Raya and the Last Dragon

Sisu
Medium: digital painting

While I enjoyed the movie, I can see some definite weaknesses, and one of them are the dragons’ designs. The character designs suffer from same-face-syndrome, which is sad considering that Disney has some of the world’s most talented and creative artists and animators working for them. There was concept art for Sisu that looked closer to a cross between traditional dragons and Phaya-Naga (Thai water serpents with horns in the middle of their foreheads), but Disney trashed it in favor of something reminiscent of Frozen’s Elsa. The final design for Sisu is cute and ready to be a plush toy, but not a dragon from any culture in the world. I find it a bit sad that the film aims to be representation for people from East Asia, and yet it butchers a creature so important to their mythology. In this painting, I aimed to tweak elements to allow her to look like a dragon-Naga cross, but also to still look like Sisu.
 

AQHA

Dragon Horse
Medium: digital painting
2019

A digital painting redone from an old 2016 painting by request of the American Quarter Horse Museum and Hall of Fame. Very honored to have been asked!

Starry Furies

Starry Dragons
Medium: digital painting

Toothless and the Light Fury from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Draw This Again: Manhunt

Manhunt
Medium: digital painting

Light Fury

Toothless and His Fair Lady
Medium: digital painting

Who's excited for How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World?

Teal Dragon

Ordian the Teal Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Commission for MCsaurus on Deviantart of his character Ordian:
https://mcsaurus.deviantart.com/art/Ordian-the-Teal-Dragon-282702832
https://mcsaurus.deviantart.com/art/Mattimeo-ride-on-Ordian-283034836

Pig Dragon

He's ugly and cute at the same time. 😁

Pig Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Pig Dragons are a domestic species of dragon. They are are on the smaller side, about the size of a pony. Their small wings allow them to fly only for short distances. They are ridable, but they generally stay close to the ground when being ridden, due to not being strong flyers. They are omnivorous creatures with a powerful sense of smell. They are very friendly and sociable, and are known for their voracious appetites. Wild pig dragons, sometimes called boar dragons, can be very aggressive. Both pig and boar dragons have thick, scaly hides. They use their spade-shaped noses to root through dirt to find food. Pig dragons breed once a year, producing up to five hatchlings, which the mother cares for until they are nearly mature.

Traditional Artwork

'Tis a Head
Medium: charcoal on paper

For Karissa
Medium: gouache on unprimed canvas

Goldfish
Medium: oil on canvas

Rose Dragon

Rose Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Rose Dragons are gentle herbivores. They are secretive and are rarely seen, living in the most remote mountain forests. They have the magical ability to spread love. They live in pairs. They are associated with love and romance, and courting couples will often seek out a Rose Dragon as an omen of good fortune on their future marriage.

Although gentle by nature, they are capable of defending themselves and their homes. Their thorny claws, horns, and spines are very sharp and strong, and although they rarely flame, their fire is extremely hot.

Rose Dragons are most often seen in the springtime when young males collect red objects to decorate their dens. Once he's satisfied with his decor, he flies to high ground and fans his wings to spread his blossom-scented pheromones. Females can smell him from miles away, and those without mates will generally arrive to inspect his handiwork. If she's pleased with his den, the two mate for life. Rose Dragons lay a single egg once every 50 years.

Pygmy Dragon

Pygmy Wyvern
Medium: digital painting

Although small in size, Pygmy Wyverns are not members of the Fairy Dragon family. They are technically wyverns, as they lack forelegs. Their poison-barbed tail gives them the nickname Scorpion Drake or Scorpion Dragon. They live in hot, sandy deserts, and hunt by burrowing beneath the sand and pricking their prey with their barbs. The vemon is deadly and fast-acting, although not exceptionally painful. Even larger dragons give Pygmy Wyverns a large berth.

Pygmy Wyverns have been domesticated and bred by humans to lack their poison barbs. Domesticated Pygmies are about the size of small house cats or large squirrels. They enjoy being up high and will perch on their owners' shoulders if given the chance. They are very playful and intelligent.

Welsh Dragon

Great Red Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Native to Wales, Great Red Dragons are your classic, scaly, fire-breathing beasts. They always come in shades of red, from fire engine red to deep brick red. They are very large. Their dense scales and the heavy plating on their necks, underbellies, and legs give them incredible protection. They are very capable fliers.

Great Red Dragons are voracious eaters and prey mostly on large animals such as cattle, but have been known to prey on humans occasionally. They seem to enjoy playing with their food, similar to cats, so every now and then a person goes missing, usually a young woman, and it's assumed the local dragon has kidnapped her to "play with." Great Red Dragons also enjoy collecting shiny objects. They live in mountain caves and like to decorate their caves with all of their shiny trophies.

Great Red Dragons mate only once every hundred years or so, laying between one to three eggs.

Wisp Dragon

Wisp Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Wisp Dragons are tiny dragons native to Asia. They appear in art from China, Japan, and Korea, among others. They come in a variety of colors, but most are shades of white and silver, and all have long antennae with glowing tips. They are named for the misty aura which surrounds them. Many have speculated that his aura is what allows Wisp Dragons to fly, even though they have no wings.

Fey Dragon

Fey Dragon
Medium: digital painting

A member of the Fairy Dragon family, Fey Dragons are tiny, brightly colored little terrors. They are native to Europe and Eurasia. Individually they are fragile and weak, but they rarely travel individually. Fey Dragons travel is massive swarms of several thousand. Swarms of over a million have been reported. These sparrow-sized dragon have voracious appetites, and while they usually prefer to clean up carrion, they won't hesitate to use their swarm numbers to overwhelm live prey should carrion become scarce. They can strip a healthy adult head of cattle down to the bone in less than an hour. A swarm rarely leaves anything but the skeleton behind, and even that is typically gnawed on by tiny dragon teeth. Fey Dragons are particularly loathed by farmers because their small size allows them to fit where larger predators (and other dragons) cannot, and because they are next to impossible to fight off due to the sheer number of dragons in a swarm. If you ever see a swarm of tiny dragons headed your way, run - and don't look back.

Despite their reputation, Fey Dragons have been domesticated and bred for their bright, extravagant wing shapes and patterns. The dragon pictured here is a wild-type Fey Dragon. They are prolific breeders and will lay several clutches of eggs during the year. However, any breeder and seller of Fey Dragons will warn you never to keep more than two at a time, and don't feed them after midnight.

Unicorn Dragon

Unicorn Dragon
Medium: digital painting

A subspecies of the Horse Dragon, Unicorn Dragons hatch with completely white scales and remain that way throughout their entire lives. They are named for the straight, single horn which stands out of their foreheads. This golden-colored horn is prized by dragon-slayers. They are adequate fliers, although they prefer to remain on the ground and hunt by hiding in forest undergrowth. Slayers have reported Unicorn Dragons disappearing into the forest without a trace.

They are slightly smaller than Horse Dragons (about the size of large deer), and prefer to live in dense forests rather than open plains. They dislike human contact and have a reputation for being "shy," although they are quite capable of defending themselves if need be. Unlike Horse Dragons, Unicorn Dragons are solitary; they do not travel in groups. They breath fire and smoke through their nostrils, not their mouths. Some people blame forest fires on Unicorn Dragons, although Unicorn Dragons are generally not destructive.

They breed only once every decade or so, and produce a single egg, which both the male and female watch over until it hatches. The female then takes over teaching the hatchling how to hunt and take care of itself.

Graverobber Dragon

Graverobber Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Graverobber Dragons feed on the dead. They are a nocturnal species, and generally don't attack living humans. They use their short forelegs to dig up graves and their large ax-like tails to smash open coffins. Their black skin lacks scales and is translucent, and the bones can be seen.


Collaboration with Navy-Blue-Falconet!

Horse Dragon

Horse Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Horse Dragons are named for their equine physic. They are the size of large horses, such as Shires or Belgians. They come in a variety of earthen colors, with rusty red (as pictured), brown, and earthy green being the most common. Their legs are long and built for running. Their feet have two toes each, which are hard like claws or hooves. Because they are heavy, the small wings on their haunches provide them with extra lift during flight.

Horse Dragons are excellent runners. They have good wings for flying a few miles, but they are not distance fliers. They prefer to run over long distances, and thus live in open plains and mountains, but rarely in forests. Because they are not built for crouching, they typically catch prey by spying it out from above and then driving down at it. They live in family groups of about three to twenty, headed by a lead male and his female. Young males are typically evicted from the group once they reach maturity and form bachelor groups until they can form family groups of their own. A female Horse Dragon comes in heat once a year and generally lays one egg at a time.

Horse Dragons are not overly aggressive, but they are very capable of defending themselves when threatened. They do not breathe fire from their mouths, but rather snort it through their nostrils. Their heavily armored underbellies and necks give them protection when rearing on their hind legs, and the spines along their necks and backs make it difficult for opponents to attack from above. This is particularly useful since Horse Dragons spend most of their time on the ground. They also wield a savage kick.

Howrse Coats

Red and Green Dragon Horses (for howrse.com)
Medium: digital paintings

Black and White Dragon Horses (for howrse.com)
Medium: digital paintings

Firefly Dragon

Firefly Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Members of the Fairy Dragon family, Firefly Dragons are about the size of robins or squirrels. They are a peaceful species, living off flower nectar, fruit, and occasionally supplement their diet with insects. They have no defense other than to fly away or spit a candle-sized flame, so they are very shy. They are nocturnal. Firefly Dragons communicate by soft chirps and squeaks and over longer distances by flashing their bio-luminescent tendrils in different patterns.

Because they have no way to defend themselves other than to hide or fly away, Firefly Dragons tend to make easy prey. Thus they breed prolifically, laying about a dozen eggs in a single clutch usually twice every spring. Both parents care for the tiny babies once they hatch. Firefly Dragons are unable to create light until they are fully grown. Bio-luminescence is the last stage of their growth and signals maturity.

Firefly Dragons have been domesticated and are kept as pets because of their small size, docile nature, and ease of breeding. They are intelligent and can grow accustomed to humans and learn not to fear them. Domesticated Firefly Dragons have been bred to have brighter colors and more extravagant wing structures than their wild relatives. The dragon pictured here is a wild-type Firefly Dragon.

Fallen Angel Dragon

Demon Dragon
Medium: digital painting

A subspecies of the Angel Dragon, the Demon Dragon is a spiritual dragon with no specific size. They can cover the sky or sit on your shoulder. They only appear the those they choose. They have never been observed eating, nor have hatchlings of this species ever been seen.

Their ancestry is apparent in that they have retained some of the feathers of their Angel forbears. It's unknown when Demon Dragons separated from Angel Dragons, but their war with their ancestors has played out throughout all of human history. While Angels are more powerful warriors, Demons prefer subtlety and deception rather than a direct fight.

These dragons work through deception and manipulation, whispering lies to their victims to gain their trust. It's uncertain exactly what their agenda is, but it's clear that they hope to disrupt the Angel Dragons' purifying work. Demon Dragons have been known to corrupt entire cities, provoking the Angel Dragons to destroy the cities. In such cases, sometimes blame is placed on the wrong dragon; the Angel is seen as the tyrant and the Demon is seen as the innocent, when in fact both dragons knew that the humans in question had a choice, but chose to follow the Demon Dragon and thus ensured their own demise. Needless to say, Angels and Demons have and probably will be at war with each other until one or both species is stamped out.

Angel Dragon

Angel Dragon
Medium: digital painting

Very little is known about Angel Dragons. One of the few species of spiritual or magical dragons, Angel Dragons are named after the messengers and warriors of God in Jewish and Christian theology. Like all spiritual dragons, they have no specific size. They have the ability to alter their corporeal size at will (they can cover the sky or fit in your pocket), as well as to appear to only those they wish to appear to. There is no evidence that they breed. No eggs or young Angel Dragons have ever been seen. They do not eat, at least not food that physical creatures have the ability to see.

Angel Dragons are both loved and feared. They have a fierce sense of justice and purity. Although known for their patience and benevolence, they are without a doubt the most powerful type of dragon when provoked. They will purge the unclean, and have been known to level entire cities that have become corrupted. They are merciful, however, and will single out the innocent and allow them to live. Their bright blue flames (called Holy Fire) are the hottest known fire in the world. They have the ability to light themselves on fire, but their scales and feathered wings are flame-resistant, thus they burn without burning. This, coupled with their dazzling white scales, can make them nearly impossible to look at when in full glory. Some Angels Dragons have been seen that have as many as three pairs of wings. Angel Dragons are threatened in power only by their arch-enemies, the Demon Dragons.

No Angel Dragon has ever died of old age.