the-ancient-dragons

[the-ancient-dragons]

IceWing studies!

Featuring Ptarmigan, another character from The Blue Comet

Details, explanation, and more art below. Otherwise, next week are the SkyWings. See you then!!

More Tribe Studies

With IceWings, exaggerating the thinness of their tail is always fun, making it look more whip-like. I also really like the idea of their dragonets being really blubbery (to keep warm until they get used to the cold). Round dragonets are super cute too, but that might just be me projecting a human's love of small cuddly round things.

I really do like that flying pose, even if the screen right talon creates a tangent with the wing membrane. I'll fix it later (I won't).

[the-ancient-dragons]

(Sorry for the late post, school won...)

NightWing Studies!!!

Featuring a very poorly coloured Pathfinder from The Blue Comet (how does one do NightWings nicely???)

This is what her scales should actually look like, if they were put in proper lighting conditions:

Details, explanation, and more art below. Otherwise, next week are the IceWings. See you then!!

More Tribe Studies.

The above image of Pathfinder's zoomed in scales comes from her introduction chapter in TBC. Those are the best scales I've ever drawn and probably ever will. Or, who knows, I might try again sometime soon. The problem with iridescent scales is that if light isn't hitting them at a specific angle they look black, which doesn't make for very nice looking art. Or I'm just stupid and haven't found a good enough angle/lighting setup yet.

I do have the uncoloured NightWing study, which is here:

That really awkward pose in the bottom right was based off komodo dragons. I just like the idea of someone like Morrowseer strutting around like that and couldn't resist. Similarly, the bottom left pose mimics a crescent moon.

[the-ancient-dragons]

SeaWing Study!

Featuring Porpoise, a character for a future project!

Details, explanation, and more art below. Otherwise, next week are the NightWings. See you then!!

For SeaWings I really like winding poses to show their tails off. I wanted it to go from multiple angles and orientations. I also made them longer, but I think it works. It only makes them more eel-like and would support their cruising swimming style (and my headcanon skimming swimming style, which I hope to draw one day!).

[the-ancient-dragons]

LeafWing Study!

Featuring the colours of Roridula, a character from a possible future project. She's named after a carnivorous plant :)

Details, explanation, and more art below. Otherwise, next week are the SeaWings. See you then!!

More Tribe Studies

Here is the first time I'm showing my full-body headcanon LeafWing design. I remember being disappointed that they didn't have four wings, and when I learned that technically the SilkWings/BeetleWings were the only tribe with four wings?? (The HiveWings got them only for being an offshoot of the BeetleWing tribe, but I still couldn't cope, lol).

I am not up to date on WOF lore so while you can correct me, please keep that in mind XD

I simply had fun designing them after lead-mimicking insects and geckos. I wanted to keep as much of the original design as possible while serving more of a leaf mimicry design. So the four wings work in tandem with the enlarged tail sail to make the whole dragon look like the end of a branch. They would do this formation on specific trees, otherwise they keep all 4 flat along their tail to look like one leaf. They have the extra frills on their legs so they can do a standing version of this if they're caught off-guard.

All of this would serve the purpose of visual camouflage. I read on the wiki that the Poison Jungle had extra large fauna and I ran with it. Perhaps in the past the jungle stretched farther, or the megafauna had access to more of the continent. Either way, the LeafWings had to hide, and they learned how to do it quite well.

The last thing I did was double the back sail and move it to the sides, so it doesn't look like a discount SeaWing. Sorry, but I wanted a more unique silhouette. That back spine design was already used for the SeaWings and I thought a smooth back would serve their camouflage better. They use their double frills to make their necks look thicker when they pretend to be a single leaf. I'll post some sketches of LeafWings camouflaging sometime!

[the-ancient-dragons]

HiveWing study!

Featuring the mysterious Tiphiid/Bee.

Details, explanation, and more art below. Otherwise, next week are the LeafWings. See you then!!

More Tribe Studies

I had a lot of fun with the action pose. I wanted to really exaggerate the wrist stinger and I think I got it good. Both tail stingers were fun, too, but I think the dragonet pose is my favourite. It's just a little baby...

[the-ancient-dragons]

SilkWing Study!

Featuring the color palette of OC General Viceroy, Queen Monarch's brother in my Pantalan AU.

