Black Dragon

[Kitpup]

So I started sketching a dragon about a month and a half ago, and it, unlike every dragon before it, turned out pretty good! So I looked up my favorite-looking evil dragon from D&D (the black dragon) and started working on it.
I've reached a point where I know some things are... off... but I can't figure out WHAT.

I used reference images from the third edition Monster Manual and most especially from the Draconomicon.

This is also the first major image I've done via a tablet.

[keevy39]

Too big Kitpup, Take a copy of what you are working one and to to make it no more then a 1000 pixels. Ill bet you'll get more crits. That way. Good luck

[Lhune]

Study anatomy. It looks like you tried to simply make up most of it and it shows, it looks very sloppy and unbelievable. You also cut off practically all of it's limbs. You can make a digital canvas as big as you want it to be, so "not having enough room" is not an excuse there. I suggest you try to redraw the sketch (with no cut off limbs), start over with the basics, because there is where you already went wrong.

I also agree on the downsizing. I can see it pretty well because I have a massive screen, but it's still far too big.

[Ian Barker]

Don't approach your work as just shading in some lines. Think about the forms your lines are describing... that is something to think about while you are doing the actual line work.

[Kitpup]

Sorry, I had forgotten that file was so large. Here, this is with the shading layer lightened, I've exposed all the editing I've done, even, faintly, the initial sketch this is all based off of.

The problem I'm having with the anatomy is that I can't figure out how to... translate what I'm seeing in the books to this pose, to make the forelimbs accurate and the hind limbs accurate.

Specifics and redlines are more helpful than generalizations.

[zerdron]

why do you sketch the dragon with just one brush size?

[Kitpup]

Because I see no reason to use others until I'm sure of the forms.

[Spirall]

You need to find a good reference so that you can see the way the muscles work in a front-on view of an animal.
This is one I found, it's sort of disturbing, but it's pretty good. (:

Try studying that a little bit, and do some practice sketches so that you get the feel of things.

[Slothboy3000]

Learn anatomy from a book (and the animal pictures can help to an extent) and then rework the drawing. I'd lay off the rendering for now until you're completely satisfied with the lineart.

[Kitpup]

Oh that's brilliant, I'll work with that and see what happens.