80 designs

Drawing Dragon Puppet Ideas for a Paper Dragon

Three designs for a paper dragon puppet per press: a theme, a scale pattern, horns or a face.

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Small fangs at the front onlyTwo little white triangles hanging from the upper jaw, close together.
One odd-coloured scale on each sectionPick a second colour and use it for exactly one scale per band, in a different place each time.
Cloud dragon puppet, white with grey shadingGive every outline a scalloped cloud edge. Shade only the undersides.

Next step More fantasy subjects to draw Named patterns to fill a shape

All 80 designs

Element themes 16

Autumn dragon puppet in red, orange and gold Mix the three colours at random across the scales. Cut the wings as maple leaves.
Candy dragon puppet in stripes and sprinkles Pink and white stripes round the body. Short dashes in five colours over the head.
Cloud dragon puppet, white with grey shading Give every outline a scalloped cloud edge. Shade only the undersides.
Crystal dragon puppet with gem spines Draw each spine as a cut gem: flat faces, and a white highlight on one of them.
Desert dragon puppet in sand and terracotta Sandy body with terracotta bands. Short blunt horns and a heavy brow.
Forest dragon puppet with leaf-shaped scales Each scale is a pointed leaf with a centre vein. Three greens and one brown.
Galaxy dragon puppet speckled with stars Navy fading to purple. Dot white gel pen stars, thickest along the back.
Ice dragon puppet in white, pale blue and silver Pale blue scales with white edges. Cut the spines as long thin triangles, like icicles.
Lava dragon puppet with glowing cracks Black scales with orange showing between them, and yellow in the widest gaps.
Moonlight dragon puppet, silver on deep blue Blue body with silver crescents for scales and one crescent on the forehead.
Moss-and-stone dragon puppet Grey body drawn with cracks. Dab green patches along the back where moss would grow.
Ocean dragon puppet with fins for ears Teal body with webbed fins at the sides of the head. Draw the scales as small overlapping waves.
Rainbow dragon puppet, one colour per section Red at the snout through to violet at the far end, in even bands.
Shadow dragon puppet, black with violet edges Black body. Run a violet pencil along every scale edge so the scales still show.
Storm dragon puppet with lightning down its spine Dark grey body, pale grey belly, and one yellow zigzag from snout to tail.
Sunset dragon puppet fading gold to pink Blend coloured pencil from gold at the snout to pink at the far end.

Cute dragons 16

Baby dragon puppet with a too-big head Draw the head round with a short snout. Large eyes set low, tiny horns.
Bumblebee dragon puppet in yellow and black bands Alternate the two colours in even bands. Small rounded wings in pale grey.
Cat-eared dragon puppet with whiskers Pointed ears in place of horns, a small triangle nose and three whisker lines a side.
Chubby-cheeked dragon puppet with blush circles Round the jaw corners out. One pink circle on each cheek, under the eye.
Dragon puppet with a bow on one horn Any body colour. Cut the bow from a scrap in the opposite colour and glue it at a tilt.
Dragon puppet with a flower crown Five small flowers across the top of the head between the horns, each a different colour.
Dragon puppet with floppy ears, no horns Two long rounded ears that hang down past the jaw. Pale colour inside each.
Dragon puppet with heart-shaped nostrils Two small hearts at the end of the snout, points down. Repeat the heart on the tail tip.
Dragon puppet with its tongue curled out Cut the tongue as a separate pink strip, curl it round a pencil and glue it inside the mouth.
Dragon puppet with one tooth showing A single small white triangle poking up from the lower jaw, off centre.
Dragon puppet with star-shaped pupils Large round eyes in one bright colour. Draw a five-pointed star where the pupil goes.
Freckled dragon puppet with a spotted snout Dots in a darker shade of the body colour, crowded on the nose and thinning toward the eyes.
Marshmallow dragon puppet with toasted edges White body. Shade every edge in light brown, darkest at the tips of the horns.
Shy dragon puppet peeking over its tail Draw the eyes looking sideways, and curve the tail tip up like a hand to hide behind.
Sleepy dragon puppet with half-closed eyes Draw each eyelid as a straight line across the top half of the eye. Add one Z above.
Strawberry dragon puppet with seed dots Red body with small yellow seed dots. Green leaf shapes for the crest.

Scales and patterns 16

A smooth body with markings only No scales at all. One stripe down the back and a ring round each eye.
Belly plates in wide bands A pale strip down the underside, crossed by evenly spaced lines.
Big scales at the neck, dots by the tail Large on the head and neck, half the size by the middle, dots by the tail.
Diamond scales ruled with a grid Rule slanted lines both ways first. Colour alternate diamonds in two shades.
Feather scales with a centre line Long pointed ovals with a line down the middle and short strokes out to each side.
Heart scales along the back only Leave the sides plain. One line of hearts down the top, shrinking toward the tail.
Hexagon scales like honeycomb Draw one row of hexagons, then fit the next row into the gaps. Thicken the lines between.
One odd-coloured scale on each section Pick a second colour and use it for exactly one scale per band, in a different place each time.
Patchwork scales, each with its own pattern Fill the scales with dots, stripes, checks and plain colour in turn, as if sewn from scraps.
Round fish scales in rows Rows of U shapes. Start each row half a scale along so the scales overlap like roof tiles.
Scales outlined in metallic pen Colour flat first. Then go over each scale edge in gold or silver once the colour is dry.
Scales shaded darker at the top Press hard where a scale tucks under the one above and fade to the tip.
Spots in place of scales Uneven blots with a darker ring round each. Crowd them on the back and thin them on the sides.
Tiger stripes across every section Pointed stripes that start at the back and end before the belly. None of them the same length.
Two-tone scales, dark edge and light middle Colour each scale lightly, then press harder round its rim.
Zigzag bands on alternate sections One band plain, the next crossed by three zigzags, and so on to the far end.

