draw the nostril on top of the guide for the muzzle using two tiny, curved lines. Darken the top part of the guide for the muzzle but don't overlap the nostril. Near the middle of the earth dragon's muzzle, draw a few V-shaped lines toward the right side for the teeth. You can draw more teeth by drawing more V-shaped lines. You can make them different sizes too. Stretch the mouth to the right past the eye. Add another curved line on the dragon's muzzle for the nostril on the other side.

 

 

Step 12: Draw the lower half of the earth dragon's muzzle using the initial lines as guides. Add a small V- shaped line on the lower, left side for a horn on the chin. Draw a bigger triangular spike on the lower, right side of the initial circle for another horn on the jaw. Draw a bigger, curved spike above, along the side of the initial circle, for another horn.

 

Step 13: Draw a series of big, triangular spikes along the top edge of the head for the earth dragon's main horns. Make the horn on the right the tallest. Then gradually make the other two horns smaller.

 

 

Step 14: Draw a series of angled line s to the left of the horns for the set of horns on the other side of the head. This second set of lines should be almost parallel to the first set, only off to the left a bit. On the right side of the earth dragon's head, draw another big horn using a couple of curved lines.

---

 

Step 15: Use the second line from the left as a guide to draw the first front leg. Follow the path of the guide and lightly sketch the shape of the leg around it. Use curved lines as you draw the shape of the earth dragon's leg to emphasize the muscle structure. Bend the shape in the middle at the joint. The lower part of the leg should be thin and the paw wide.

Sketch lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. When you get the shape right, darken the lines. Draw the dragon's toes on the left side of the feet using short, curved lines. At the top of each toe, draw a small, triangular shape for the claws.

 

Step 16: Use the line on the left as a guide to draw the earth dragon's other front leg the same way. Sketch the leg around the guide. When you get the shape of the leg right, darken the lines. Draw the toes using short, curved lines and the claws using triangular shapes. Make the foot wide. The top part of the leg is hidden behind the body, so don't worry about drawing it.

 

 

Step 17: Use the angled line on top of the body as a guide to draw the first part of the earth dragon's wing. Use wavy lines around the guide to draw this thin part of the wing. The bottom part should be wide. At the very top, draw a small, thin spike for a claw at the joint of the wing.

 

Step 18: Darken the long, curved line to create the top edge of the earth dragon's wing. Draw three big arcs that connect the two sides of the wing to form the bottom edge. Draw a second curved line at the top that's parallel to the first one to make the shape thicker.

 

 

Step 19: Use the angled line on the far left side as a guide to draw the earth dragon's first hind leg. Lightly sketch the leg around the guide. When you get the shape right, darken the lines. The top of the leg is thick and then it bends and slopes to the right. Then it bends down and to the left. Curve the lines to emphasize the dragon's muscle structure. Draw the toes using short, curved lines and add the claws as small, triangular shapes at the tips.

---

 

Step 20: Use the last line under the dragon's body as a guide to draw the other hind leg the same way. A big part of this leg will be hidden behind the first hind leg and body, so only draw the visible portions.

 

Step 21: Use the remaining lines and shapes as guides to draw the rest of the body. Simply darken the outer edges of the initial guides to create the shape of the earth dragon's body. Don't overlap the shape of the wing or the legs on this side of the body. Don't close off the tip of the tail. Add a line along the neck and underside of the body to create the fist part of the scales.

 

 

Step 22: Draw a series of lines along the chest and underside of the body for the protective scales. Change the orientation of the lines as you draw them. Make them horizontal on the neck and vertical on the bottom. Draw a series of small, triangular lines along the top edge of the dragon's body for spikes. Don't overlap the shape of the wing as you draw the spikes on the back. Make the spikes smaller the closer they are to the tip of the tail. You can make the tip of the tail pointy or add a big club at the end using a few curved lines.

 

Step 23: At the top, to the left of the first wing, draw the wing on the other side using the first one as a template. Bend the shape in the middle and add the spiky claw at the top. Draw a long, spiky line at the bottom between the arcs of the first wing to finish the earth dragon's other wing.

 

 

Step 24: Go over the final sketch lines with a pen, marker or any other type of permanent ink. Take your time and be careful when you ink to avoid any accidents. After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.

 

Final Step: Color your earth dragon drawing! Use earth tones like dark brown for the horns, spikes, base of the wings and tail club. Using dark brown draw a couple of curved lines across the wing for extra detail. Use dark green for the top parts of the body. Leave the underside of the body, the lower jaw and the inside of the wing blank. Color the rest of the dragon's body using light brown or yellow.

Optional: Use light brown to add some shadows throughout the earth dragon's body. Draw random squiggly lines inside the wing using dark brown for veins. Draw a cast shadow underneath the body using gray and dark brown. Don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace.

Thanks for visiting! Subscribe to the How2DrawAnimals YouTube Channel for a new tutorial every week.

To learn how to draw popular cartoon characters, visit EasyDrawingTutorials.com.

 

RELATED TUTORIALS