Why Does The Online Art Community Do This? 

I feel like something’s gone horrifically wrong when a genre called “Fantasy” is all about painting within the lines and focusing solely on emulating a few old works.

I always take "dragon" as like an overarching "family" name. A Dragon is a dragon, A wyvern is a dragon, but dragon isn't a wyvern.

I remember a kid who used to draw dragons everyday. He was picked on VISCOUSLY when others found his art. Even the teachers made fun of him. What a world.

0:46 the fast editing here is funny as fuck. The instantaneous “that’s not a dragon” followed by “they love me” is a funny transition

In my optinion, dragons is a HUGELY broad term things like drakes, wyverns, wyrms, cockatices, etc. will all kind of fall under the dragon umbrella designs like dutch angel dragons shows that dragons can be depicted as fluffy, and so many more details can exist on them

Dragons are entirely different in plenty of cultures. Some dragons have no wings, some have more than 2, some don't breathe fire, some have wings that turn into arms (or feet?).

"That is a bad dragon" - 🤓 "That is a bad-dragon" - 😳

honestly, stopping artists from flexing their creativity and forcing them into a box goes against the whole point of art. For any beginner artists out there, please don’t let others opinions direct your imagination. Its always important to learn from others and use their advise to improve your technical skills, but if people tell you your dragon isn’t “dragon enough”, then ignore them. Your creation is beautiful the way it is ❤

For the Light and Darkness Dragon, having the wings unfurled and pointed up like they’re being shown off and intimidating whatever they’re facing could draw a sharper contrast between the light and dark and create a sort of partial lunar eclipse silhouette🌓

that's the price of being famous, people are waiting you draw their ideas, not your own creations. Sadly, but you can ignore them too.

I sometimes feel like a lot of people forget that Art is a VERY subjective thing

let it be known that "the kid who draws dragons" was usually one of the coolest kids to be friends with *because* of their proficiency in draconic lore xD

Honestly I think what I love about dragons is the fact that they can be almost anything from a lizard with wings to a maybe a monkey that looks a bit draconic

I honestly LOVE the differences you made between light and dark in the dragon, like the “light wing” being more angelic and the “dark wing” more demonic looking. Thought, I do think the intent of the piece gets a bit lost between the details, maybe a more “forward facing” pose could make it easier to see the center where light and dark colide. Either that or maybe by altering the color of the “crystals” in the dragons chest you could emphasize the light-dark aspect a bit more, mainly because the red can be associated with the “demonic” aspect of darkness and somewhat causes it to look like darkness is “slightly more dominant”, maybe the “gems” being half red and half blue-ish could help hopefully.

Honestly, before your explanation at the end, i saw the Light & Darkness dragon as a Fire & Ice dragon. Both work, but I feel The Darkness side looks a bit more like fire, especially in the horn. I personally feel a warped horn would give off more of a Dark Corruption feel than what you drew, but either way it's an amazing art piece! (i know my criticism isn't perfect, but trust me when I say I see what you went for, and you certainly nailed it!)

People these days seem to WANT to be unhappy, to find SOMETHING to be upset about instead of just being happy. I don’t get it, but it’s something we have to deal with in this age. You’re work is amazing my friend. Let the haters hate.

Things are just called are what people call them. "Bug" have a specific meaning for entomologists, it's a specific group of insects. But basically all English speakers call a lot of different invertebrates "bugs".

As someone who used to doodle dragons ALL the time, the "kid who draws dragons" thing resonated with me LOL. Dragons are just very fun to draw imo, especially since as others have said, you can be so creative with them.

It's so important to also make sure you're only giving critique if someone is asking for it, and make sure that you're helping the artist realize THEIR vision, not yours

I love how you communicated the amber of the dragon's original form. One thing I notice is that the "Light" and "Dark" look more like an armor from different dragons, rather than an organic, invasive growth on the original. The thing that, in my eyes, causes this interpretation, is the way the shoulders look like pauldrons layered on top of the amber dragon, rather than blending into it's body, as the lore would suggest.

I think part of the reason there’s a lot of unconstructed criticism in the art world is that those comments either come from people who aren’t artists or are relatively inexperienced with art. As for your dragon, I LOVE the colors! Though the arm on the corrupted side sort of blends in with the inside of the wing and makes it a little hard to read.

