My dragon for #dragoncontest

Hi Everybody here is my dragon for theDragon Art Contest by @kristyglas.

Just, passionate and kind, his name is Red Fire. Painted in Photoshop.

Here is a revised version, I thought it needed a better range of values so I added some darker darks and brighter highlights.

I start off with the core (rib and pelvis) and draw flowing forms out of the core thinking of the spine holding it all together.

Then I design the shapes of the limbs and wings. I'm looking for a clear silhouette and cool looking negative shapes.

Then I add the detail trying not to disrupt the clear silhouette and creating more cool negative shapes.

Then I tie-down the shapes.

And finally, add detail and a bit of shading.

Then the final color that you saw at the beginning. This was more about how to approach design versus how to paint. If anyone is interested I can do a separate post about how I painted it.