Drawing in the Dragon's Lair
Learn tips for drawing foreshortening from my favorite Komodo dragons.
Jeff is the largest and oldest Komodo dragon living at Memphis Zoo.
I’ve been intrigued by this giant lizard since I first laid eyes on him. He reminds me a bit of our dog, Vigo, but more deadly.
He's just as adorable as our furry family member, and I'm not alone in this belief. I love crossing paths with a keeper who casually mentions that "Jeff looks extra cute today." Last week, a keeper gave me the scoop on why he's called "Hollywood" Jeff.
In 2001, he BIT Sharon Stone's husband, Phil Bronstein on the foot!
Zookeepers asked Bronstein to remove his shoes before entering the dragon's lair because the Komodo dragons could mistake the shoes for a rabbit or rodent. Bronstein did not comply. He left the exhibit with lacerated tendons that needed surgical reattachment.
So, don't wear white after Labor Day or when meeting a Komodo dragon.
Observing these beautiful dragons behind a barrier suits me just fine. When they’re indoors, they enjoy lazing around on heated rocks, which usually puts them at a tricky angle to draw. This has helped me practice foreshortening in a fresh and fun way, because they can quickly move at any time.
If I get too comfortable, it can be a bit terrifying when Jeff pokes that forked tongue out! It’s a reminder to sketch quickly and just look at the glorious shapes before me, instead of getting distracted by those incredible textures and colors in his claws.
Techniques to try:
- Ground your subject by finding something touching them that doesn't move. A chair, table, tree, blades of grass, etc. If you're using a photo, it could be something that intersects the bounding box, like the table in the image of Sean below, or his tail!
Observe the part that’s closest to you. It’s that BIG thing that isn’t actually the biggest part. Either draw it, color block it, or just acknowledge that it's there. See how Sean’s head is closest to us in the photo below, and over twice the size of his body? We know his head is smaller than his whole body, but that’s not how we’d draw it observationally.
Watch and draw with me in the video below! We’ll draw Jeff using these techniques and you’ll master foreshortening in no time!