How I create… a dragon rider and his mount

1 Line work sketch

Some people work better from shapes, others work better from line work. Starting with lines feels more natural to me. I like the composition and the idea of this sketch. It looks like the character is protected under the dragon’s wing.

2 Adding ‘stripes’

I create a new layer under the lines and start painting. I want to make this image bright and cheerful. I use the lighting to ‘stripe’ the image and create depth, while at the same time keeping a sense of warm light and cool shadows.

3 Refine, refine, refine!

From this point the process is pretty straightforward – just paint over the lines! I use reference for the face and take inspiration from other artists for the environment – and from horses, to help depict the dragon’s muscles.