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Fantastic Creatures and How to Draw Them
This dragon is the classic sea serpent much dreaded by sailors. Fear of these creatures 
was at its height in the fifteenth century when Western explorers were trying to reach the East. At the time, many people believed the world was flat and that ships would sail until they fell off the end of the Earth. Maps with uncharted waters were marked 'Here be dragons'.

The sea dragon is related to the swamp dragon but can survive in both fresh and saltwater environments, and to greater depths. Like its most famous relative, the Loch Ness Monster, 
it is rarely seen above water.

The sea dragon is a fiercely territorial creature and has been known to attack submarines at depth. It has a voracious appetite and feeds 
on large aquatic creatures.

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© 2024 Kev Walker / Search Press · Reproduced with permission. · ‘Fantastic Creatures and How to Draw Them’ by Kev Walker ISBN: 9781782216889 RRP Price: £9.99 Publisher: Search Press Available from www.searchpress.com
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You Will Need

  • How to draw & paint a piece of animal art. How To Draw Sea Dragon - Step 1
    Step 1

    Open or closed
    With large or long teeth, leave bigger gaps between them in order for the mouth to close fully, except when a character has lips (like an ape or human) that conceal the teeth inside the mouthparts.

  • Step 2

    The illusion of movement
    Create a sense of movement that acknowledges the structure and behaviour of the creature. The sea dragon has no limbs, and its insubstantial winglike fins could not possibly move such a large creature on their own. Giving it an undulating shape suggests that it moves through the water rather like an eel.

  • How to draw & paint a piece of animal art. How To Draw Sea Dragon - Step 3
    Step 3

    A conventional tooth is opaque, darkening towards the base.

  • How to draw & paint a piece of animal art. How To Draw Sea Dragon - Step 4
    Step 4

    An overhead light source inverts light within the crystal ball, so that the darker area is closer to the light. There is still a highlight on the outside because the object is shiny, and even though transparent, it casts a shadow.

  • How to draw & paint a piece of animal art. How To Draw Sea Dragon - Step 5
    Step 5

    A translucent or transparent tooth, such as a sea dragon might have, acts more like a lens or the crystal ball shown right.

  • How to draw & paint a piece of animal art. How To Draw Sea Dragon - Step 6
    Step 6

    The direction of the water acting on this sea dragon is opposite to the direction in which it is travelling. The sense of movement is increased by making the leafy tendrils on the fins recede behind it, as though trailing in the water.

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