Now I have to admit that is just stunning work in combination of the background and deacon Great job Charha

Thanks Drayk! I have to say, I'm quite pleased with the thing myself. =)

mmmm very nice and thanks for the pic. hugs tightly

*hugs* The pleasure was all mine!

Many thanks! ^^

I really like the dark backgrounds. Stormy skies look so pretty, great work on this one. :D I also adore how this dragon came out, very elegant yet fierce!

Thank you very much! I'm glad you like the dark backgrounds... They're the easiest to make 'cause you can just colour the light in bit by bit. =)

This is a very good picture. How did you accomplish the lightning?

I made the streaks by first using custom photoshop brushes and then painting over them in Painter. The bigger clusters are made with Painter as well. I further enhanced them by airbrushing cold dabs on a screening layer.

I thought I smelled Painter in there.

That is....AMAZING. The lighting...WOW.

hhmm.. sain tuosta mahtavasta piirroksesta oivan inspiraation.. mahtipontista muzakkia tulossa :D

Oijoi! Voiko mikään olla niin hyvää? Odotan innolla! ^^

enköhän huomiseksi saa valmiiksi

that is beautiful. One of the best Dragon pictures i have ever seen. Instant fav. NO doubt about it. =3

Thank you! That is a really wonderful compliment. *^_^*

Oh yeah. We I was talking about dragons earlier, this is what I was thinking about.

I was shuffling through my mp3s while colouring this and when the player suddenly started playing the Ride of the Valkyries it made me chuckle. I was pretty proud of my drawing, but the tune was still slightly too dramatic for the occasion. x)

that is killer

*hugs* Thank you! For once I'm actually quite proud of myself. I'm still hoping to do better in the future, somehow. ^^

I'll try even harder. Yush! Thanks for the encouragement, AJ! =D

omg?! so frigging awesome!!!! you did an awesome job!!!!!! O_O

Awh, thank you! I showed this to my parents the other day and they weren't as excited as I was. Guess they've seen so much of my stuff throughout the years that they're not easy to impress anymore. xD

hehe! thats a nice thing :3

*can actually hears the thunders and lightnings*

eerelie good and interesting <3

Very nice work, I love the lighting on the dwaggy :}

That's pretty :D Although, I also prefer dragons bit more "fleshy".

Yeah, I kinda prefer the bulky type as well. But I'm still pretty impressed about this one. It's been a while since I drew any feral-looking dragons. =)

very nice charha ^^ amazing back ground

Thanks! I was afraid I might've added too many lightning bolts, but in the end I think they came out okay. =)

Wow, the lightning has a genuine sense of direction and form. Sometimes artists make the mistake of having it flail around as if it has nowhere to go. I love the way it lights up those soft, dark clouds as it penetrates them.

I love the way clouds form different layers like that. The first time I saw clouds both above and below me, it brought back so many memories of games like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Space Harrier. It's like another land sandwiched in the sky.

Very moody work of art. Deacon looks like he has a reason to hunt someone down!

I wasn't entirely sure if these kind of sandwich clouds exist... I'm afraid of travelling by plane, so during a flight I mostly keep my eyes shut instead of looking for reference.

I'm pretty pleased with this picture, however. I often find things to nitpick about, but for once I think I did good. *happy*

I love dragons, but I have to admit, I love the stormy sky even better! You've mad the clouds feel so puffy and pregnant with rain, and the lightning is dead accurate. It's blue-ish, I mean. Wonderful!

I didn't even realize that I actually did something right with the background. I drew it only after I assembled the dragon.

Thank you kindly for the nice compliment. It makes me very happy to know that you like this pic! =)

Whoah, impressive background! = D
Dark and cloudy, i can even smell the electricity in the air!

I think I can smell sparks in the air, but I'm afraid they might be coming from my computer. There's something wrong with the hardware and it's making me nervous. <_<

But hey, thank you kindly! I'm very glad you like! ^_^

Whoa girl, you sure work some amazing magic!

Aw, thanks! I suppose I do some magic - mainly because I never bother to read the manuals... The technical bits in Photoshop and Painter are absolute algebra to me. I just keep fiddling with the controls and hope things end up looking okay. =)

No prob

Wow, really? I try to do that with PS and it always ends up like garbage T_T

Try Painter instead, if you get the chance. I think it's really hard to spread colour smoothly with Photoshop, but with Painter it's very easy. =)

Maybe I should get Painter. Where from?

Well, you can always buy it, although it is pretty expensive... or you can download it from some source and crack it. You can also download a free trial version from www.corel.com

Ah okay, thanks

<3 Lovely!

~GR

tired of the black backgrounds? ish that a joke!?

I love your dark backgrounds <3! I'm a night feline ;D!

well the lightnings are so wicked <3! great job on this draggy :3

Yay for night felines! That makes two of us. ^_^

Oh, and many thanks for the compliment!

