44 Comments
User's avatar
Christina Chung's avatar

LOVE this breakdown of your process! The "rawr lmao" 😂

Lian Cho's avatar

Thanks Christina!!! The rawr lmao definitely brought back a lot of memories haha

Mon's avatar

LIAN THIS RULES. It was so satisfying to read that list of different dragon traits??? Like it soothed my mind. This whole thing was so calming in its methodical-ness-- I'm gonna refer back to it in 2 months when I'm panicking about how to draw the DMV. CAN'T WAIT FOR MY COPY TO ARRIVE!!!

Lian Cho's avatar

AW thanks monica!! happy the mind has been soothed! cant wait to see how you end up doing a DMV you absolute beast

The AmyJo Special's avatar

Yes soothing is exactly right! I feel like I’ve just peeked behind the curtain and now I understand the world better

Danii Marin's avatar

Cool. Thanks for sharing your process. It’s so cool to see how artists work!

The AmyJo Special's avatar

This is brilliant! Not just seeing your process behind the creation of these dragons but the step by steps for those of us who need a good prod and poke in the right direction! Thank you

Lian Cho's avatar

Of course! I'm so happy to hear that it's informative and helpful :)

Victoria Iest's avatar

This is SO helpful + insightful (& very very charming!) !! Thank you!!

Kwame Mbalia's avatar

This is so helpful!

The Sketchy Anthropologist's avatar

I can’t tell you how many times I have read this post it’s such a rejuvenating fruit-juice for the soul (at least the soul of an impostor-syndromed being!) 🐲

KJ's avatar

Wow, what an insightful post, thank you so much for sharing (and drawing)!

Shelley Whitehead's avatar

Such a great post! I saw it in Austin Kleon’s newsletter and signed up for yours.

Lian Cho's avatar

Thanks so much!!

Luke Jones's avatar

Thank you so much for sharing this. My past week has sucked and this post is inspiring and joyful, I appreciate it a lot.

Lian Cho's avatar

I'm so happy to hear this brought some joy to your week!! :)

anna harper's avatar

Boy can I relate to saying yes to tasks beyond my remit and then in a cold sweat, learning by the seat of my pants!

Lian Cho's avatar

God yea! The fight or flight starts to kick in for sure!

Medha Murtagh's avatar

Well this was genius! I'm so glad I found you! I recently started adding drawing to my writing and I'm so interested in what works for others (as I discover what words for me). Thanks so much for sharing.

Lian Cho's avatar

Aw thanks so much! I'm very much the opposite where I'm now just adding writing to my drawings. It's definitely a learning curve in either direction

Medha Murtagh's avatar

Agreed! And I think you're doing awesome!

Matt Ruby's avatar

Love it. Micro that is so macro. Art school in a couple of scrolls. Imitate until you innovate. Well done. FYI wrote about something similar re: comedy here: https://funnyhow.substack.com/p/using-imitation-to-reveal-your-voice

Lian Cho's avatar

Thanks Matt!

Sam's avatar

I came across this post via Austin kleon newsletter! Delightful post, as well as being a simple and effective guide, it also made me laugh - out loud - a lot - half hour later… still smiling! Thank you for sharing! :)

Lian Cho's avatar

Thank you! Always happy to hear that I brought about some chuckles to someone's day.

Sam Carpenter's avatar

I’ve always had an affinity with dragons - this blog has bought me so much joy on so many levels: atheistically, process, editorial tone and how to Substack like a boss.

Lian Cho's avatar

Thank you so much!

Jasmine's avatar

I laughed out loud at the "rawr" 😂 so relatable to have an uh-oh moment when doing something new. Congrats on getting through to the other side! Love to see a project come together 😍