Details, explanation, and one more art below. Otherwise, next week are the HiveWings. See you then!!

More Tribe Studies

Sorry for dropping off the face of the earth; school tried to kill me. I live!

Last time, I had called this series the 'dynamic bases', but looking back on some of them I would like to fix the anatomy and... generally everything, haha. The SilkWings I actually like all of the poses but I want to keep it as a study just for now.

It was a lot of fun to play with Joy's style and try to put the dragons in tribe-specific poses. Not all dragons in the tribes behave the same way, but it's a fun approximation. For example, for the SilkWings, I wanted the wings open as much as possible and from multiple angles. The pose at the top is a fun way to showcase both the wings and the silk - if the dragon is a flamesilk it could be shown there. I really like to make SilkWings interact with their silk like a cat's cradle game, it seems like a fun way they'd play and practice weaving.

Also, many people have their own interpretations of wingbuds, and this is mine. I'll do a whole anatomy study later but it's my headcanon that the dragonets hatch with the wings partially formed, just encased in scales to protect them as they finish growing. They would do this so they could hatch earlier (say half a hear-ish compared to other dragonets, who take the time to develop their wings in their eggs). Metamorphosis would then be the shedding phase where they drop the casing and release their fully-developed wings.

[the-ancient-dragons]

Speely baby!!!

woah I meant sleepy

Feelin quite speely myself...

Details and explanation below, otherwise next week is the start of my dynamic bases. See you then!!

There isn't really much to say. The image says it all. Sleepy. Baby. MudWing. Inspired by a clip from a nature documentary when a baby crocodile was napping on a branch. I might do more of these because holy crap, the untapped cuteness-

[the-ancient-dragons]

Two whole hours late: BurrowWings!!! The final fantribe for my Ventus AU.

Details, explanation, and closeups below. Next week I have something different because I probably will not have any time to draw anything (I barely did this week).

School tried its best to murder me (which is why this is so late). Sorry!

When designing the BurrowWings, there were already two tribes that embodied the major defining traits these dragons would have: MudWings and IceWings. Perhaps they are distantly related, or through convergent evolution acquired similar traits.

BurrowWings are the last tribe that came from the idea of tribes that could hide well enough from the SwiftScales. These dragons live in the tundra that covers the entire southern half of the continent. Only about the first quarter of it is actually hospitable, as anything past the halfway point becomes too cold even for these tough dragons.

Built for surviving the unforgiving southern tundra, BurrowWings are well-accustomed to the cold, though not completely impervious. They prefer to wait out the harshest winters deep underground, in caverns dug by their expert talons, where the wind doesn't cut down their endurance. The pads of their claws are so thick that when cupped they form shovel-like forms, perfect for digging through the unyielding terrain.

Their armoured wings can be quite heavy, however, so they prefer to rest them on large spikes protruding from their shoulders. They also serve as a great defence mechanism, as nothing wants to get close to a huge, heavy pincushion. A BurrowWings' scales are as rough as stone and as sparkly as permafrost.

Like the PineWings, BurrowWings shed their winter scales for summer colours of browns, pale greens, and purples or reds to mimic the flowers that decorate the tundra. This colouration doesn't last very long, the same as the summers, and then it's back to pure white.

As mentioned earlier, BurrowWings are expert excavators. Their front talons cut and scoop large portions of permafrost or stone, which their back legs push back for their tails to pat down and disperse. This way, a determined dragon can dig a proper burrow in a quarter hour.

Despite how much I talked about them, BurrowWings are probably the tribe I developed the least lore-wise, though a small attempt was made. I have since then done some thinking and have a little more ideas, though not enough. Right now they just kind of exist without a purpose and that isn't good story planning. I'm working on it, though, and excited for when I can finally write one of these guys.

Speaking of being hopeful for the future... My workload at school is determined to crush me, so I might have to stick to predrawn things from last Christmas. I'll have a break piece next week which I hope you'll like, and then after that I've got my attempts at making dynamic bases for the canon tribes. Stay tuned!

[the-ancient-dragons]

Meet the CaveWings, the most original fantribe of all time....

Please I was 15-

Details, explanation, and closeups below. Otherwise, next week are the BurrowWings! (An even more creative name... can you guess what they do???)

I'm not the first person to think of a cave-dwelling tribe and I won't be the last. This is merely my take.