Sure, I like to give types of dragons my own unique terms like they're a species. But I LOVE it when the term dragon is given to beasts that may loosely, or not even fully meet the "standards" of what the normal joe would consider to be a dragon. It keeps the legend alive on a fundamental level, and I love it when people try different things.

With the context that this dragon is a Light & Darkness dragon that has corrupted what was previously an amber dragon, I feel that this is a very strong design. The wings, especially, showcase angelic and demonic themes that are extremely clear to a viewer. However, before I had this context, the color composition surrounding the dragon's chest had me a bit confused. The cold blues, warm purples, and fiery oranges actually had me thinking that the dragon was embodying fire and ice. The more muted and pastel colors of the angelic wing are honestly stunning, and I think lighter tones on the "Light" half of the dragon could help with that. My first instinct would have been to use golden colors rather than blues, but the use of blues, purples and pinks on both halves of the dragon really make it feel like one being, so I think sticking closer to that palette is a much stronger choice. Although I love the amber base, like I mentioned before, it conveys "fire" a bit too strongly in my opinion, especially when it is shrunken down onto a card. Specifically, the jagged spikes on its head the small amber spots on its tail, and the amber core peeking through the demonic corruption could convey that a fiery power is coursing through this dragon's body, even if that isn't the intent. For the tail, I would consider changing the details to be more rocky and irregular, with something more bulbous at the end, along the lines of an ankylosaurus. For the head, I would change the spikes to be more rounded at the ends, although maintaining the size of them is important to convey power and fear. For the chest, the main problem I have may be that the amber is sort of blended into both sides through the use of reds. It makes it seem rather hot. Again, I love the wings of each side of the design, and I also really like how the two elements twist together along the end of the tail. My favorite small detail is the jewel on the shoulder of the "Light" side, although I'm a bit lost on how I would approach incorporating it more. I also REALLY like that this dragon has different sized arms, as well as claws on its wings. It really conveys that something already fantastical and powerful has been corrupted into something further supernatural, whether these arms have been modified or completely gained since the original dragon's corruption. That was a lot to type, but also a fun practice! Maybe something from this could be useful to anyone who actually sees this comment.

I have only ever seen toxicity and even bullying towards artists in the SFW art community I have heard numerous horror stories of their awful experiences with toxic people. It's interesting, but for the most part the NSFW art community (especially of the furry variety) is the exact opposite of this - it's the most welcoming, supportive community with so much less toxicity and drama than on the SFW side. Recently I've heard of the artist Mauzymice that got bullied when one of her artworks has become a meme. People took her characters and added captions saying 'you like kissing boys don't you?' - and it has become a very popular reaction image and got a multitude of different versions. However Mauzymice had nothing to do with the meme and yet she got bullied and doxxed for it and she had to delete her youtube channel and lock her twitter account. Hell even if she did make the meme it was just cute and innocent but I guess the SFW community is just not ready for such lewd expressions as 'kissing boys'.

I sincerely hope any of the folks that do this have the patience and introspection to watch and internalize it. But sadly often, they are 12 years old. (Which is helpful on our end to rationalize where it's coming from 😉) The ability to critique well is INDEED a rare thing especially online, good on you for talking about it!

A similar topic that gets on my nerves is the recent trend of taking art techniques or styles (like shading with a certain colour or doing lineart a certain way) and calling it wrong or a "bad way to do it" (specifically I've seen "shading with purple is always bad" recently). Everyone has their own style, their own way of drawing that makes them happy, and all this is doing is telling beginner artists to avoid drawing the way they want to and to instead appeal to whatever the internet think is "the best".

All wyverns are dragons, but not all dragons are wyverns.

The thing with dragons is that people tend to be attached to specific definitions on what they perceive as "dragons". There always seems to be some argument on whether wyverns quantify as dragons or not. But if you look towards the East where our dragons have no wings, 4 legs, and a serpentine body the strict definition of 4 legs and wings readily falls apart. And that's what I like about unique designs. They don't need to follow the preconceived idea on what something should be. It pushes the boundaries and expands on what can count as a particular creature or object. If people free themselves from the shackles of strict abidance the possibilities become infinite. So keep on making those dragons, Man Who Draws Dragons.

