Galactagon!

[pevil 125]

Figured I might as well post here coz why not? I'm doing a bit of an art project at the moment as a surprise for a friend but not sure I'll finish in time. Said friend loves Galactus from the Marvel universe and upon looking him up, I got inspired to turn him into a world-devouring dragon. I'm still very new to digital art so it's all great practice for me. I may be getting a leeeeeetle bit carried away on the details here though. The below pic is 50% zoomed in and has a lot of scales just on the nose! No shading even done yet, just blocky sections of colour, with the rest of the dragon to do plus the world he's eating. And I need to finish it by the end of the month ideally. Better get drawing!

 

This is the rough sketch I did when planning out the composition:

It's morphed a bit though since planning it out. I spotted some references that had a more head-on version of the eating plus I went more batlike with the wings so it's changed to the below:

[gogoblender 3,649]

1 hour ago, pevil said:

Figured I might as well post here coz why not? I'm doing a bit of an art project at the moment as a surprise for a friend but not sure I'll finish in time. Said friend loves Galactus from the Marvel universe and upon looking him up, I got inspired to turn him into a world-devouring dragon. I'm still very new to digital art so it's all great practice for me. I may be getting a leeeeeetle bit carried away on the details here though. The below pic is 50% zoomed in and has a lot of scales just on the nose! No shading even done yet, just blocky sections of colour, with the rest of the dragon to do plus the world he's eating. And I need to finish it by the end of the month ideally. Better get drawing!

 

This is the rough sketch I did when planning out the composition:

It's morphed a bit though since planning it out. I spotted some references that had a more head-on version of the eating plus I went more batlike with the wings so it's changed to the below:

Pev its GORGEOUS... you can draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!!  you and @DocHoff are so lucky!  And I can relate to both subjects in your topic... I LOVE Galactus... got a crush on the very concept.. eater of worlds, merciless as we are ... everyone has to eat, right  ...he was SO powerful that when he got knocked to the ground, he was too awesome to stand up ..he just got *raised* automatically to stand up position  
 

And its amazing that I just got caught in a rabbit hole this morning and was watching Smaug.. the way they featured him in the The Hobbit was epic, especially the huge, massive gold-filled caverns through which he could slide or just flitter above, with his looooong neck. I was especially drawn in by the first time he *shows off* to Frodo

 

 

and thats what I was comparing to when I saw your dragon...you got the neck right

 

gogo

[pevil 125]

Aww thanks Gogo That's interesting info about Galactus there! Makes sense a world eater would be so powerful but damn. Impressive indeed!

I wasn't a fan of the Hobbit films (only seen the first 2) but wow, Smaug was amazing, I loved that whole scene. A true dragon, hoarding his gold, proud and determined to kill anyone that gets too near. I love that picture of him, thank you for sharing that.

I'll keep this thread updated. I worked for a couple of hours after that last night and it has changed somewhat again haha. Still very, very basic for now though. It's crazy how much you have to go through to get things looking right.

[DocHoff 142]

That's pretty cool; drawing and painting is not among my skill set, at all, lol. 

I saw a Lord of the Rings movie, I can't remember which one. I liked part of it; I like the concept of a group of people traveling through a perilous land; sneaking past danger when they can and fighting when they must. But the big battlefield scenes I don't like. Some of my friends say "dude, you were a battlefield medic; this type of stuff should be right up your ally!" I was indeed a battlefield medic, called an FMF Corpsman; that fact is exactly why I don't like battlefield scenes. Some folks crack me up; I'm supposed to like Call of Duty games because I'm a vet. Sorry, not this ole boy. Now, if they ever make a Call of Shore Duty game, I'm all over that; those are the days I wouldn't mind revisiting. 

[gogoblender 3,649]

On 12/22/2024 at 10:55 AM, DocHoff said:

That's pretty cool; drawing and painting is not among my skill set, at all, lol. 

I saw a Lord of the Rings movie, I can't remember which one. I liked part of it; I like the concept of a group of people traveling through a perilous land; sneaking past danger when they can and fighting when they must. But the big battlefield scenes I don't like. Some of my friends say "dude, you were a battlefield medic; this type of stuff should be right up your ally!" I was indeed a battlefield medic, called an FMF Corpsman; that fact is exactly why I don't like battlefield scenes. Some folks crack me up; I'm supposed to like Call of Duty games because I'm a vet. Sorry, not this ole boy. Now, if they ever make a Call of Shore Duty game, I'm all over that; those are the days I wouldn't mind revisiting. 

I can understand your non-like of these type of scenes... my first understanding of in-battle medics was Saving Private Ryan... the beach landing scene is still stuck in my head.. probably a lot more violent than anything I've seen in Fantasy though... whew... cuz I do like Dragons!

gogo

[DocHoff 142]

On 12/27/2024 at 5:20 PM, gogoblender said:

I can understand your non-like of these type of scenes

Nope, sorry, I'm mistaken. I saw one of those LOTR movies in '01, and the battlefield scenes bothered me a little bit then, but it's been over 20 years. I rewatched it the other day. It's just that if I have a whole two solid hours to myself, I'd prefer to explore my own imagination these days over someone else's. 

