How to Draw a Wyvern
Please PAUSE the "How to Draw a Wyvern" video after each step to draw at your own pace.
Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:
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 as a guide for the top part of the wyvern's body. First make four small marks to indicate its height and width. Then connect the marks using curved lines. If you're struggling to draw the circle, trace the outer rim of a coin, a lid or any other object with a circular edge. 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 another circle as a guide for the head. This circle should be about one- third the size of the first one. The farther apart these two circles are, the longer the wyvern's neck will be.
Step 3: Inside the head, draw a horizontal line as a guide to help you place the wyvern's facial features later. At the top, draw a short vertical line for another guide.
Step 4: On the lower, right side of the head, draw a small arc as a guide for the wyvern's muzzle.
Step 5: Draw two curved lines that connect the two circles to form the wyvern's neck. The line at the bottom should be shorter.
Step 6: Make a small mark on the lower, left side of the first circle. Now connect the mark to the circle using curved lines to create a big arc. This arc is the guide for the lower half of the wyvern's body.
Step 7: At the top of the body, draw a couple of long, angled lines as guides for the first part of the wyvern's dragon-like wings. The longer these lines are, the bigger the wings will be. The line on the right should be shorter because the neck will be blocking the bottom half.
Step 8: Starting at the top of the line on the left, draw a long, curved vertical line for the rest of the wing. Wyverns are mythical creatures, kind of like dragons, so you can make the wings as long or as short as you want. Remember to shade lightly at first so that it's easy to erase if you make a mistake. On the left, draw another long, curved line to finish the guide for this wing.
Step 9: Draw a couple of similar lines on the right side as guides for the other wing. These two lines should be closer together than the lines on the right because of the angle of the wyvern's body. The shapes of these lines should be similar to an upside- down letter V.
Step 10: Below the body, draw a U-shaped line as a guide for the wyvern's first leg. Don't draw this line too big. It should be small relative to the body and wings. Under the U- shaped line, draw a rectangular shape as a guide for the foot.
Step 11: On the right side, draw a couple of similar shapes for the wyvern's second leg. Draw a U-shaped line for the leg and then a rectangular shape underneath for the foot.
Step 12: Under the body, draw a couple of long, curved lines as guides for the wyvern's tail. Curve the line under the legs. It's okay if this line overlaps the wings a bit. You can also curve the line to the left or draw it straight down if you'd like. Add another line that's somewhat parallel to make the shape of the tail thicker. The two lines should meet on the right and form a pointy tip.
That's it for the guides! From this point on, press harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.
Step 13: Inside the head, draw two short, sloping lines for the top part of the eyes. Place the eyes on top of the horizontal guide and on either side of the vertical guide. Curve the lines on the ends to emphasize the furrowed brow. Under each line, draw a shorter curved line for the bottom part of the eyes. The overall shape of the eyes should be similar to small triangles. For a more menacing look, don't draw pupils inside the wyvern's eyes. Draw a line under each eye for wrinkles.
Step 14: Above each eye, draw a few short spikes for the bony brow. Don't make the spikes too big. Add the side of the brow to the eye on the right. The spikes on the right should be narrower because the wyvern's head is turned.
Step 15: Darken the right side of the guides under the eyes to create the top of the wyvern's muzzle. Make the shape a bit thinner than the guides. Add a couple of small lines at the bottom for the nostrils.
Step 16: Use the initial arc as a guide to draw the wyvern's mouth. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the muzzle narrower and draw a pointy beak at the tip. The line for the mouth should be wavy, and it should stretch all the way to the left.
Step 17: Darken the bottom part of the guide to create the lower jaw. On the left side, draw a spike protruding from the wyvern's jaw using a V-shaped line.
Step 18: On top of the head, draw two long horns using a series of curved lines. Sketch lightly at first to get the shapes right. The wyvern's horns should be pointy at the top. When you get the shape and position of the horns right, darken the lines. You can make these horns longer or shorter if you'd like.
Step 19: Draw more horns on the sides of the head using curved lines that come to a point. Draw a couple of horns along the left edge of the initial circle. You can make the wyvern's horns as big as you'd like or skip them altogether. Some of the horns on the right won't be visible because the head is turned, so just draw one small one.