Thank you for doing this. I think artists making their own interpretation of creatures is one of the best parts of fantasy.

The first critique I ever got online was, and I quote, “What the in the hell is that supposed to be.” The fun part is how it was a concept sheet depicting its inspirations and nick-pick details… The internet ladies and gentlemen!

If it's a flying lizard thing, it's a dragon

I really like how the different sides of your dragon mesh together, but in my opinion it looks more like a fire and ice dragon

The Light and Darkness Dragon looks wonderful; the distinction between the two sides is very clear and portrayed very well! I love the colors you used for the piece, especially the way the colors seem to originate from the dragon’s “core!” It definitely gives off the impression that this dragon has been corrupted, as you explained in the lore. However, the arm on the darkness side seems to blend into the wing and chest a little bit; I can’t really tell it’s there. Perhaps changing up the posing or the arm’s coloring could help it stand out a little more? I believe that you also said that the light and darkness overcame an Amber Dragon; however, the colors you chose for the main body (the one that has been corrupted) seem to clash with this idea. Amber is a very natural gemstone as it comes from hardened tree resin, but the silvers and grays you went with (while appealing!) give off more of an artificial, mechanical vibe. I’d recommend making the body more of a bronze, dark orange, or gold color to make it seem more natural, like both the color amber and the gemstone, unless of course the iron-esque body was intentional!

As a fellow "the kid who drew Dragons", part of why I always loved them was because I felt like they represented creativity (and my creativity) as a whole. They could be anything

As someone who grew up on How To Train Your Dragon, anything w/ bat-like wings that isnt a bat is a dragon

Ohhh I love this video. I actually learned this about 20 years ago thanks to a friend of mine, so having a video I can refer to is SO incredibly helpful! I try to help out newer artists I befriend, or friends who are anxious about starting art, and the ability to give good constructive criticism has gone SUCH a long way for them. I cannot recommend this enough! I think the asking questions part is also SUPER helpful, and a tip I've forgotten, because I find it pretty rude to just go up to a random artist and give criticism without knowing if they're open to it (some people just want to draw things they enjoy after all!) but asking questions can be helpful without simply assuming they're open to critique. And even better: You can learn about the thoughts behind the process if they reply! Which is frankly one of my favourite things about talking to other artists. Thank you for posting this!

I am a simple person: DRAGON 👇 IS 👇 DRAGON 👇! I love any and all kinds of dragons. Scaly and scary, to fluffy and friendly. Traditional, non-conventional, they're all dragons and they are valid to me. And I especially enjoy Jack's wildly varied takes on dragons. Keep making amazing dragons! Edit: as for a critique of your Light and Darkness dragon; I think the darkness side's arm gets lost in the color scheme and silhouette. I understand it needs to fit on a card but the wings being more open and grand could give more room to the darkness arm. I also think the base of where the tail meets the body is at too sharp of an angle, and should extend further out before wrapping around in front of the character's legs.

Dragons and wyverns are only really different in certain things. A dragon can really be any shape, a serpent, bipedal, four legged, no arms with just wings and back legs, but in certain things like monster hunter there is a difference. Feels odd that people take rules for specific fantasy worlds and stick them everywhere. In anything else a Rathalos would be a dragon, but in monster hunter it is considered a wyvern. I have loved drawing fantasy ever since I was little, and one day I would like to start a dark fantasy comic series.

ohh I love how you draw dragons! Or actually I love all your drawings, they have such high quality. Its also refreshing to see how you transition from sketch to details. As someone who never dared to dive into dragons I am amazed, makes me wanna try again now that I have become stronger with shapes and strukture. :D

About the art you drew throughout the video, I love the attention and thought put behind the biology, little details, how the wing comes directly out of the paw of the wing limb, making it basically a 5th finger covered in feathers, really cool

Ok I have to say this, because I keep seeing people say it and it's wrong: the word "wyvern" refers to a heraldic serpent with two legs and two wings. This is a type of dragon. A dragon is any serpentine chimera with legs. It can have mammalian parts like Chinese dragons, or feathers, or anything else. The number of limbs it has is not classificatory, unless that number is zero, in which case it's a serpent (sometimes called a wyrm). The word "drake" has no defined meaning. Salamanders are not dragons, neither is the hydra (which did not originally have legs). Dragons can look like absolutely anything, as they are the most diverse grouping of chimeras. Dragons do not require wings, although many can fly without wings. Breathing fire does not make something a dragon, and not doing so doesn't make something a non-dragon. I mean... you know dragons aren't real, right? You're arguing the taxonomy of an imaginary thing! Wyverns are dragons!

