🔥Unveiling Mars: Our Fiery New Dragon!

Hello everyone! 

Today, I’m excited to take you behind the scenes to see how we created Mars, one of our dragons from The Celestial Dragonarium.

Research & Inspiration

Every dragon in this series starts with a deep dive into its inspiration. Known as the red planet, Mars is often associated with ambition, energy, and the drive to take action. In mythology, Mars, ( his counterpart, but not the same, is Ares in greek lore) is the god of war. A symbol of courage, strength, and honor.

I knew Mars’s dragon had to embody power and fiery determination. But I didn’t want him to feel overly aggressive or angry. Instead, I wanted to capture their warrior spirit in a way that felt bold and inspiring.

With all this in mind, I put together a reference board filled with art, real-life examples, and even some “why not?” design elements that I thought would be fun and unexpected.

Thumbnails

I began by sketching a lot of very angry dragons. Like, a lot.

But something felt off. None of them quite captured the essence of the Mars I was going for. That’s when I had a realization. Being assertive isn’t about rage. So I shifted gears and landed on this thumbnail.

This one…this one felt right. It focused on the power and determination I was searching for. 

Refining the Sketch

What was the biggest challenge for me refining his sketch? His face. I tried a few different versions where I made a super scary one!

Eventually I found a good balance. A face with a chin that felt strong and commanding, but still approachable enough.

Mandala

Every dragon in this series has two key elements: a mandala featuring intricate knotwork and their planetary symbol incorporated into the design. For Mars, I wanted the mandala to focus on angular and sharp shapes to best fit the warrior spirit.

Lastly, I integrate Mars’s symbol into the design, tying everything together.

Inking the Dragon

With the mandala complete, it was time to ink the dragon. The character starts to pop off the page.

Color and Final Touches

Finally, I handed Mars off to Ryan to work his brand of magic with vectoring and color.

I’m so happy with how he turned out. He’s strong, bold, and full of energy. Ready to tackle the world. And I’m glad I didn’t lean too hard into the “rage” side of his mythology.

Thank You for Reading!

If you love Mars as much as I do and want to help see him come to life as an enamel pin, make sure the visit our Backerkit and hit the Notify button. You’ll get an email when we launch on March 18th! Those supporting during the first 48 hours will receive a free Star Dragon pin as a big thank you!

Until next time, 

Arielle + Ryan