Honestly, my whole Asian dragon art project started because I got super fed up with seeing these perfect, digital prints everywhere. Felt plastic, y’know? Needed something raw. Figured, why not try making my own? Grabbed this cheap sketchbook from the pile near my coffee maker – the one I spilled tea on last week, cover all warped. Perfect vibe.
The Initial Disaster Phase
First off, total failure. Went straight for this massive dragon head, all teeth and fury. Used a pencil I found under the couch. Big mistake. Looked like a fat worm giving a scary stare. Lines were wobbly, proportions way off. Like, laughably bad. Ripped that page out, crumpled it hard, felt kinda good throwing it across the room. Almost quit right there.
Decided to actually look at some stuff. Pulled up images on my phone – old paintings, statues, temple carvings. Didn’t wanna copy, just get the feel. Noticed those flowing bodies, those sharp claws, how the whiskers kinda float. Way harder than I thought.
Getting Messy With Ink
Tossed the pencil. Found an old bottle of black ink, crusty around the cap. Shook it forever. Grabbed a stiff paintbrush, the one with the bristles all splayed out. Dipped it deep.
- Started real slow this time. Just one twisty line near the sketchbook edge.
- Added another line, a bit thicker, twisting another way.
- Focused on the body movement, not details. Let the brush drag, splatter a bit.
- Made some lighter strokes for inside scales, just messy little curves, overlapping.
- Used the dry brush trick near the back for a misty feel. Looked dusty.
- Then, bam! Went super dark and thick for the claws and horns.
My fingers were smudged black, a drip ruined my pants, but the dragon was kinda… appearing. Wasn’t pretty, but it had energy. Like it was pushing through clouds or something.
Adding Color? Spoiler: Mess!
Feeling bold. Found these dusty watercolor pans. Didn’t even care if they were dry. Dropped water right on them, swirling muddy greens and blues. Used the same dirty brush.
Slapped washes onto the dragon body, mostly just stains around the heavy ink. Let the greens seep into the blues. Didn’t fuss, just let it bleed where it wanted. Looked swampy around the edges, but somehow worked. Dabbed some watery gold near the head. Kinda looked like tarnish. Good enough.
Why Bother Sharing This Mess?
Simple. Today’s the anniversary of the crappy water heater blowing up in our last place. Woke up to a swamp in the basement. Landlord ghosted us. We were shoveling water at 3am. Felt totally screwed.
This dragon mess? Started yesterday thinking about that chaos. Didn’t plan it. Just wanted to make something strong pushing through the muck, kinda like we did. The leak ruined carpets, took weeks fighting insurance. This dragon ain’t perfect, but it’s got fight in it. Just getting the ink on the page felt like winning a bit.
Don’t even bother with fancy tools. Grab your cheapest junk. Spill stuff. Break some rules. Your version will be cooler anyway. Cheaper than therapy, trust me.
