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How to Draw a Japanese Dragon Easy

how to draw a japanese dragon easy

Welcome to you!

We will teach you, in just a few steps, how to draw a Japanese Dragon Easy for a stunning result that you can proudly show to your family or friends.

Known as “Ryu” for the fire dragon, “Tatsu”, or “Ryujin” for the sea god, the Japanese dragon is a mythical animal that occupies a very important place in Japanese mythology, fantasy culture and anime. Many people think that Asian countries all have the same dragon, but this is totally false. We can find the Korean dragon, the Thai dragon, the Japanese dragon or the most famous, the Chinese dragon which is a powerful symbol, very celebrated at the Chinese New Year. But it is true that we speak of oriental dragon to designate all the Asian dragons.

Let’s be honest with each other: the Japanese dragon is objectively the most stylish of the dragons. That’s why we decided to make you draw it today! If you want an easy drawing of the Japanese dragon, get some drawing paper, a wooden pencil, an eraser, some colored pencils and eventually some fine point markers, and you’re ready. No need for complicated drawing materials.

With Dragon-Planet, learn how to draw easily and enjoyably even as a beginner. ?

You can check out this T-Shirt with a Japanese Dragon if you want to wear this very stylish symbol!

A) Draw the Body of the Japanese Dragon

You can draw with a wooden pencil or a black pencil. Let’s start drawing!

Step 1: Start with the basics of the drawing that will be used for the next step. Making a pencil mark to follow is very important. To do this, start with the dragon’s head in oval shapes. Start with the skull and then the jaw. Continue by making two curved lines: one starting on the top, another one in the middle of its jaw. Continue by undulating well to form what looks like the body of a snake. Then make the legs that look like spiders. The little trick is to make the neck well wavy to make the creature more impressive. This first step is used to draw a sketch that will help you a lot.

B) Draw the Head of the Symbol of the Land of the Rising Sun

We get to the biggest part, but also the funniest part. A dragon’s head must be thin but also give it a monstrous look. Prepare yourself well!

Step 2: You will have to draw the eyes of the Japanese dragon. You can simply make as round circles as possible, then make a small circle underneath in the shape of an earthworm. Then, a very important detail, make his eyebrows very thick, as if he had big bushy bushes above his eyes. No need to draw a second eye with perspective. You can later learn how to draw eyes with this tutorial. ?

dragon face eyes

Step 3: Fantastic! You can close the top of the eyebrows of the mythical monster with thin strokes. Continue with its muzzle by making rounded scales, then its nose. At the end, you have to draw the dragon’s whiskers, which are long and give a flying effect (yes, the Japanese dragon flies, and quickly). You have to draw a face that is both wild and determined.?

dragon mustache

Step 4: The Japanese dragon has horns, or antlers that start behind his eyebrows. They really have to look like sticks you can find in the forest, and have a “U” shape at the end.

dragon horns

Step 5: You can draw the cheekbones of your dragon by making them respectively to the right and left of his face, where you still have room. You can also draw a few hairs even more to the right and left, don’t hesitate to make them well tousled: the Japanese dragon doesn’t know the hairdresser. ✂️

dragon hair

Step 6: This time, you have to make his teeth very sharp to make him look fierce and mean (don’t worry, he won’t bite). Once they’re done, you have to draw a mouth and color the background to give it depth (you can even do this with a felt pen and lightly press down). Then bring out its tongue which is thin like a snake’s tongue and very wavy. Finish by adding a few bushy hairs next to his antlers and above his splendid mustache.

dragon teeth

Step 7: The lower canines and the lower jaw. It is important that the size of the lower and upper teeth are the same. Proportions are essential for a realistic dragon drawing. You should be able to draw them easily. However, you can make the incisors (teeth on the side) a little larger and sharper. You may have to repeat this part several times to get a satisfactory result. The proof is that it took us 5 tries! Add a little beard under the reptile’s jaw. ?

dragon beard

C) Draw His Skeleton

Step 8: Now that you have a complete and (hopefully) impressive head, you will be able to draw the skeleton of the dragon’s anatomy, which should look like the solid armor in the picture. Don’t hesitate to deepen details such as split scales for example. You just have to make the skeleton around the left line you drew at the beginning.

dragon skeleton

Step 9: Now the rest of the body and legs of the dragon with its sharp claws. You can start with the left leg and follow the spider you drew at the beginning. It should look like a bird with sharp claws. Then you are advised to make the body following the second guide line on the right. Don’t hesitate to put the package on the scales and add some details. Finally, draw the leg and the paw by putting at the end :

?Powerful Asian dragon claws that could slice through any material in half a second;
?A leg beard (yes, it exists) well furnished.

dragon legs

Step 10: OK, now draw rows of peaks evenly down the column of the Japanese dragon. You can start with sharp peaks at first, then more rounded and more numerous peaks later. This part is very important because it will draw the eye to your drawing because these peaks will determine the general shape of the dragon. Don’t hesitate to make flame peaks. ?

dragon peaks

Step 11: Continue with the dragon’s tail. It must be in continuity with the shape of the body and be well scaled. Its tip should look like a big flame.

dragon tail

Step 12: For the penultimate step, you will draw a line to make the underside of the belly, the thighs and two other legs following the same pattern as the previous legs. For the left hind leg, do the same as the left front leg but with an extra toe. For the right one, it must be more inclined, as if the fire eater was moving. ?

dragon hind legs

D) Color This 3 Claws Dragon

Step 13: Finished, congratulations young drawer! We hope you are proud of the result and that you have a beautiful dragon drawing! We left it in black and white, but you can take your colored pencil and stylize it as you wish. Blur the darker strokes and improve the outline for a better result.

Everyone has their own way of drawing: let your creativity run wild! We recommend that you use a fine black pencil to draw the details you want to emphasize. You can also color as you wish at ?. And if you think you’ve missed out, that’s okay – drawing accurately takes practice.

japanese dragon drawing

That’s it for this simple and effective tutorial! If you want to give a nice gift to your loved ones or to yourself and relax at home in a good mood, have a look at this Japanese Dragon Incense-Holder. Sold more than 150 times, it is loved and validated!

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