How to Draw a Dragon Eye

Dragons in popular culture have very different appearances, but their eyes are often drawn in the same or very similar ways. In this step-by-step tutorial, we will show you how to draw a dragon eye in detail, along with the elements surrounding it.

This tutorial will be especially useful if you want to learn how to draw a dragon or draw a dragon head separately.

How to draw a dragon’s eye step by step

Step 1: Draw the dragon eye outline

Let’s start with the simplest part. First, draw the outer contour of the dragon’s eye with curved lines. Make the lower contour more strongly curved than the upper one. Also, make the eye narrow toward both ends.

Step 2: Add the brow and folds

Next, draw the large brow ridge above the eye. This form should follow the upper edge of the eye. Add several curved folds below and around the eye. Make the fold directly beneath the eye more pronounced. Place the remaining lines farther apart as they move away from the eyelid.

Step 3: Draw the slit pupil

Now draw a narrow vertical pupil inside the dragon’s eye. Place it near the center of the eye. It should taper toward the upper and lower ends. Add several short lines along the brow ridge to mark the placement of the pointed scales.

Step 4: Draw the pointed brow scales

Now turn the short lines above the eye into a row of overlapping pointed scales. Draw each scale as a small raised form with a wide base and pointed end. The scales should overlap one another along the brow ridge. Vary their size slightly.

Step 5: Add shadows to the eye

Darken the pupil and add shadows with hatching. Shade the edges around the eye, the brow scales, and the surrounding folds to give them more volume. Follow the curves of the folds with the strokes and leave the central part of the eye noticeably lighter.

Dragon eyes most often resemble reptile eyes, with heavy, furrowed brows, narrow pupils, and scaly texture around them. Here we showed you how to draw exactly this type of dragon eye.

Despite how unusual they are compared to anything in the real world, dragon eyes, like the eyes of any other creature, follow the basic principles of drawing eyes.

The eye is a sphere located inside the eye socket. It is covered by eyelids and has a pupil that can move across the surface of the eyeball.

All these forms have their own volume and follow the laws of perspective and light. By remembering these basics, you will be able to draw the eyes of dragons and any other creatures from any angle.

Although dragons have quite different appearances in different cultures, these steps can be applied to drawing almost any variation. For example, you can draw a Chinese dragon and give it exactly the same eyes as those shown in this tutorial.