I need my help with line and shading technique

I need honest opinions/critiques/advice on how to make the below faces better. These triplets are my neighbors and I couldn't wait to paint them. The poor dragon just stinks!! I have watched hours of video about doing various lines. Blending in the colors doesn't work too well either. I've tried a light hand, a heavier hand (with sponge). I am using Wolfe black and white and the rest is Tag. Does it all just come together one day after weeks and weeks of practicing? Thank you again for the assistance. Melissa

I think your tiger is rather good actually. I am just getting the hang of one stroke now, I could not for the life of me get the colors to do what I needed them to do. Then, one day, it did just click. Maybe try to draw the design with the dark color if that makes sense.

Good luck!

Are you talking about the "missing" area around the eyes on the dragon? The other two designs are fabulous. You just need a paint that matches the lighter color of the one-stroke...and let the one-stroke do the work. It looks like you messed with it trying to fix it...like it's overworked.

I don't do a winged dragon so unfortunately these are other people's work and I didn't get names...they are probably here on the forum so I apologize and don't usually like to do this but I wanted to show you alternative ways to do the same design. I actually prefer to make dragon masks so I'll attach mine inspired from Christina Davison and one inspired from TAG Body Art.

I would be encouraged...your work is very nice.

Here's a very colorful version:


Notice how the wing goes over the eye. Much easier.


I like how they ended the body at the nose. The face is so cute:


Here's a cool Pashur design that uses the nose as the dragon's head. So cool but I've never been brave enough to put it on my board but I love it:


Here's my favorite dragon mask inspired from Christina Davison:


Here's a really simple version of a dragon mask with one-stroke:

Thank you for the responses. Denise, thanks for posting the pictures of various dragons. I plan to try the mask and the one with wings over the eyes. Thanks for the inspiration. It's back to the drawing board for me.

try to get a good point on your brush and try making the lines (all lines straight or curved) thin to thick to thin... you start your line just above the skin..then touch down on the skin, then push (and turn) your brush down, turn a little and take your brush gradually off the skin again..it's like a plain landing and flying away again...

I do my shading with a brush that I loaded with paint, wipe it off on a cloth or papertowel and then drag in from the oudside or create a shadow underneath the design

otherwise the designs are great!

I mostly blend with a sponge by double or triple loading my sponge..the blending happens on itsown then. you could also use a chiselbrush to drag in your colour into another colour..I hope this helps...

Might I ask you what your first line on the dragon was?
I have a system in my linework, and it generally all starts at the same point: the diagonal line of the right wing , going from forehead to nose.
By the looks of the linework on the dragon, you were a bit insecure about how to do it (at least, that's what my linework used to look like if I tried something for the first time), and I find starting every line at the same point helps me, and I just follow along clockwise... It works that way with butterflies, tigers, dragons, masks, monsters, etc... that specific line is always my first...
Not sure if I'm making sence with this explanation though , are you getting what I'm trying to explain?

I've never actually liked having the tail go all over the face... I think the dragons are more flattering when the whole thing is on the nose. My only dragon example has a mini tail going on the face, and I would've liked it much better if I ended it where the point is. Maybe I can paint an example for you sometime today of what I do now.

Sorry Melissa, I didn't notice you were asking specifically about line and shading. I can tell from the photos that you like making tigers...hence the line work is fabulous. You felt a little less so on the butterfly and you hated doing the dragon. I'm kind of an empathetic painter that way...I have to watch myself that I don't mess up a design because I don't like the kid.

I like using the golf analogy. The swing is always the same, it's just which club you use that makes the difference. The same lines you used on your tiger would have looked great on your butterfly (I basically use "L" shaped tiger stripes on my butterflies) and would have been great with a smaller brush on the dragon's belly.

See how effortless and quick your lines over the tiger's eyes are? That's the same line you should be using on your dragon wings. The less you think the better your lines will become.

And heads up on the blending and shading with TAG. It doesn't. I have a whole post on the forum about my angst with TAG and not blending. I'm thinking of trying Paradise just for that reason but I LOVE TAG's vibrancy. When I lay on a rainbow cake I literally have parents gasp because the colors are so beautiful. It's like a fireworks show.

So, my tricks for working with TAG is using lots of different one-stroke and rainbow cakes so the blending happens in the brush or sponge. Instead of blending when you want to shadow or hightlight you layer like the Wolfe Brothers do or I use Starblends & Ben Nye over paints to get shadows or color variations.

This Batman mask is a good example. I brushed on the black, that's why it's so opaque and I also get crisp lines so I don't have to go back and outline it again. I used white Starblends on the eyes so it's more comfortable because TAG is sticky (all China paints are like Dfx, Wolfe & TAG), I stippled blue on to get a more 3-D look and then use Wolfe White for white highlights and line work.

Here you go, it's actually pretty hack because I was trying to shake my 11 month old off my leg the whole time. I also realized how hard it is to do one stroke in the middle of your own forehead

I like that...might have to steal it!

Thank you all for the advice, photos and many tips, this forum is so great!

To me linework is kind of like a signature, it is mostly in the action of the wrist and how quickly you do it!