Horns, wings and spines 16

A crown of five small horns The tallest in the middle, the others stepping down on each side, all the same colour.
A frill collar behind the head A half circle of pleated paper standing up behind the jaw, edged in a second colour.
An arrowhead on the end of the tail A flat triangle with a barb each side, glued so the point leads.
Antlers with three points each One main beam that leans back, with two shorter branches off its front.
Bat wings with three ribs Three lines fan from the shoulder. Join their ends with curves that scoop inward.
Butterfly wings on a dragon body Two rounded wings a side, the upper pair larger. Mirror the same pattern left and right.
Fan-fold paper wings Pleat a strip of paper, pinch one end and let the other spread. Colour it before folding.
Feathered wings in three rows Short round feathers at the top, longer ones below, the longest along the bottom edge.
Horns laid flat along the head Long and thin, pointing backward, each ending in a small upturned hook.
Long whiskers trailing from the snout Two thin strips of paper, one each side of the nose, long enough to swing.
One straight horn with a spiral groove A tall thin cone on the forehead. The groove is a line winding round it from base to tip.
Ram horns that curl once Start wide at the head, curl back and round to point forward. Draw ridges across the curve.
Rounded scallop spines A row of half circles along the back, each touching the next.
Short stub horns Two rounded bumps just behind the eyes, in a paler shade of the body colour.
Triangle spines from head to tail A row of triangles along the top edge, tallest just behind the horns.
Wings shaped like leaves One pointed leaf on each side with a centre vein and veins branching off it.

Eyes and faces 16

A forked tongue on its own strip Cut a thin red strip, snip a V in one end and glue the other inside the mouth.
A heavy brow ridge for a stern look A thick slanted line above each eye, lower at the nose end.
A pale ring round each iris Leave a thin band of white paper between the iris and its dark outline so the eye seems to glow.
A patch marking round one eye An uneven shape in a darker shade, as on a spotted dog. Leave the other eye plain.
A pointed, beak-like snout Bring the upper jaw to a hooked tip that overhangs the lower one.
A wide flat snout with big nostrils Square off the end of the nose and set two large ovals on top of it.
A wide grin along the jaw Curve the mouth line up toward the ear, with a short tick across its end.
Cheek spikes along the jaw Three points on each side behind the mouth, the last one longest.
Closed happy eyes as two arcs Each eye is one upward curve with two short lashes. No pupil to get wrong.
Eyelashes in three strokes Three short curved lines off the outer corner of each eye, the top one longest.
The inside of the mouth in a contrast colour Pick the colour opposite the body on the colour wheel, so it flashes when the mouth opens.
One gold eye and one blue Same shape and size, one warm and one cool. Match each eye to the horn above it.
Round pupils with a large highlight A big dark circle with a white circle overlapping its upper edge. It reads as friendly.
Slit pupils, like a cat's A narrow upright oval in a bright iris. Put a small white dot near the top.
Small fangs at the front only Two little white triangles hanging from the upper jaw, close together.
Smoke curls from the nostrils Two spirals of grey pencil, or two curled strips of grey paper glued at the nose.

How it works

A paper dragon puppet is a hinged jaw with a head drawn on each side; a pleated body, wings and tail are extras. These 80 drawing dragon puppet ideas cover the whole dragon: a theme, its scales, its horns and wings, and its face.

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Build one dragon from four presses

Choose Element themes for the colours, such as Lava or Galaxy. Then take one design each from Scales and patterns, Horns, wings and spines, and Eyes and faces. Sketch all four on scrap paper before you draw on the puppet itself.

Dragon puppet ideas drawing on real animals

Several designs borrow from animals you can look up: ram horns that curl once, bat wings with three ribs, slit pupils like a cat's, tiger stripes. A real reference makes an invented dragon easier to draw.

Colour the flat paper before you fold or glue anything. Pencils skip over folds.
Pick three colours and stop. A fourth is for the eyes only.

Questions and answers

What helps when drawing cute dragon puppet ideas?

Press once, then choose Cute dragons in the list under the button for 16. Most come down to a big head, large low eyes and small horns, as in Baby dragon puppet with a too-big head. Blush circles and one tooth showing do the rest.

What is the easiest dragon puppet design to draw?

A smooth body with markings only: no scales, one stripe down the back and a ring round each eye. Round fish scales in rows is the next step up.

Which colours work for a dragon puppet?

Any two that contrast plus one neutral. Element themes gives 16 ready-made sets, from Ice in white, pale blue and silver to Shadow in black with violet edges.