Dragon Characters
Dragons are the single most drawn character in children’s art, and the most interesting to turn into a character, because almost nothing about a dragon is fixed. Size, temperament, whether it can speak, whether it even wants to breathe fire — a child has decided all of it already, usually in detail, and usually nobody has asked. Upload the drawing and those decisions become the character.
Making a dragon into a character
Decide the fire first
Does it breathe fire, and does it want to? A dragon who is embarrassed by its own fire is a better character than one who is simply good at it.
Size is a personality
A dragon the size of a cat and a dragon the size of a hill want completely different things. Ask which one they drew.
Friend, or something else
Most children draw a dragon they would like to know. Say so, and the stories follow.
Give it something it is bad at
A flaw is what makes a powerful character usable in a story — flying into things, hoarding the wrong objects, being afraid of water.
Questions to ask your child about their drawing
- What is your dragon’s name, and who gave it that name?
- Is it big or small? Bigger than the house?
- What is it afraid of?
- Where does it sleep?
- What does it collect?
Common questions
- My child’s dragon drawing is very rough. Will it still work?
- Yes. A scribble with a head and a tail is plenty — the illustration follows the shapes and colours your child chose rather than replacing them with a stock dragon.
- Can the dragon appear in more than one story?
- Yes. Once it exists as an avatar it stays visually consistent, so it can carry a whole series.