Completed: 8 August 2020

This is a design concept I had in mind for about 4 years but didn't feel comfortable attempting to draw. The inspiration for this was Sandara's "Snow Hunt" on DeviantArt (link below) where I really liked the feathered bat-like wings but wanted it to be more dragon-based than feline-based. The overall design has changed over the years it existed in my head, with it originally being a gryphon with the feline replaced with dragon. However, after seeing more feathered dragons and other artwork, I eventually changed it to be a dragon with gryphon features.

When I got to drawing this in about mid-July I had no real ideas on the proportions or anything. So during the process of drawing I was looking at lots of references and tutorials, then taking what I learned and trying to put them into the piece. Now, a lot of people (at least that I follow) seem to say to do sketches of things that you are trying to practice, but I lose interest quicker than a light particle when doing that. I've found that I can do those types of sketches if they are for a piece, and I just erase (!) and try again. That is how I got something that I am quite proud of for the lineart. Now, the beak, head feathers and body feathers colors and markings are based off of the northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), while the primaries on the wings and rectrices on the tail are based off of the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). The ear tufts were inspired by the caracal (Caracal caracal) and are really the only thing I kept from the original gryphon concept I had. The non-feathered body and patagium (skin) of the wings were colored in a way I felt went well with the feathered parts.

Now I know that is a lot of text, but this character is a big reason I got into art since I wanted to draw him myself. Yet until this year I had always got daunted by what I wanted to accomplish with any art I started and didn't grow. The dragonborn piece that I released was the spark for me getting over that and I'm happy to have gotten to where I am now.

"Snow Hunt" by Sandara: https://www.deviantart.com/sandara/.....Hunt-642033407