Painting the Dragon

I decided to paint the dragon in the same colors as the figure on the box. I've used the same colors on some other figures, and I liked the combination. Here are the colors I used:

Skin:

Basecoat:

Wedgewood Blue by Americana

Wash:

Manganese Blue by Ceramcoat

First drybrush:

Wedgewood Blue

Second drybrush:

Victorian Blue by Americana

Third drybrush:

Laguna Blue by Ceramcoat

Final drybrush:

Sea Breeze by Americana

I use a lot of craft paints in my painting. You just can't beat the variety of colors. The price is also nice, as well as the fact that I don't have to make a special run to the hobby shop to get paint.

For the drybrush coats, I used a successively lighter touch and covered a smaller area, with the final coat just hitting the most prominent areas. When I finished the drybrushing, I went back with a very fine brush and picked out the individual scales with Sea Breeze (thinned with a bit of water) to add a bit more highlight.

Next, I added the stripes.

Basecoat:

Saddle Brown by Vallejo Model Color

Wash:

Walnut by Ceramcoat

Highlight:

Honey Brown by Americana

When I mix up my washes, I use "magic wash" as a base. For those who are unfamiliar with "magic wash," it's just water mixed with Future floor wax. I use four-parts water to one-part Future. When I need a wash, I just add a few drops of the "magic wash" mix to whatever color paint I want to use for the wash. I add enough "magic wash" to the paint until I achieve a slightly milk-like consistency. This keeps the wash from running all over the place, and it stays put in the details.

Next, I did the belly and the back spines.

Belly:

Basecoat:

Raw Linen by Ceramcoat

Wash:

Walnut by Ceramcoat

Highlight:

Raw Linen

Back Spines:

Basecoat:

Mudstone by Ceramcoat

Highlight:

Raw Linen by Ceramcoat

For the horns, I started with a black base, then painted on a thinned-down layer of Vallejo Dark Flesh, making sure I left some of the black showing. I then brushed on a thinned-down layer of Americana Milk Chocolate - again, leaving some of the previous layer showing.

For the tongue, I went with a purple basecoat highlighted with increasing amounts of a light fleshtone color mixed into the base purple. I then picked out the teeth with Ceramcoat's Antique White.