I really like the color pallet on both sides of the dragon, I think it represents the stereotypical conventions of light and dark very well. However, I feel that by changing the angle of the dragon so that he's facing the center will help convey that duality much better. Also i like the amber in the middle of the dragon showing what the dragon originally was.

I like the ideas you had! Your shading on the wings is mesmerizing, and your color choice is phenomenal. However, with the wispy bits on the dark side and the clean, slightly geometric parts on the light side, I read it as more "fire and ice" at a glance. Usually to remedy this, I'd make the dark side more sleek and geometric and the light side wispier, but i do see where you were going with the wispy bits! I think the use of the orange threw me off? Those gemstones could maybe work with green or purple/yellow! Otherwise, though, its a phenomenal design :0 i love it a lot

the nicest way to say "dude nobody fucking cares what you think it is im just trying to get the fucking wings right"

The thing about Dragons… Back in the day, their appearances were incredibly diverse! The Tarrasque, one of the most terrifying D&D monsters of all time… Well, the monster it’s based on was a Dragon, that had the head of a lion, the limbs of a bear, the shell of a turtle, and the tail of a scorpion… So, there’s not some secret rules as to what a dragon should or shouldn’t look like… These prompt months should be a freedom of expressive creativity. So, forget what the sticklers say… Draw with your heart ❤️😊👍

Honestly, dragons have been depicted in so many shapes and forms, that it's become a very vague term at this point. Even Pokemon's dragons might not seem all that much like dragons at first glance (not like it's a bad thing.).

Your thumbnail of the shape-shifter has a tangent I can't stop focusing on. I just can't stop looking at that arm. The colors are so amazing on that fire and ice dragon

Such a great video! I loved hearing your perspective as a content creator as well as tips for commentors to be better part of your community. I'm enjoying your direction with your channel discussing topics other than only fakemon. I look forward to seeing more videos

It might just be smug people trying to get a quick smartass "gotcha". It happens in very community, really. Like, it makes them feel clever to point out a fact they think the creator missed

The main problem with the dragon is that "Dragon" can be understood as both an umbrella term (for western dragons, eastern dragons, wyverns, drakes, amphipters, etc.) and a "classic western" dragon with 4 legs and 2 wings. Such a dragon does not have a separate name and this confuses everyone.

Just found your channel. I love dragons and this video was a fantastic way to address critiques. Love the dragon btw! I had a little bit of trouble identifying the forearm on the left hand side, but apart from that, I think you nailed the prompt and design. The menace and beauty in equal parts is captivating. It feels powerful! If this is the kind of artwork we can expect from the game then I am stoked! 😁

The internet really needs to learn the difference between criticism and complaint.

About the dragon at the end. I really like the duality motif and the contrast between the decaying, apparently necrotic wing and the feathered, almost angelic looking wing. You could perhaps make the color distinction a bit sharper to increase the contrast on the rest of the body, or increase the asymmetrical nature by making it’s body more mismatched. Going too far would go in body horror territory and I don’t think that’s what you want, but making it asymmetrical is a really good way to make it look unnatural. Most real creatures are symmetrical, and making them unsymmetrical makes them look unnatural and strange

I really like the amber poking from most parts of the light and dark dragon, but one thing I noticed is that the right, dark, arm doesn't read well. Maybe it's a trick of the perspective, but the bulk of the arm looks rather thin, and it doesn't contrast quite enough with the right wing to make it seem completely separate. It also looks oddly short compared to the other arm. All that said, it's amazing, and shows the themes of light and dark very nicely in its design.

i keep thinking of that one scene from chowder where the guy is taste testing two competing food stands and keeps saying "good" for both of them

thank you for this video, as a begginer artist this will help me to be more useful when giving feedback to my friends, also, your drawing is sooo great! I love all the details on it, the only thing I would probably change is the left arm (the purple one), since it will be in a card it may be kind of dificult to see since it gets lost on the colors of the body and wing... at least for me, watching the min 13:18 in full screen (laptop) made it dificult to tell that the arm was there.