Fun fact: they were going to be called MoonWings, but then I saw someone else was using it and wanted to change it. I didn't change it to anything better...

If you think CaveWings look strangely emaciated, you're not wrong! In my quest to create three tribes that could have reasonably not encountered the SwiftScales, I very "cleverly" thought to put one in a cave. But there isn't a lot of food in caves, so they tend to not have a lot of meat on their bones. They also have a really low population, but on the flip side tend to live longer than other tribes. Think of them as a Greenland shark.

One of the CaveWing's most defining features is their large tail. It and the bottom of their talons are covered in special scales that help them grip onto any surface. Speaking of their scales, due to being underground for so long, they've lost most of their pigment. Their wings have gone completely transparent. They would usually be a pale cream colour, but since they are so thin their internal organs are also faintly visible and become dark smudges under their scales.

In order to make the most of their dark environment, CaveWings employ a variety of techniques to catch prey. They use echolocation to navigate their environment, seeking the smallest creatures by heat signature and sound. Many times their prey doesn't know its being hunted. One thing is for certain: if a CaveWing knows where you are, you're dead, as they never pass up an opportunity to eat. If you try to run, you may find yourself frozen under a bright glow...

You might have gotten this far and still have questions about the CaveWings. Unfortunately, I won't reveal everything here. I will say that if you think they have a lot of (re: too many) abilities, then you are correct. I designed them to be a "perfect predator", so to speak, something you couldn't outrun no matter how hard you tried. I wouldn't design them that way now, but I've found an interesting workaround that makes me think all hope isn't lost.

CaveWings (and next week's BurrowWings) belong to my series called The Five Dragons. See you next week!

[the-ancient-dragons]

are we allowed to make a pinewing oc? obviously always linking credits

Yes! Oh my goodness, yes! Just tag me so I can seeeeeee. I'd love to fawn over anything y'all come up with!

If you're wondering about naming conventions, PineWings follow the names of plants found in Europe :)

(Cuz, geographically, Ventus has Icelandic/Nordic vibes in the upper half of the continent)

[the-ancient-dragons]

Meet the PineWings!

Another Fantribe, this time completely my own.

Details, explanation, and closeups below. Otherwise, next week are the CaveWings! (Genius name, I know... but I promise there's more to them than meets the eye!)

Fun fact: inspiration for the PineWings came to me when I was sitting in a tree. It wasn't a pine tree, but I used to climb spruces all the time (at least I think they were spruces. They had long needles). It took a while to arrive at this design but I had a lot of fun making them.

You may have also seen a notification called 'Meet the PineWings' last week.... I totally didn't post this by accident...

PineWings are the first native inhabitants of Ventus. They are rarely larger than a wolf, built small to navigate the cramped coniferous forests, but even small they can be deadly. Their quills, which they normally use to blend into their environments, are coated in an itchy oil. Many victims scratch themselves to death.

Ventus is a land cursed by glaciers where three quarters of the year yield heavy snowfall. 'Summers' are short and spent frantically foraging and preserving plants for the winter. During winter their diet expands to include meat - which they must hunt from the forest floor. To help their odds, their green summer scales are traded for white and brown. In the spring, males' quills gain temporary red markings.

If you like what you see and want to learn more, you're out of luck because The Five Dragons series mainly focuses on the SwiftScales. The other Ventus tribes (and even some Pyrrhian ones) do appear, but not to the extent the SwiftScales do. However, if all goes well I am planning a sequel series which will go more in-depth in the other tribes. The first book will be from a PineWing's perspective and be written in such a way that you don't have to slog through my 14-year-old self's poorly written drivel.

That's all for now, though. Next week I've got another fantribe, the creatively named CaveWings. See you then!!!

[the-ancient-dragons]

Meet the SwiftScales!

They're a Fantribe designed by myself and the wonderful @oh-dear-charlie (they exist solely because of her, so if you liked my first fanfic series you have her to thank!)

Details, explanation, and closeups below; otherwise, next week are the PineWings! See you then!

Fun fact: the SwiftScales came about because my friend and I mistook the "design a fan character" contest for book 10 for a "design a fan tribe" contest. We did this and one thing led to another and all of a sudden I was staring at a 100k Word doc...