The lightning looks awesome! The picture has got a nice clima also ;3

I'm glad you think so. Thank you! =D

Wow oO

This looks .... awesome... scary. XD
Especially the eye is great. Looks like a really evil undead dragon. Kind of a black dragon :)

Mmmm shadow dragon in truth

Hm... interesting.

D&D 3.5? I have the draconomicon at home, and the dragon really reminds me in the dragons shown there :)

You can be really happy, that the picture turned out that cool. ^.^

ooooh don't worry I am =P but I'm not much into D&D

Too bad, because the shadow-dragon is... well... it's a pretty strong race ^^

haha true but I don't like to be forced to follow rules that much

Same for me :)
That's why I love my mate to be the Gamemaster. ^.^ He don't follow any rules either. ;)

*snickers* And it's much fun to play with him. :D

looks sooo powerfuuull!!!! and marvelouuuuss!!!!!!

Thanks! I was hoping that it would! ^^

mymymy i a very great and awesome work *favs*

Jebus frick, I honestly wonder how you're able to draw things like this ...

I love all the little details with the tears in the wings and the scales, and how the hell did you do that background?

... I'm not sure, but I think he's going to 7-11 to pick up some RedBull - to fix his wings >.<

The background was actually the easiest part. It's surprising hard to draw the clouds with Photoshop, but with Painter it's a piece of cake.

Red Bull gives you wiiiiiiiings! <3

I love the hands and claws. The anatomy is also very well done :3 oh the background I think is my favorite. I just love lightning! <3

Wow, thank you very much. I'm flattered that you like the picture. =)

Lovely colorin!

Just one word. wonderful

Thank you for associating this picture with such a complimentary word! I really appreciate it. =)

Holy wow, that's pretty awesome. Maybe you should draw more dragons :D:D

Yeah, maybe I should! Hopefully I will find the time to do so eventually. Dragons are fun. =)

Ooooh.
That is all ^^

soo astoundingly awesome!

Hummmm... You never cease to amaze me...

Likewise, I look up to you as an artist. You draw such remarkable pictures. =)

Thanks for your kind comments, btw! I really appreciate them.

Grate work and dun wory i will never get tired of dark backgrounds.

Thanks. Dark backgrounds are easier for me, I think. I hope I haven't completely forgotten how to do light ones. =>

Nah you didn't dark brings out the lights to. At this case lightnings.

WOW The dragon is excellent... blizzards and clouds too. Great job!

Thank you very much, Rezzy! ^^

This came out awesome! The style of the dragon is very unique, and the rendering is lovely! Rocketh!

Many thanks! It honours me that you like this one. Of course I had no part in creating Deacon's overall design, but I'm glad that he came out looking alright. =)

THat must be the greatest storm bg I ever seen O.o Great lightings and the dragon looks beyond words O.o *faints*

Thanks, MW. Deacon suggested that I would have one of the bolts of lightning hit him (leaving him unharmed of course!), but that was trickier to draw than I thought, so I just placed them on the background. =)

omy god the colours on the back grounf the detail its just astoundingly stunning!

Thank you! The background was the easiest part. It's very easy to mix colours into such foamy forms with Painter. =)

Nice dragon. Lol

Ololololol! Thanks! *grins and hugs* ^_^

I came....that's all there is to say.

Really awesome piece Charha. You really nailed lining up the lighting on the Dragon with you light source in the background, well done. The reflections and glow on him are just good...awesomely good!

*gives you a napkin* =D

Seriously though, thank you very much! I'm still feeling a bit dazzled over the fact that people liked this pic so much. I hope I won't start feeling too proud of myself.

The funny thing is when I look at these kind of amazing pieces I always imagine it being animated in nice CG graphics xD

omg. That picture is *so* freaking awesome. <3 Much love for that dragon! You did a wonderful job on the background too. <3333

Thank you! I'm pretty proud of it myself. At least I can't see any big mistakes to nag about. =D

Awesome looking!

Lighting (and lightning) effects are really well done.

Great piece of art :)

Thank you, dear! I'm happy you like how it all came out. ^_^

A yes... I like it very much :)

Whoa Charha *he holding up the umbrella* that dragon is amazing he almost remind me of the Dark Dragon that rules in the Realm of Darkness. but you did a great work on this one and also the background is excellent :)

Thanks, hon! Garr is still my favourite dragon, though. ;3

awwr *hugs you alot* thanks for consider me as your favorite dragon :)

Holly crap!!! this is fantastic!!, it desserves to be in one of those Dungeon and Dragons artbooks!!

Now that would be something! o_O

I've still got a long way to get so far. It would be awesome, though... I've always dreamed of an opportunity to illustrate a fantasy book cover of some sort. ^_^

@________________@ absolutly BEAUTIFULL! those shimmering scales... wow!

Hehe, thanks! ^_________________^ <3

This is just awesome! The lighting is really effective

Thanks! I'm very glad that you think so. ^_^

I like the dragon a lot, but for some reason I like the background more x.x
I love painter-y stuff

Thank you! I love painterly stuff as well... Though I'm not very good at it myself. Practise makes better, I guess. ^_^

Painterly, thats the word I was grasping for -.- I was only one letter away, too. So much for my eloquence...