Once as a kid I drew a worm (basically a wiggly line) and told others that was a dragon. No one believed me but then again when the fuck did anyone ever see a dragon.

I really like the dragon design, however, I did not read it as a light and dark dragon at first, but rather as a fire and ice dragon ,I feel like the color choices lean a bit more towards that, since the cool tones can be so easily associated with ice and such, but I also find that since the light side has such rock like mater to it, it reinforced the idea of ice in my head. I'd try to emphasize "light" as a subject matter through the form it constructs , and then reinforce it through color choice. I do find that the dark side is very effective and communicates its theme very clearly.

"that's not a dragon" that comment guy would get whiplash from encountering a kirin in monster hunter.

I really love the pose and the colors on the dragon! It really makes the character pop out. Although, I think that if you made the forearms and hands (claws?) bigger the anatomy would look more balanced. Nice job dude!

its really nice seeing a video about this topic. im not very active in any art communities but ive seen these sorts of empty "criticisms" thrown around like crazy and it seriously makes it discouraging to share work. when ive gotten even the slightest resemblance of actual constructive criticism on my work, its quite motivating and makes me feel good about working on art rather than being scared of what others will think of it

Okay, "The Kid Who Draws Dragons" is such a cool title, it's sounds like awesome concept for a fantasy character for any midia (Sorry for my bad english)

I honestly like the way you portrayed the dark and angelic part of the dragon with the details putted on it, with the angelic part looking like an armor but also looking beautiful with his blue gems and his clear color, looking like it is reminiscent of the armor of an archangel being in some sort of battle armor to protect paradise, and with the demonic part, looking more aggressive with a more sharp and spiky look, and looking like it's an actual fallen angel, with his wings having holes in it, looking like it just got his wings destroyed so that it would fall from paradise and end up a demon in hell, i also like the fact that the legs and most of the tail still looks like it hasn't got corrupted yet, showing that the corruption is (perhaps) not complete yet, one single advice i would give would be to maybe make the wings look more like they are in motion so that it actually looks like the dragon is flying and not just floating (unless it is made to float, in that case it is good), maybe by adding some motion effects on the wings or maybe changing the pose of the wings, overall, it is a very well made dragon and it makes me want to have it as a teammate to destroy my ennemies >:) Keep up the good work :)

I love the design you made for that dragon! You mentioned it was an Amber dragon beforehand, and I really like how you can see that with some orange-ish segments on its body. However, at the first glance I think I mistook the light side for something ice themed. I personally would've made it more yellow-ish, rather than light blue. Speaking of the light side, I love how the wing on the light side has feathers. It reminds me a little of an angelic wing. I really like how intimidating, yet somewhat reserved the dragon's pose looks, good job :)

Words cannot describe how well I think this art has been constructed, I enjoy the light and dark coloration that makes it seem like a great protecter that’s feared by all those who wish to do evil.

The dragon you showed at the end is really well rendered. I felt that the line art was confusing, but then, the color and rendering brought it together. The tail feels disconnected from the rest of the body, as if there was a serpent hidden behind the dragon, and the tail seems too big or “girthy” compared to the rest of the body

I'm glad you found your place in the art community. I'm still working on mine.

The creature in the thumbnail reminded me a lot of the Griffin from Quest for Camelot, and let me just say I was not prepared for that blast to the past hitting me up in my recommendations today!

I'm loving the direction this channel is taking in terms of more analytical discussion videos, especially art centric ones! Can't wait to see more! Dragon Critique: I love the how difficult it is to determine what this creature's true intensions are due to the lack of clear expression (tiny eyes, No pupil, gaped mouth, etc.) as if it's lost control over itself. These aspects make It look like an awesome force of nature as well as giving it a somewhat tragic vibe. I would like to see the dark and light halves getting more space in terms of colour, maybe around the sides of neck the neck and tail areas to give a sense that they are still slowly corrupting the host's body. I would also make the general body colour a bit darker, allowing each half pop out a lot more. Overall, still a fantastic piece as always!

