Welcome to my blog

Hello Hive friends, I hope you're all doing well. Today I'm going to show you something I haven't done in a long time: a fanart I made of the Chaos Dragon. In the Splinterlands universe, the Chaos Dragon isn't like the other dragons we're used to seeing; it's an omen of the end. According to the story, these dragons don't belong to the natural order of the elements (fire, water, earth, etc.), but are the purest manifestation of chaos. They are the heralds of the Chaos Legion, creatures feared even by their own allies.

Their existence is tied to destruction; basically, they have no limits. In terms of gameplay, this is reflected in their Scattershot ability, which, along with their Blast ability, makes them a beast of surprise attacks, but it doesn't stop there. This imposing beast also has other abilities that increase the probability of not taking damage, such as Flying and Blind. Being perfect for avoiding ranged and physical attacks (it's worth noting that Blind is a support character, so he's a bonus for all the other teammates).

Moving on to the drawing. The pose I chose for the Chaos Dragon is dominant and defiant. Unlike a static, quadrupedal flying pose, here we see him in a semi-erect, almost anthropomorphic position, which is what I wanted to achieve; I was inspired by a very good cartoon called Bakugan, specifically the Bakugan Leonidas.

In my illustration, you can see how the Chaos Dragon has its jaw open, ready to unleash an eternal roar, which conveys a sense of power. The Energy Sphere is the focal point; it's the right hand holding an orb of void energy. This pose demonstrates the great power he possesses; with a single hand, he holds the sphere that could wipe out an entire army of knights. Here, you can see how he retains the sharp spikes on his body, which sparkle like gems; This demonstrates that it has a very resilient body; it's essentially armor. The wings: The wing membranes are vast, filling the composition, which reinforces what's stated in the story: it's the dragon capable of completely obscuring the sun.

The background is minimalist but extremely effective. It doesn't need a detailed landscape because the dragon is the landscape; it brings the darkness itself. I really liked the starry sky, the presence of stars in a deep purple sky; I focused on what I've already mentioned: it's an imposing dragon, almost cosmic. The clouds: The gaseous formations at the bottom mimic the smoke and energy emanating from the dragon's presence.

The color palette is focused on a dark palette with violet and black:

For the dragon, I used dark purples and midnight blues. The use of deep blacks for the shadows creates a cel-shaded contrast that makes the character stand out as if it were (which it is) the central figure of the drawing. It also features neon contrasts: The bright pink/fuchsia energy in its hand and red eyes are the only points of high saturation. This immediately draws the viewer's eye to the source of its power and its murderous gaze.

Comparing my illustration to the original Splinterlands card, many things have changed, such as:

The style has a more textured and "rough" digital drawing style, aiming for fantasy realism. My version opts for an anime style, with sharply defined contour lines and flat colors with shading. This makes my version much more modern. Dynamism: The original card shows the dragon in a quadrupedal pose that is somewhat imposing with its giant wings, while my frontal version makes it feel more imposing, mainly because it's walking on two legs; this makes it more agile and ferocious in battle. Representation of power: In the game, the Chaos Dragon breathes violet fire (at least that's what I gather). In my fanart, that fire has been concentrated into a sphere of concentrated void, which is visually much more impactful and imposing; it demonstrates greater control over Chaos magic, its power is more concentrated and destructive.