Step 20: Draw a series of spikes along the top of the neck, behind the head. The spikes should be triangular. Follow the path of the neck as you draw them. Make the spikes smaller the farther back along the neck they are. You can make the spikes smaller, bigger or skip them altogether for a simpler drawing. When you finish drawing the spikes, darken the rest of the neck shape.
Step 21: Use the angled line on the top, left side of the body as a guide to draw the first part of the wyvern's dragon-like wing. Follow the path of the guide and draw the wing around it. The shape should be similar to an arm. Sketch lightly at first to get the shape right. Make the tip at the top pointy. When you get the shape right, darken the lines. The shape should be skinny with a few curved lines for the muscle structure. Add a spike at the joint. Make the base at the bottom that attaches to the body wide.
Step 22: Use the lines on the left as guides to draw the rest of the wing. First darken the initial lines to create the outer structure of the wings. At the bottom , draw a series of V-shapes lines for the folded edge of the wing. These V-shaped lines are basically the wvyern's stretched fingers. The lines should overlap a little to emphasize the skin between the fingers.
Step 23: Draw a curved line on the left side of the body to indicate where the bottom of the wyvern's wing is attached. At the bottom, draw another V-shaped line between the first two.
Step 24: Use the shapes under the neck as guides to create the wyvern's body. Darken the outer edges of the initial guides but make the bottom part a bit thinner.
Step 25: Use the angled line on the right as a guide to draw the top part of the second wing. Follow the path of the guide and draw the shape of the wing around it. Use curved lines to emphasize the muscle structure. Don't overlap the wyvern's head or horns. Draw a small spike at the joint in the middle and another spike at the top.
Step 26: Use the curved line on the right as guides to draw the rest of the wyvern's second wing. Simply darken the guides. This wing should be a tiny bit shorter than the wing on the right. At the bottom, draw a couple of shorter curved lines to form the pointy edges of the wing.
Step 27: Draw a couple of V-shaped lines that connect to the body to complete the wing. Sketch lightly at first and only darken the lines when you get the shapes right. The number of spikes on the bottom edge of each wing should be equal.
Step 28: Use the U-shaped line under the body, on the left, as a guide to draw the wyvern's first leg. Darken the U- shaped line and add a point at the bottom for a spike. Darken the shape below for the foot. At the bottom, draw the toe pointing backward using a curved line.
Step 29: Use the shapes on the right as guides to draw the wyvern's second leg the same way as the first. Darken the shapes but add a spike to the joint and the toes pointing backward at the bottom.
Step 30: Use the curved lines under the body as guides to draw the wyvern's tail. First darken the lines and don't overlap the shape of the wings. At the tip of the tail, draw an arrow-like shape using a couple of angled lines. Draw a series of short, angled lines along the tail for more spikes. The spikes curve behind the tail at the top. You can make them bigger if you'd like or not draw them at all.
Step 31: For a cleaner look, erase as much as you can of the initial guide lines. Don't worry about erasing all of the guides. It's okay to leave some behind. Re-draw any final sketch lines you may have accidentally erased.
Final Step: Add some shading to your wyvern drawing for more detail. Use a dark value for the shadows to give the figure more dimension and volume. Pick the direction of the light source when shading so that the shadows are consistent with it. Now use a medium value to shade the rest of the body. Vary the pressure on your pencil to get different degrees of tonal value. For a more detailed guide on how to shade, check out this tutorial: How to shade.
Don't worry about shading too smoothly; the rough value gives the skin texture. Wyverns are mythical, so you can shade yours differently if you'd like. You can even color it! But shading can be time-consuming, so be patient and take breaks. If you make the value on the body as dark as the shadows, make the shadows darker.
Add some lines to the wings for veins. Make the spikes darker and draw a few lines on the chest for scales. If you'd like, you can add stripes to your wyvern using a darker value. For a more rough, almost granite-like texture, add squiggly lines all over the body. Don't overthink it. Just add random squiggly lines all over the body. Don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace.
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