![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/65536d06-8a3d-40d3-af5b-886231aa125f/9d7ff340-b6ea-467a-a1ac-5c8b3c18114f_rw_1200.jpg?h=6114744e6592c190d8b4761cb7c12c69)
Moe the Mushroom Dragon - A digital painting from my ongoing dragon series.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/65536d06-8a3d-40d3-af5b-886231aa125f/5484fcb4-becf-43b7-932b-74911bacf563_rw_1200.jpg?h=2bfe7a6bb6400cf73df22fac4eda750e)
Moe the Mushroom Dragon started out as a small thumbnail.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/65536d06-8a3d-40d3-af5b-886231aa125f/82f9a6a9-5021-4374-be1d-25836f1355d9_rw_1200.jpg?h=f40f7b3cafa5c05347435a2e3a1c1dbb)
Moe went through a few variations as a thumbnail
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/65536d06-8a3d-40d3-af5b-886231aa125f/14b0c7bb-c5cf-4383-b605-9cb9548d0293_rw_1200.jpg?h=01778ffd282afbc4a2ce4fa5069bd92a)
Moe eventually became a more defined sketch.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/65536d06-8a3d-40d3-af5b-886231aa125f/3acd1972-fe9c-4261-b436-4783241df152_rw_1200.jpg?h=cb787ec3790f89452f71f196f9415b7b)
Then it became time to figure out the mushroom patch Moe lives in.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/65536d06-8a3d-40d3-af5b-886231aa125f/9f9bf9c9-9ead-45a9-84c1-f8777e86ba93_rw_1200.jpg?h=c0cd2b85debb6cf7a3e5df8d0a865712)
I brought the mushrooms and dragon together, trying a few different compositions until I found the one I liked.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/65536d06-8a3d-40d3-af5b-886231aa125f/0efde278-8880-47ca-aa59-e16a4ccdbb7b_rw_1200.jpg?h=5a67c15707f323255e65b8ed336c2d47)
Once I settled on a composition, I refined the image, still in black and white.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/65536d06-8a3d-40d3-af5b-886231aa125f/075576ff-698f-47a9-8def-045d4fa79489_rw_1200.jpg?h=d9865ee9b411c3f421f93571c21e7b7e)
For Moe the Mushroom Dragon, I had a definite colour scheme in mind. Now, It was just a matter of building on my image.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/65536d06-8a3d-40d3-af5b-886231aa125f/d500af63-90bf-4df9-ba7f-814e3f9ef876_rw_1200.jpg?h=7e0c94bf4a18856f9db7311bff8eac8d)
It was about this stage where I couldn't ignore the tangent created where the tip of Moe's horn met the line of Moe's back. I had to adjust it slightly.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/65536d06-8a3d-40d3-af5b-886231aa125f/c55fb9b8-195b-4075-92e6-b1981c73dc88_rw_1200.jpg?h=e41837aae2abff2ef0f71aae599fdb18)
Before I call an image done, I do two last things.
First, I look for a critique by someone I can trust to give me an honest opinion. In this case, I ran it passed one of my friends, a talented animator whose eye for detail is invaluable. It was his critique that brought the horn tangent problem to my attention.
Lastly I will do a few test prints, no matter how my monitor is adjusted, it's no comparison to seeing the image printed out.