[pevil 125]

Hmph, your posting here has reminded me I still need to finish this. Perhaps some more art tomorrow. I have done some previous sessions that I forgot to update this thread with too.

[DocHoff 142]

2 hours ago, pevil said:

Hmph, your posting here has reminded me I still need to finish this. Perhaps some more art tomorrow. I have done some previous sessions that I forgot to update this thread with too.

Excellent! I love looking at drawings; I myself can't draw worth a spit. 

[gogoblender 3,649]

19 hours ago, pevil said:

Hmph, your posting here has reminded me I still need to finish this. Perhaps some more art tomorrow. I have done some previous sessions that I forgot to update this thread with too.

Yay Pev...update rawr rawr rawr...  I love seeing others' drawings as well... more yum yums for the early coffee

 

gogo

[pevil 125]

Well... ok. I haven't done any yet today, may do some tomorrow, but here it is since the last time I posted. Some general shadows have gone in and some general cleaning up of the shape as well

 

 

[gogoblender 3,649]

25 minutes ago, pevil said:

Well... ok. I haven't done any yet today, may do some tomorrow, but here it is since the last time I posted. Some general shadows have gone in and some general cleaning up of the shape as well

 

 

Pev, gotta ask, where did the drawing talent come from... is it something you've always done or something your parents put you in courses for?

Loving this "swoop"  more than ever, now that the shadows are in play

gogo

[pevil 125]

Aw thanks Gogo. Gonna make me blush lol

No classes, always just enjoyed drawing. As a kid I was probably drawing almost daily, or painting, or doing something randomly creative. Mum bought me quite a few things like that Prima Filo stuff (like playdough but you bake it to set it), kits like make your own plaster of paris clock and then paint it, paint by numbers, scrape board kits, and Dad bought me lots of artist materials. I suspect some of it is genetic; both my parents can draw though I've only seen Mum do it once and was amazed how good it was. Dad has done quite a few doodles and random sketches that I've seen and I'm blown away by his talent. I don't come close to him.

I took quite a big break from art. I took it for GCSEs (age 14-16 qualifications here in the UK) and my teacher... oh I hated my teacher. I did exactly one piece that she liked; a pen lineart drawing of a trainer. She gave me an A for it, put it on display for a parents evening, then lost it. Everything else of mine she hated. My coursework was meant to be some mix of grotesque and beautiful (I forget the exact criteria). I also was doing Textiles Technology, so I wanted to combine the two by doing a silk painting with beautiful colours, then overlaying it with black lines to make a stained glass window effect depicting a gargoyle. She decided it would be better done with sugar paper, cutting out the holes from black sugar paper to act as the black lines, then just put a bunch of chalk pastel on a white sheet of paper behind it. I did so, and she said "No, this looks terrible, you should've stuck to your original idea". Utterly despise that woman. She killed my love for a while and I only got a D, which meant I couldn't persue it to higher levels.

I did continue sketching in my spare time for a couple of years, but when I was 19 and met my first boyfriend (the one I was with when we were all playing Sacred) I lost my time in a way. Mainly due to him really, most of my hobby time was just spent on games. I regret that and am still guilty of it, but I do try to have time away from the games now and recapture that love of art. I'm new to digital art so stuff like this Galactagon is very new and unfamiliar to me. I mainly prefer to sketch in pencil, but have done watercolour, acrylics, oil pastel, chalk pastel and charcoal. I also never really lost that creativity even in games; in survival games I will spend far more time building houses or grand structures and sculptures than actually exploring the world or fighting monsters.

I have considered classes but that teacher really put me off. Plus proper classes, like at university, are so expensive, and local classes are either non-existent or only happen during times when I'm working. Or they're in styles I dislike; I'm very much a realism person for the most part and they all seem to be abstract or photography whenever I see them advertised. I love a great photo but it's just not the same to me as crafting the whole thing by hand.

[pevil 125]

I gave Galactagon some love today. He's still not finished. I need to work on his wing claws and the blue bits need proper shaping and shadowing. I also need to add to the cosmos in the background and perhaps rework some of the star's surface.

 

[gogoblender 3,649]

1 hour ago, pevil said:

I gave Galactagon some love today. He's still not finished. I need to work on his wing claws and the blue bits need proper shaping and shadowing. I also need to add to the cosmos in the background and perhaps rework some of the star's surface.

 

I'm taken by the fiery globe... !
I usually perceived dragons as having streams...galactigon shoot out a orb intrigues me... will it hit and shatter up against an enemy ...

the structure of dragons breath has always pulled me in... some of the best work on it I think was in Game of Thrones...when the dragons attacked the ships at sea...their fiery breath had concussive force 

I remember watching those scenes repeatedly just to see this effect of breath not just melting or igniting,but, in addition, flattening and shredding ships by the burst effect

whaaaaaaaaa....

 

 

gogo

[pevil 125]

I think he's finished! That's not actually breath, he's eating a star. However you're not the only person who thought it was a fireball, due to the colour I suppose. I was considering changing the colour but that wouldn't have been an easy fix, so then I thought what if it's a gas giant with rings around it? And added a bit of an asteroid belt as well. Hopefully it's clearer now that he's huge and eating celestial bodies.

