Dragon Eye Drawing

Dragons are fantastical creatures that appear in a variety of cultures. They are often depicted as vicious monsters, but they can also be shown as benevolent and helpful to their human companions. Dragons are seen on vases and throne rooms in China and Japan, as well as on coats of arms and ships in Europe. They are represented in popular culture through books like Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern, movies such as Pete’s Dragon and Shrek, and the wildly popular Game of Thrones TV series.

This lesson focuses on drawing one specific aspect of a dragon’s appearance – the eye. It provides students with a chance to practice the basics of drawing a shape, as well as use artistic techniques such as layering and shading to show three-dimensional form. It is also a great opportunity for students to hone their coloring skills, as they learn how to select analogous colors and blend them to create an eye that pops off the page.

Begin by drawing a circle for the eyeball. Draw it lightly with either a graphite or colored pencil, as it will get covered up later. Draw another circle off of the first, and then sketch in the eyelids. The placement of the diagonal line on the circle will determine how wide open the eyes look. The closer the eyelids are to the eyeball, the wider the eyes will be opened.

Next, draw in the pupil. You can make it a round or diamond shaped pupil depending on how aggressive you want your dragon to be. Then add in details such as the scales around the eye and spikes surrounding it.