The Story Behind the Paintwork of the Chinese Zodiac - Dragon

The first time I saw the original design of the Dragon, the first adjective that came to mind was "calculating", depicting an image of a discreet elder with an imposing presence. Therefore, the entire paintwork design concept was developed based on this initial impression.

To convey the desired feeling, the overall color scheme for the Dragon's body was chosen to be dark - gray Tang suit with dark golden dragon patterns, creating a noble appearance. The Dragon's skin color was selected to be a highly saturated shade of green, with some minor details using contrasting red hues, such as the horns and nails. An addition of a red gemstone texture was applied to the raised area between the eyebrows, adding a sense of luxury. The eyes of the Dragon, a crucial focal point, were created with vertical orange-yellow pupils to emphasize its majesty.

Considerable effort was put into replicating the texture of the Tang suit. Gray is known for its low purity, and to depict the necessary layers and silk-like texture, a combination of blue-purple as the dark tone and light blue-gray for the highlights was chosen. This provided depth and richness to the overall appearance. Thanks to the exquisite sculpting craftsmanship by the prototype artist Wu Wang, the dragon pattern on the front of the Tang suit became the centerpiece of the outfit. To enhance the pattern's richness, dark golden paint with embroidery-like textures was used. The process of creating the embroidery texture was quite meticulous, as it involved hand-painting to mimic the feel of knitting. This required layering multiple colors and using the right shading to portray the thickness of the knit. Every detail of the knit was constructed through the layering of five colors, resulting in a satisfying final effect.

In addition to the dragon pattern on the front of the clothing, to create a balanced overall composition, hand-painted embroidery details were added to the cuffs, hem of the clothing, and fabric shoes. The shoe pattern featured a traditional Chinese wave pattern, which was also a patient and time-consuming process. However, for such an exceptional original Chinese-style work, the effort invested was entirely worthwhile. The remaining accessory details were color-coordinated with warm hues, infusing some vitality into the overall dark tones. The dragon-headed cane featured a faux redwood finish to further enhance the Dragon's imposing presence.

The above represents the artist's understanding and approach to the entire Dragon paintwork. Thank you all for your appreciation and support.