I might do the proper WoF-style dragon guide description later, since I'm planning on redoing their base, so for now I'll just give you the quick basics:

Built for tight turns and deep dives, the grey-coloured SwiftScales are masters of both sea and sky. Hunting trips can last months long as they fly the seas in search for food. When they find a suitable shoal they join birds in diving for fish. They catch just about anything they can carry, from huge nets of mackerel to the largest tuna. Their sense of direction is never wrong, so no matter how far they stray from home they can always find their way back.

Home for SwiftScales used to be on Pyrrhia, before the Scorching, but they were driven out when neighbouring tribes wanted their territory. The SwiftScales, who spent more time out at sea than on the continent, didn't have any qualms leaving. They landed on a new continent on the other side of the world. They named it 'Ventus' after the frigid winds that never seemed to stop blowing.

They stayed there undetected for five thousand years (I was great at planning when I was 14) until... well, I could explain, but then we'd be here forever. You can read the full 5-book story here, but that is completely optional. Like I said, I was 14 when I started writing this, so the quality isn't the best until maybe the third book.

That's enough off-topic. Like I said, I've got more life studies coming your way next week, with a fantribe called the PineWings. Perhaps you remember a certain Hemlock? >:)

[the-ancient-dragons]

The last Overcomplicated Pantalan tribe; LeafWings!

You know how it goes. I'm just me and Joy and Tui are awesome and amazing.

Details and explanation below.

Otherwise, next week is something new! You'll get to meet one of my fantribes >:)

More overcomplicated dragons.

With the LeafWing, I struggled to decide what approach to take. Should I do something closer to canon or go crazy and do 100% my go-to headcanon?

Because my go-to headcanon is that LeafWings should have four wings. I found it odd that they and SilkWings both come from Pyrrhia, but SilkWings (technically BeetleWings) were the only tribe that evolved four wings? I hesitated to even mention this in my HiveWing post because idk how popular this opinion is, but even the fact that Clearsight's arrival somehow split the BeetheWings into two WILDLY different tribes is astounding, with how long dragons live.

But that's not the point of this post. We're here for LeafWings and buckle up, it's a doozy.

So first of all, the reason I justified a four-winged LeafWing is to help it camouflage as a plant better. I'll eventually provide a sheet of this, but it would have two main defence modes, the first being a single-leaf version where they lie flat on the ground or stand still with their wings drooping, creating the silhouette of a single leaf, or a version where they hang on the end of a branch and hold their wings and tail out.

It isn't just their wings that creates this look. I took the original single sail and split it in two, based on the ribs of a draco lizard, and had them run along the sides of its neck. When spread, they are a part of the single-leaf camouflage and bridge the gap between the head and shoulders. They would also have more similar frills on their front and back legs in case they need to camouflage standing up. They could use this for hunting or hiding...

Continuing with the bug-avian beak mix, I referenced african parrot species and leafcutter ants. The highly altered head is based on horned frogs and leaf geckos, and I obviously based the colouration and patterning on leaf insects (though the lighting kind of hides it on the back of the head, lol). Last but not least, I wanted to preserve and enhance the leaf cell design Joy used for the scattered body scales (at least, I'm 90% sure it's for that purpose, it seems most obvious). So, like any sane human, I found photos of plant cells under microscopes and used the rectangular-ish shapes for the main body scales.

I had so much fun making this series. It seems like a lot of people enjoyed it as much as I did. I learned a lot about external anatomy and mixing different creatures to achieve unified designs.

School is doing its best to murder me (I can't do big pieces) so from now on I'll have to stick to loose sketches I can do in-class or doodle within an hour. But once we learn more about bones and muscles I'll be able to take a crack at analyzing the full bodies of some of the tribes. I'll go in whatever order I see fit.

In the meantime, I've got some Fantribes for you, starting next week! See you then!

[the-ancient-dragons]

HiveWing. Overcomplicated. But also not?

Joy and Tui, y'all cooked, I just put my own spin on it.

Details and explanation below.

Otherwise, next week are LeafWings! See you then!

More overcomplicated dragons.

I thought I had fun with the RainWing.

I was wrong. This was FUN.

Of all the ones I've done this design is nearly identical to the original. I'm not saying that to toot my own horn, it just somehow came out like that because I found the perfect references (and avoided altering the skull too much lol). Let's talk about them!