Lol, don't worry. My vocabulary is pretty abysmal and I typo stuff all the time. Especially after midnight!

Very nice. The wing and the lightning are exceptional. Awesome job ^.=.^ I love it. A definite favorite.

Thank you! I'm flattered! =)

*chuckles* You did a great job. ^.=.^

Dragons in the LIGHTNING in the LIGHTNING in the RAAAAAAAIN

*whips up a ridiculously huge pipe organ and starts to play the Ride of the Valkyries*

pulls a Choir, complete with fat lady, out of her pocket

Gorgeous!!!

wow great job on this one ^^

WOW, how couldn't I see this one coming? What a fantastic piece of work you did here. And the background... Very impressed.

Thank you! =D

And many thanks for the fave as well. Very nice of you. =)

Nice? Oh, please, you have nothing to thank me for; I'm not doing you a favor or anything for telling you the truth, you are of the few artists who I consider to be blessed for having such skills.

Even though I've been here in FA for well over a year I still find it very awesome and cool that people take the time to look at my pictures and comment on them. Kinda makes me wish I had found these internet art communities earlier. The positive feedback is very encouraging! Really, thanks again. =)

now that is my kind of dagon!! nice job.... i love the detail of the wings

So very nice. The shading is good, and the scenery is also good.

Thank you! I'm glad you think so. =D

UNFREAKING BELIEVABLEEE!!!!!!!!!

Lol! I suppose that's a good thing. Thank you very much! =D

Gorgeous pose, details, background - everything!

*blushes* Thanks for the wonderful compliment! I'm quite happy with this pic myself. =D

Very nicely done! love the smooth rendering and colors. :)

Many thanks, mate! ^^

your'e welcome ! .. You do awsome artworks. :)

The raggard edges are a lovely touch. It reminds me of cover art. They always protray the dramatic battle scene on those and the gorgeous lighting really brings it up to eye-popping attention.

I have always liked (overly) dramatic things, thunder and lightning... But I'm glad it reminds you of cover art, because illustrating that kind of stuff is my lifelong dream. =)

awesome job ^.=.^

love the lighting and the background

Thank you! I'm glad you like. =D

your welcome ^.=.^

Thats just awesome. Insta-fave

Hey, thank you very much! =D

so awsome must fav
*favs*

*honored* Thank you! =D

I love the light work in this. The lightning draws the eye so well, yet it does not detract any emphasis from the figure. The bloom effects and refractions off of the clouds make this so realistic. ^^ +fave!!

I'm really flattered that you like this one. My kindest thanks! This is one of my favourite pics I've ever drawn, 'cause it's full of pomp and lightning. ^^

WOW!!!COOL!

Very cool! I should have commented on this long ago. :) I really do love the way you draw the scales, getting them on at least the major muscle regions. Also the deadly eyes and the lightning strikes in the back, which really help the background and keep it from being TOO dark if you ask me. Yay evil. XD

Thanks! These days I have a new trick for painting the scales in by selecting scale shapes with the lasso tool and brushing a soft highlight on the selection. When I duplicate the selection I can make little fields of scaly highlights and paste them on desired areas. It saves quite a bit of trouble. :3

it's amazing !!

That needs to be a Yu-gi-oh! card. Very nice

wow me on a card now that would be cool

No DUH!!

all around amazing. :D

I have to say... this is truly an amazing art! Just look at combination of both the background and the dragon and the lightning is beautiful. Totally fav this one! Nice job there.

I guess I'm going to be echoing everyone else here by saying this is a great piece of artwork! You're very talented indeed

I've only just discovered your FA page but I'm about to explore it more and see what other great pieces you have here :)

Oh, I thought I replied to your comment already... Must've been a glitch in my browser. ^^;;

I'm really glad you like this here dragon! Um, I hope the rest of my gallery doesn't disappoint you entirely, but of course I'm flattered that you've taken the time to take a look at my FA page! Thank you! *bows respectfully*

Wow, this is great. I really love the kind of atmosphere this gives. ^_^

*SteamPunk Is flying around, testing his homemade jetpack When he suddenly spots a large shadow behind the clouds.*

*SMACK*

I wants to do lighting like that! How do I do lightning like that!? *bounces*

It's best to paint stuff like that manually with Painter while keeping a close eye on a reference picture. Alternatively you could try to find a b/w photo of a lightning (that has a stark contrast) and place it on a screening layer in Photoshop... I'm not sure how well that would work, but it might be worth a shot.

I'll have to try that. The had part is getting to form to look like real lightning and not some guy making a lot of connected jagged lines.

It helps to draw the lines with a limp wrist. Simply hold the stylus as if you were just about to have a heart attack. x)

really nice pic, love the dragon and love the background XD

Thank you for the compliment! I'm glad you like the pic. :)

whoa... now thats a nice dragon picture