On breath though, it sort of makes sense to me there woudl be an almost physical force from them. Fire itself tends to have that presence; if you've ever stood near a really big bonfire, or been near a building fire, there's an overwhelming 'push' from the heat. Combine that with the fact the dragon needs to exhale and funnel the heated air in order to get that stream of fire, and I think it would 'hit' the target. I think of it as if you're blowing a leaf away; there's a definite strong stream of air. Magnify that a few thousand times to be a stream of heated breath from a huge flying lizard and boats are going to be buffeted and broken even before you factor in the intense heat.

 

[DocHoff 142]

How very original. If someone would have said "dragon" to me, I don't think I'd ever have pictured one eating a star; now that's some out of the box thinking  Kudos. 

[gogoblender 3,649]

On 2/9/2025 at 11:12 AM, pevil said:

I think he's finished! That's not actually breath, he's eating a star. However you're not the only person who thought it was a fireball, due to the colour I suppose. I was considering changing the colour but that wouldn't have been an easy fix, so then I thought what if it's a gas giant with rings around it? And added a bit of an asteroid belt as well. Hopefully it's clearer now that he's huge and eating celestial bodies.

On breath though, it sort of makes sense to me there woudl be an almost physical force from them. Fire itself tends to have that presence; if you've ever stood near a really big bonfire, or been near a building fire, there's an overwhelming 'push' from the heat. Combine that with the fact the dragon needs to exhale and funnel the heated air in order to get that stream of fire, and I think it would 'hit' the target. I think of it as if you're blowing a leaf away; there's a definite strong stream of air. Magnify that a few thousand times to be a stream of heated breath from a huge flying lizard and boats are going to be buffeted and broken even before you factor in the intense heat.

 

zomgod...ITS A SUN... sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!! Pevil its got such gravitas now...that ring really helped... at least in terms of scale

Thanks for you astute and SICK indepth analysis of the percussive forces of dragon physics...omgod, this is your Horse Power Magical Skills builds abilities on show!

 

gogo

 

[gogoblender 3,649]

On 2/9/2025 at 10:36 PM, DocHoff said:

How very original. If someone would have said "dragon" to me, I don't think I'd ever have pictured one eating a star; now that's some out of the box thinking  Kudos. 

This Dragon now is at least as large as Galactus!

 

gogo

[Schot 444]

Very nice Pevil! 

I love how the tail curls off into the distance.  Big time kudos at the light and shadow work.  Especially on the shoulder and wrist.

Very thoughtful detailing!  You could print that on a shirt and wear it with pride that it's your own creation.  

 

[pevil 125]

6 hours ago, Schot said:

Very nice Pevil! 

I love how the tail curls off into the distance.  Big time kudos at the light and shadow work.  Especially on the shoulder and wrist.

Very thoughtful detailing!  You could print that on a shirt and wear it with pride that it's your own creation.  

 

Thank you Schot! I'm amazed at the detail I did include to be honest. Most of my art is quick pencil sketches and mainly just outlines with the odd extra line to hint at musculature so this was quite a learning curve for me What a compliment; maybe I should get a shirt printed. 

It's nice to 'see' you out in the wild! Hope you manage a few hours of freedom before Gogo stuffs you back in that dark basement 

[gogoblender 3,649]

8 hours ago, Schot said:

You could print that on a shirt and wear it with pride that it's your own creation.  

 

whaaaaaaaaaa... thats my idea! 

 

gogo

[gogoblender 3,649]

1 hour ago, pevil said:

It's nice to 'see' you out in the wild! Hope you manage a few hours of freedom before Gogo stuffs you back in that dark basement 

woooo, he's up ! yee haw, why not come in for a cup or two... Wiki's looking goooooooooooooood

Cup Cupa Thank you!

gogo

@pevil you've never said whether you're a strong scotch or delicate brandee girl!

 

[pevil 125]

Oh is Schot stealing your ideas Gogo? Now I see why you keep him locked away!

I've never tried scotch or brandy. I'm not a big alcohol person; I tend to hate the smell of it. I do partake in some vodka, and occasionally a gin. I'm intending to try whiskey at some point as a friend rather loves it. Guess it's a trip to see you guys and give it a try!

[Hooyaah 3,236]

On 2/18/2025 at 10:40 AM, pevil said:

Oh is Schot stealing your ideas Gogo? Now I see why you keep him locked away!

I've never tried scotch or brandy. I'm not a big alcohol person; I tend to hate the smell of it. I do partake in some vodka, and occasionally a gin. I'm intending to try whiskey at some point as a friend rather loves it. Guess it's a trip to see you guys and give it a try!

Pevil, if you've a mind to try it, "whisky" is what you want, not whiskey. A good, single malt, scotch whisky is not merely "alcohol," it is an experience.

[pevil 125]

Oh yes I know there's a difference in the spellings, namely the country of origin. If I try it, it'll be whatever my friend has in his house. I'm not buying a bottle just on the off chance I like it!