The Shadow Dragon

from Descent – Journeys in the Dark (2nd edition)

I was looking to paint the Shadow Dragon since I opened the box for the first time but I knew that it wouldn’t be easy!

For this reason (and because I am not a PRO), I choose to follow a YouTube guide made by Mark Sorastro himself (the best miniature painter, in my opinion).

First of all, I created some rock on the bases using the Vallejo Dark Earth Basing Paste (like I did for the Merriod) and I primed the miniature in black, grey and white from above. I followed Sorastro’s tutorial mostly to learn some basics on how to make the wings look great. So, I created all the tones I wanted (5, in total) using a dry palette (this is the way I prefer but a wet palette would make sense too). Adding some retarder to the mix gives more time to work with the paints before they dry. I started with the lightest tone and I moved forward to the darkest, blending them together with a damp brush.

I applied the base colors to the remaining areas of the Shadow Dragon and I prepared myself a resin (home made) to create a water effect below my dragon. My experiment worked but I would strongly recommend not to do the same and go for a more reliable solution (Woodland Scenic Realistic Water, for example).

I was stunned by the result and it’s still my favorite miniature.

Have a look at the gallery: