You implementing an Image ID is good and... rather underappreciated here.

That dragon really is cool... edgy, too! What makes th is the thick, wavy, black outlines, which work nicely wi the painted medium. Add the dark reds and the yellows, and the outlines give an active volcano feel. I also like the wa you implemented the purples here. I also like the look of those thin, pointed ventral scales.

Just tryin' to make the world a little better for folks!

And aaa thank you so much !! I really appreciate you noticing all the details, this was not long after I cracked the code for drawing "scary" dragons, and I'm really proud of it!

What is the code, by the by?

Dinosaur and reptile proportions! Small eyes set back on the face, blunter snouts, and thicker necks really helped my dragons go from friendly and cartoony to menacing and scary. Think how crocodiles and T-Rexes have big jaws and thick necks to accommodate them. If you've ever seen House of the Dragon, a really good example of this is Vhagar: the younger, leaner dragons aren't as menacing even though they're bigger than the humans (exceptions being dragons like Caraxes, who's menacing for different reasons), but it's very clear Vhagar is a powerhouse from her size and bulk. Small reptilian eyes also help, since they're more "inhuman" and that reads as scarier to our brains since we're wired to look for mammalian eyes. And then on top of that, spikes! Sharp usually reads as menacing and unfriendly. Obvs these aren't hard and fast rules, but just what I've picked up over the years!