Turn Up The Heat... (Progression) (Patreon)

You dont need to super hyper size anything to get macro/micro stuff if you simply choose the right character interactions.
This is the 2nd big beast to be tormented in my gallery not long after "Tangled T Rex Tickling" and is quite special for being the first original dragon I made and the first big image I created using SAI which changed how I line everything from that point on!

Ran out of space on my A4 page, Really just wanted to get the pose right for a boxy cage to ensure the bars are the right uniform distance apart while also not obscuring anything essential behind them. Ive seen some people go with a sort of X-ray vision in situations like this but that's not a crutch I like to lean on. More interested in changing the view so that everything important is on show from one angle. One of the things not on show in the final is that other foot sole, but sometimes you just have to make sacrifices!

Dragon designs are a real double edged sword. On the one side, there is no clear rule as to hoe a dragon SHOULD look so you can never be called out for drawing it wrong however there are some established and expected traits to include but what's the correct mix of features? If its too traditional you risk ripping off someone else's design unknowingly and if its too different it can be an eye sore! For this particular dragon I figured the forward facing jaw spikes would set it apart just enough without going too crazy.

Continuing the theme of mythical creatures, this serpent lady is cooking up something big and hot in her cauldron! The whole forced fire from laughter is being put to good use here since a dragon would almost certainly spit fire the moment it laughs uncontrollably. That concept is what inspired this whole image.
You can see how I was deciding how best to have her tail wrap around the handle to hold the dragons head at the correct angle too. Don't want it accidentality going out of control!

Some tweaking later and I had my ticklers in place with equally fitting size disparities. It was a happy accident that the traditional Griffin stance made perfect use of the dragons curled heel toe!
With the dragons size comes strength so at this point I knew it was a chain job! And anyone who's had to draw long wrapping chains knows that its not the most fun of tasks and with very few shortcuts! Ah well Ive come this far!

After a few hours in SAI and noticing that I had a nice triangle of tormentors each of different distinct colours, I knew that a blue dragon would give the best spread across the page without looking over the top! So another first for me in the form of a blue OC, which is rare since I only ever draw natural colours for my original cast. Thankfully dragons can get away with these little game changers. Gotta love it when you can achieve multiple new goals at once.

The final version is here https://www.furaffinity.net/view/12336264/

The fire burst is actually just a smudge of flame colours with a strong ripple and water effect on it and the mini flame circles were a fun last moment addition with more rippling heat effects over the hottest area!
If I was to patch this one I would go harder on the slightly charred the under side of the wooden poles at the end and make the cliff behind the dragon seem more rocky rather then smooth as its not entirely obvious that there is an over hang back there with more blur on the foreground stalagmites and stalactites.