Saturday, March 17, 2012

Dragon Legs



A dragon's got to have good legs, and nice sharp talons on gripping hands so he or she can grab the prey, or the cheeseburger. Here are some more studies of lizard legs, including the sturdy quadruped set of a frilled lizard, in the center, making a threat display. The dragon rampant at the bottom is adapted from Jessica Peffer's example, showing how a dragon can be built like a big lizard or dinosaur who walks on the back legs, using the front legs for grabbing. Peffer also likes to equip her dragons with fins, and I think that's a good idea, since once it's airborne it doesn't have a lot of ways to control airflow. If you don't put a lot of horns, ornaments, fins, and spikes on a dragon's head, it risks looking like an oversized lizard, like the iguana at the top. Some dragons can have humanoid arms, as Peffer explains, with five-taloned usable "hands." Other dragon appendages are more animal-like, with big crushing talons. See how much is known about creatures that in ordinary thinking do not exist.

Dragon legs and studies are pencil on sketchbook paper, 7" x 10", March 17, 2012.

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