I love the dragon you designed, its imposing and scary but the pose you chose for it looks a little stiff and uncomfortable. Maybe if they were in a bipedal position yelling at a warrior who gained the confidence to actually look the beast in the eye. Or maybe even a leaping into an acton pose using its wings to get to high ground. I also felt like the colors leaned into more fire and ice. I love using the convention of angel with light and demon with dark in my art so maybe you could imply a halo and horns in the design. also changing the color scheme to yellow and white with red and black goes with light dark theme. This could also lead to pose showing it falling down from the heavens. By the way the dragon you designed is so cool, keep doing what your doing Jack. ;)

I really like the color composition and the design of the dragon in particular. The contrasts of the elements that have taken over it, leaving some amber exposed, is really striking! What honestly caught my eye was the designs of the inner portions of the wings: the faint motifs of heaven on one side, and hell on the other! It's such a departure from what I'm used to seeing in dragon designs, especially with that geode tail at the end, and it's a genuinely unique and refreshing take on what a dragon looks like!

Thanks for saying this, I do think it's something that needs saying more. Constructive criticism is built upon conveying your thoughts on what something means to you, not conveying how it makes you feel instinctively. It's just that giving your opinion is so much easier than describing to a person exactly what their work makes you think about, so that's what tends to come out of the mouth instead. Your description of the issue is both concise and thorough, and the applied examples are great. Thanks for the reminder and the positivity! (and dragons rule)

The half-and-half aspect of your dragon is a really cool idea! Personally for me, it read a bit more like a fire and ice dragon, especially with the orange part in the middle. It might help to lean a bit more (but not entirely) into stereotypical “light and darkness” colors?

I absolutely LOVE the colors you chose for the dragon, they play off eachother beautifully and definitely convey the theme you were going for. However the arm on the ‘dark’ side is blending into the wing, to the point where it is hard to see. The arm is being pulled back, I can tell that! But with how the colors kinda muddle together around that area it looks too small, which only adds to it being hard to distinguish. The pose over all is fantastic though! I love the motion you have going on with the piece!

Good video :) As far as the little critique "assignment" at the end, the only thing I think I'd suggest to change is maybe make the dark half a darker purple and the light half a pale shining goldish yellow to better convey the light and dark think it's got going on, since at first I thought it was fire and ice (literally my thoughts were "oh Todoroki dragon, cool" I was also gonna mention bringing in angel-demon aesthetics, but on a closer look, that seems to already be present, very cool.

I always go with a critique sandwich as you mentioned! Tell things about the piece you like, tell things you think could use improvement, that way they never feel like you're just pulling their piece apart.

Thank you for this, a lot of people don't realize how little throwaway comments can affect artists, or how to critique something in a way that doesn't sounds insulting. Concerning the dragon you were painting in the background, I absolutely love him

The first glance at this light and darkness dragon kinda gives me the feel of fire. Even though it's an amber dragon, the shift from darker red to orange to blue makes me think of the different colored flames seen in real life. The black, purple and red of the Dragon's right side are all associated with villain colors, and subsequently function incredibly effectively to provoke thoughts of corruption or evil. In stark contrast, the light half feels more like ice or a general regal feel with it's blues and yellows and whites. This makes the brown-ish gray of the middle a perfect in-between, not quite one or the other. Even though it's lore is that of a sort of takeover of the original dragon, you can tell it's stronger and significantly more dangerous with it's new sharp edges and the glowing parts on it's skin. (How'd I do?)

I absolutely love the 'darkness' aspects you have in the dragon you drew for this video, the dark colors and flame-like appearance to the scales and horns give a great shadow vibe. However, I'm a bit underwhelmed by the color choice you have for the light side. The crystalline shapes work well to contrast the more organic shapes the darkness side has, but I feel like having light blue with those more geometric shapes more so says 'ice' than 'light'. Warmer colors like yellow might help fix that, but that could also just be a me thing! Overall, I think it's great!

the video itself is super super important and nicely done- but i just wanted to say hooooly crap i love the dragon drawn in this timelapse. it covers so many interests to me and its just absolutely gorgeous and super cool♥♥♥ had to get it out there EDIT: ASSIGNMENT TIME CUZ I FINISHED THE VIDEO ok. so what i was drawn towards at first (during sketch/lineart stage) was all the complex shapes going through its body. The massive head crest, the well defined face, the branch-like chest with holes in it, all of these details got me very intrigued because i personally love when creatures have, odd or strange growths on them, or simply have been shaped in a intricate way. makes you wonder what happened or why they look like this. When you started getting more details in, especially with asymmetry (which i also love), i realized this is definitely an individual whos either affected by something (an illness, corruption, magic etc), or is sharing their identity with another. It turned out to be a combo of both. Which only makes it more interesting to me When the drawing was finished, by looking at it first glance, i didnt get too much "light/dark" vibes. Probably because, at least i, am so used to high contrast black and white whenever thats depicted. But i liked this change. I prefer having more colors, and having a reason for them to be there. Specifically in this case, when looking closer at the light side, youll see more refined edges, cleaner shapes, it sometimes even look like a polished material like.. blessed metal or something. Its got all the pleasant surfaces while still keeping some twisted details that make it look, slightly scewed, again, affected by something. As it blends into the dark side, that has a lot more pointy and rough edges, looks more meaty and raw- but still refined and glorious somehow. These two elements have their own defining traits, but what i appreciate is that they also seem to take elements from each other. Light side is slightly twisted, and dark side feels "clean". Maybe it has to do with artstyle too, but its fun to point out nonetheless. Ontop of that, an element that feel like it belongs to both and neither at the same time- are the bone plates on the tail. Everyone shares a "skeleton" if you think logically and anatomically. The outside might be different, but without flesh we all come down to the same structure. And the fact this shows amplifies a feeling of bittersweet unity, we are together and different until death comes - along with time- that ill get to now.. And then theres the amber. Something i deeply respect in designs is when the creator slaps a high contrast color onto it. Even more so if theres a lot of colors present already. Because if you nail it, you can make something look dark gritty and menacing even if its colorful! Colors can mean so many things. Amber in this case is often associated with time. Something thats shaped and hardened over many generations, in order to achieve the beautiful look it has today. Incorporating that as the core of the dragon makes it seem to me as if these light and dark sides has grown around it, binding themselves to the heart from two opossite sides, ultimately resulting in the fibre of their beings intertwined. This is a beautiful concept. Two individuals becoming one, without fully losing themselves. TLDR; it looks very fresh at first glance, but the more you read into its design, i think youll start finding very peculiar details that speak more than the initial impression does. Absolutely breathtaking♥

I love how well the dragon's design reads, I knew what it was about before the coloring even began! The one torn, batlike wing and one avian wing are classic (though perhaps overused?) symbols for darkness and light combining in one form, they alone make the intent of the art clear. My only real criticism would be that on the torn wing's tips, the tears appear to go through the part of the wing where the bone should be, and overall the anatomy of the wing and the shape of the tears are not convincingly realistic to me. However, from what I understand, making the wings unrealistic was probably a deliberate choice, and really the only reason I dislike the wing at all is because I'm a stickler for convincing anatomical realism. It's an awesome piece overall! Ok but also. I have a cousin who does these ""criticisms"" irl and oh my gosh, it's so annoying. Taught me a lot about how to ignore smart alecs at a young age. Nowadays I either give my guys original species/race names, or just say "screw it" and call my art whatever I want.

Those wyvern people are so annoying. Wyverns literally ARE DRAGONS

Wow, that is amazing! I love the colors you chose, though I do feel it needs to be a bit more transition between them. I love the shape of it and the pose it's drawn in too, I do feel like the darkness sides arm isn't visible enough tho, I would just adjust the colors. Overall, it's an amazing piece!

(Leaving my critique separate from my previous comment.

Those aren’t dragons tho, they’re drawings

The dragon you designed in this video has a really strong design! I love the color palette used! One thing I would consider if you decide to make any changes is that the arm to the viewer's left (the dragon's right arm) looks a bit small, and makes it seem disproportionate. Granted, this could be what you were going for and if so, kudos to you! However, to me, it makes that side of the dragon look a bit... incomplete and not as powerful as the rest of the design.

Not long ago, I heard about a concept called the critique sandwich. Start off with a couple of things you like, then insert your critique, and then end with one other thing you liked or encouraging statement.

