Painting Scales: How to Apply Dragon Makeup
Most people have heard of dragons, but if you read fantasy, you’ve likely heard the terms drake and wyrm. If you’re into dragon mythology, you might have even heard of the lindwyrm, amphithere, or wyvern. While the technical translation of words like “wyrm” and “drake” is dragon, contemporary authors and fantasy enthusiasts consider them different creatures. All of these mythical beasts are in the same family as dragons and often called dragons by people unfamiliar with their mythology. However, there are distinct differences, and when a fantasy author uses a name like drake, they mean a drake, not a dragon.
The easiest way to tell these creatures apart is by their limbs, but they do also have different abilities and levels of intelligence. The dragon has the most limbs — four legs and wings — and is the most powerful and intelligent. Dragons are capable of learning human languages, gaining great wisdom and knowledge, and controlling the elements. These are the creatures most likely to breathe fire.
Drakes have four legs and no wings. They are usually thought of as a bit smaller, less intelligent, and less powerful that dragons. They can control an element and speak a human language in some stories, but are not the wise beings dragons are often depicted to be. In “Fractured Promises,” my short story in Broken: A 30th Street Fiction Anthology, the huntress Brielle is riding a drake instead of a horse. The scales of the animal protect it from physical and magical attacks and it is capable of more complex thoughts and understanding than a hound or horse.
The other four-limbed dragon relative is the wyvern, which has two legs and two wings like a bat. Wyverns are less intelligent than dragons and drakes and unable to control an element in most of it’s iterations. They are the start of the more beast-like dragon creatures.
Amphitheres only have wings, no legs. Lindwyrms only have two legs and no wings. Both are not very intelligent and unable to control an element. They are also the least common of the dragon family.
Wyrms are dragons without limbs, so they are often depicted as huge snakes. They are often not as intelligent as dragons and tend to have different abilities. Frequently, worms are unable to control the elements but do spit venom or are capable of hypnosis. Sometimes sea serpents are considered wyrms; other times they are given their own category.
When your reading fantasy and the author is describing a dragon-like creature, don’t get hung up on the word “dragon” and immediately picture those mythical creatures. Instead, pay attention to the description and the actual word being used. You might be dealing with a wyrm or drake or even the illusive amphithere.
One thing these creatures do have in common is scales, so here’s how you can create dragon scales with your makeup.
How to Apply Dragon Makeup
* I am not a make up artist and just figured this out through trial and error *
Supplies
Primer (Maybelline Master Primer)
Face Paint (Snazaroo Purple, Metallic Purple, & Metallic Gold)
Makeup Sponge
Fishnet Stockings
Hair Clips
Eye Shadow (Covergirl Dazed)
Makeup Brushes
Eyeliner (Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeline Cinnabar)
Mascara (Maybelline Full n’ Soft Very Black)
Lipstick (NYX Butter Lipstick Thunderstorm)
Clip-On Fangs (Scarecrow)
Hair Ties
Dragon Costume
Note: I used the purples and gold from the Covergirl palate to create my scales before I bought Snazaroo face paint. This works well, but the eye shadow gets used up quickly.
Dragon Hair & Scales
First braid or style your hair. You will smear your makeup if you wait. I like to leave my hair down with little braids.
Pull your hair out of your face.
Put primer all over your face or anywhere you will be applying makeup.
Put the fishnet stockings over your head. Use hair clips to pull the fishnets taunt against your skin, so they won’t move as you apply your makeup.
Wet your sponge and wring out the excess water. You don’t want your paint to run at all.
Rub your sponge in your first color and start dabbing into onto your skin.
Note: I start with the darkest purple on the outer edges of my face. Then I add the lighter purple, then the gold. You might find starting with the lighter color is easier for you to blend.
Sponge color all over your face, creating the shape you desire. I create a border of scales circling my face. I don’t put anything on my chin or nose.
Do your best to blend your colors together without wiggling your sponge and smearing your scales.
Matching Eye Makeup
Note: I have very sensitive eyes and cannot use liquid or black eyeliner or cream eyeshadow. If you can, those might work better for you.
9. Unclip the fishnet stockings and carefully pull them off your head. Do your best to keep them from dragging across your face.
10. If you need to clean up any scales, wet a q-tip cotton swab and remove any makeup.
11. To add scales, dip the wet q-tip in the desired color and add or define scales as needed.
12. Use a makeup brush to put gold eyeshadow from your crease to your eyebrow and in the inner corner of your eye.
13. Fill the rest of the lid with the lighter purple and blend it into the gold.
14. Brush lighter purple on just under your eye from the corner to the middle.
14. Add the darker purple from the center of your lid to the outside and just under your eye from the middle to the outside. Blend the darker purple with the other purple.
15. Draw eyeliner along both your upper and lower lash lines and pull it out into a wing. Fill in the wing as needed.
16. Apply mascara to top and bottom lashes.
17. Apply lipstick.
18. Put on clip on fangs.
Get into Costume
19. Put on the rest of your costume, being careful not to smear your makeup.
Note: I don’t do my makeup in costume because I’m fairly messy and don’t want to stain my expensive dragon dress.
My costume consists of a dress and wings from Coquetry Clothing, horns from Etsy, gold leggings, clean fishnet stockings, black boots, and a dragon/sword necklace.
Let me know how everything turns out in the comments!
Caitlin Berve is the author of When Magic Calls: A Collection of Modern Fairy Tales and currently working on a fantasy novel involving an arranged marriage, damsels who save themselves, and non-human shape-shifters. Through her company Ignited Ink Writing and MFA, she edits other people’s novels, creates video tutorials, teaches, and writes. Caitlin seeks to fill the world with the kind of writing that lingers with readers, pet all the fluffy and scaly animals she can, and find magic in modern times.