First, an unlikely one: iguanas. I originally picked them for their spines, but when I saw their eyes and large jaw scale (or whatever it is) I knew I'd found the new reptile base for the HiveWings. I also included the little snout and under-the-chin spikes they have; it just fits perfectly for a beetle-and wasp inspired dragon.

Speaking of beetles and wasps: I took heavy inspiration for the HiveWing's 'beak' from wasp mandibles. I love the way the mouth looks originally and wanted to preserve and exaggerate it. So, when creating the beak, I combined the jagged jaws of wasps with the curved beak of an African fish eagle. To top it off I referenced the rhinoceros beetle (obviously) for the horn on the nasion.

(The nasion is a point where your nose meets your forehead between your eyes). The HiveWing's horn isn't directly on it but I couldn't think of another word.

I actually wanted the entire head to have an insect-like feel, that's why the snout and forehead are built from large plates (once again referenced from rhino beetles).

Lastly, besides the lion-inspired teeth, an incredible animal called the nyala was responsible for the back horns. Whoever photographed that bull in that exact angle: thank you.

Let's see how badly I mess up the LeafWings next week. If you've read this far, perhaps let me know if you would like to see all of my personal headcanons for the LeafWings? For Alate Atta's Ascension I use a design where they have four wings and extra frills to look like leaves. I can do one closer to canon where they're more like a Pyrrhian tribe and another where they visually fit in with the other Pantalan tribes. Let me know!

[the-ancient-dragons]

Starting Pantala off strong with the SilkWings!

You know how it it. Joy and Tui yes, me no. Just adding my flair.

Details and explanation below.

Otherwise, next week are HiveWings! See you then!

More overcomplicated dragons.

Ramble time.

Given how Tui based the Pantalan tribes off insects (and I have a few words on that later-) I wanted a similar design feature to unite and separate the Pantalan tribes from the Pyrrhian. Where the Pyrrhian tribes are all reptilian based, the Pantalan tribes have a bit of bird thrown in there. They're all going to have a beak-like structure to their snout which is supposed to be a mix of beak and bug mandibles.

To start, for the SilkWing beak, I heavily referenced bees. The shape of their beak emulates that of a honeybee from the side. Even their tongue is based on a honeybee's, as I thought they naturally fit into a nectivorous lifestyle. This comes more from the butterfly side of Tui's design influences, as well as the popular honeydrop treats they like. (I just checked the wiki to verify that they're vegetarian; lo and behold, it says they eat nectar. You need the proper tongue for that!)

That being said, if Pantala has giant carnivorous plants... can't it have giant flowers too?

But in canon SilkWings don't just eat nectar. They eat fruits and some vegetables. Those require proper teeth to chew them so I based them off of fruit bat teeth.

Oh, and, I'm sure you've noticed the scales by now. I always loved the way Blue and Luna's covers looked, specifically Luna's and the way her scales are really shiny like beetle elytras. I did my best to emulate the way light bounces and reflects, even down to the little bumps and ridges. This dragon isn't as dark as it looks, is what I'm trying to say, it's just a result of the way its scales reflect light.

And, speaking of the scales, I referenced pangolins! Among being a perfect reference they are also the most highly trafficked animal in the world, which sort of fits for SilkWings............ I didn't write Pantala's lore. :|

That's all! See you next week for the HiveWings!

[the-ancient-dragons]

This is my favorite thing ever in the history of all time.

Please make more memes you draw them so funny

If you know Quest for Autonomy you know this scene. If not.... Uh, spoilers, but you can follow the link from my friends post to find out!!!!

Hey look. Dragon? Maybe. Guy on the left is Glimworm. Guy on the right is Eight. Both can be found in good friend Thunderclanwarrior12’s fic “Wings of Fire • Quest for Autonomy” on Wattpad. You’ll also find more funky dragon pics there.

OH I can tag this now! @theancientcreatures​ / @the-ancient-dragons​

[the-ancient-dragons]

My nephew

I draw realism and my friend draws the absolute funniest silly little guys I've ever seen. Also DND stuff, if you're into it!!!

If you wanna know what a PineWing is, follow the link from the original post!! :)

I don't think I posted this guy. This is Hemlock, a PineWing (species by @theancientcreatures (or @the-ancient-dragons)) I drew a long time ago. I still think about him sometimes.