Okay crit time!! Really like how you’ve married the colours across both halves while also varying the texture in the wings, I see you’re going for the angelic bird wing thing on the right; for example. I think to hammer home the “light/dark” theme you could probably lighten the light side a little more? It’s really tricky to do that when you’re working with a lot of colour but. That would be my only suggestion I think. Great video btw! I’m an illustrator / designer too and lol people are so annoying

I think some elements of the light and darkness dragon definitely work to convey its intent. But I assumed it it was actually supposed to be an ice/fire dragon before you said it was light and dark. The crystal like structure on the arms for the light makes it look like ice and the horn on dark side has the appearance of flame. However, because the element of amber is present adding a crystalline structure to the dark and light halves is a very cool concept. I just don't know if it properly comes across. Maybe different color choices or using specific gemstones to represent the two halves could work. Opal for light comes to mind. I also don't know if the overall gray color scheme of the majority of the dragon really works. It doesn't allow the other colors to pop enough. I adore the shapes though and how the elements of light and dark are almost melting into the central crystal. It makes for a more chaotic look that sells the mutated by light and dark magic idea. The spiraling of the two colors on the end of the tail is also a very cool idea and another great way to visualize the two elements coming together. I hope any of this was helpful or constructive heh.

Thank you for helping me realize that what is a dragon varies largely between certain franchises. DnD design of dragons seems to be more conservative, with main differences being the head shape, and color of scales. That could be because of how many other creatures there are in world of DnD, and making dragons more diverse could prove confusing if placed next to other monsters. On the other hand we have How to train your dragon franchise, where lack of other fantastical creatures gives more freedom when creating dragon design.

Thumbnail dragon gives me more bird of death. The skull and the bird part and the skeleton. Reminds me of two animals being fused. Really cool dragon!

I really dig the quality of your lines and the way you apply color to your pieces! The colors feel vivid and enticing! For this video's dragon, I personally got more of a dark and ice vibe instead of light and dark. Perhaps it's because you used a lot of blue as opposed to the stereotypical white/cream. Not that this is a bad thing at all, but I think the sharpness of the wings combined with that side's pallet also adds to it being "ice".

Taking what you said to heart, I'm going to try and critic the light & dark dragon. I like the angle you were going for, adding in a third design element not only enhances the story behind the dragon for me, but also helps to break up the design as well. However, I do feel like the posing is lacking. If this is meant to represent the two major elements of the card game as well as the story being that an amber dragon was corrupted by the two elements and thus changing what the dragon once was, I feel like the artwork deserves a pose that really shows what effects both elements are having on its mind (?) I really am trying not to just say "Bro this is awesome, keep up the good work" Because this channel has help a lot in making me improve in being an artist and it feels weird for me, someone who isn't even an adult yet, give a critic to someone who has been doing art for much longer. (Thank you btw)

honestly, I think the whole "it's actually a Wyvern !" thing is more of a meme than anything else

I like the two different wings and horns and how the dark side has a fire theme and the light side has an ice theme, but the way the amber looks like its bursting out and corupting it, i think if the amber was a little more smooth and round it would look more like the light/dark segments were going over it not getting ripped by it

I love this design! i Love how everything clashes together so smoothly and perfectly, plus the fire horn and the amber in the middle are so cool! though it’s kinda hard to tell the arm apart from the wing on the corrupted / purple side Also thank you for the tip on criticism! It helped me a lot :D

The way that there are still elements of the dragon untouched by the corruption is interesting, and helps imply that this is not its natural state. The arm on the darkness side is hard to make out from the body/wings, and looks a lot weaker, almost crippled, compared tot he light side. That said, I love it Jack. ❤🎉❤

It'd be interesting to see if the more gatekeeping comments are actually from the art community or just from random observers. Since most of the challenges are for practice/improvement, it would surprise me if fellow artists are the majority of the dunkers

Thanks for the video! This topic is particularly unpopular, but truly important for everyone involved. As for your design, it shows how much you worked on the colors, the way they mix or differentiate tells you a lot about the dragon itself, and its purpose. However, i'd try to make the face a little more neutral, since it looks quite malicious, and from what you said, you're trying to make a fusion between light and dark. Good luck in the redesign, if you want to do it!

A very good explanation. For me personally, this also helps me critiquing myself. Whenever I feel like I just hate my arts, rather than just hating without any reason, I try to redirect that energy to actually see what is the problem and mistakes that makes me dont like the drawing. While learning to love my own arts can be hard at times, redirecting it to an actual self criticism helped me be more appreciative to myself and even using it to help me improve my art that I hated.