Top 24 Dragons of '24

I said that I'd make the past year a "very draconic 2024 with it being the Year of the Dragon", and I delivered better than I expected to. It's only fair that I show the best dragon pictures of 2024, but with my having 24 pictures to match the last two digits of 2024, I'm going to feature all of them. (And how do you like that? It's 24 days until the Chinese New Year of the Snake begins according to the calendar.) And like I stated previously, this is an extension of my End-of-Year journal that I posted to close out 2024.

I will be making decisions based on the number of views they got, the number of faves, the number of comments, and how I personally feel about  them.

#24: Echo

This is one of my first dragon pictures done on Art Fight, and it was done for EchoDutchie (who has an account on ToyHouse). I love this fluffy dragon's design and thought it to be cute for it to be sitting back in a meadow with a chocolate chip cookie.

#23: Amitha

Kajeda had always called Amitha an honorary princess. And with the strong presence she had here on DeviantArt and Art Fight in 2024 - drawn by myself and others - Amitha ruled the year. Both she and Kajeda were the first to welcome our newest friend Camunda into our fold.

#22: Ana

The second feature dragon character of @Anais-thunder-pen , and I drew her for Art Fight. Ana is as cold to the touch as the snowy ground that I drew her lying on. And there were a number of summer days where she would be the best friend to cuddle up with.

#21: Dewdrop

I have a great attachment to Wings of Fire dragons, just by their creative appearances and then some. @DewdropIsASeaSilk held a DTIYS contest with her character Dewdrop, and I immediately pounced at the opportunity to draw her. The timing was good because there was a short amount of time for it, and I was lucky to get her done in the span of two days.

#20: Kichi

Kichi is the daughter of a fox and a dragon-like demon. With the demon parent killed, she was taken into the care of the fox exorcist Nesha. And since then, Kichi has been a benevolent and loving companion to him. I included her in this countdown because of her dragon physiology. Kichi and Nesha belong to @WingedAyalis who I attacked on Art Fight with this picture.

#19: Suzi Drakalette

@suzidragonlady has been an inspiration to me ever since I first noted her on DeviantArt. I love her art style and dragonsona, and so I decided to draw Suzi Drakalette for her birthday as the proud Jedi knight flying high and ready for action.

#18: Alani

Alani is a breed of dragon called a welkyn. The size of a fox, unable to breathe fire, and able to hide her wings. @RukiFox brought her to DeviantArt and to Art Fight to share with the world, and she is one of the cutest fluffy dragons I've ever seen.

#17: Musical Dragoness

There is a rich background behind how she came to be, and one of the few anthro dragons that I've ever put to paper. She's a very loving and approachable dragoness who brightens anyone's day with song.

#16: Ziran

This is my other entry for a DTIYS contest; this one held by @Tururs . Ziran is so cute and fluffy, especially with the witch hat she's wearing. And all that shading makes that furry texture stand out so much more, and I just want to hug her all day long.

#15: Aldrith

@Shadow-Dragon-777 has more than just his guardian angels among his draggies. Shown above is his Star Wars OC Aldrith, a Jedi Grandmaster and king of the planet Taalkidas. Shadow-Dragon-777 is the number one reason that I came to know of and eventually join Art Fight, and suffice to say, this is my attack on him.

#14: Angalithar and Friends

@Shadow-Dragon-777 's story about his friend Angalithar and the ArtRise mascot Canvas brings the two draggies to Epcot. Having meet Angalithar's friend Maleficent, she introduces Canvas to Dreamfinder and Figment right outside of Journey Into Imagination.

#13: Alvrericjas

I'm going three-for-three with @Shadow-Dragon-777 and his draggies. This white fluffy guardian angel dragon is Alvrericjas. She has been as much of a loving parental figure to him as the red dragon. And she was the draggie that I drew for Shadow-Dragon-777's Core Giveaway that he held last August.

#12: Zorya

I had a lot of fun drawing this dragoness as a birthday present for @Zublefarius . With Zorya's color scheme, I was inspired to draw her in a colorful synthwave background, with 80's alternative music as my drive (INXS is my favorite).

#11: Sunrize

Another birthday gift for a dragon artist that I'm really proud to watch. Drawn for @Sunrizesketches of her dragonsona. With a name like Sunrize, it's perfectly fitting that she be in such a bright place to spread her wings and fly.

#10: Jaguar

Two in a row in this journal for @Sunrizesketches . She has created a number of Wings of Fire OCs. As one of the most colorful of the lot, the rainwing Jaguar caught my attention. This is actually my second most popular Art Fight attack.

#9: Caedroch

This is one of two pictures I've drawn of Harvey's dragon friend this year, both of which are for holiday themed contests. (Honorable Mention here.) This one that I did of him for Christmas was more popular, so it takes the spotlight for this journal. Harvey and Gwenyth join him in it as the three are all decorating a tree together.

#8: Magenta

I've seen this cute dragoness years ago, and took a great shine to her. Magenta is the dragonsona of @LillaDraakon , and this picture was drawn for her birthday. Her soft colors and personality make her the most lovable earth dragon I've ever known.

#7: Maya and Tiko

In September, @Dailydragons held a Baby Dragon Contest. For my entry, I showcased some of Coral's family. Her baby nephew Tiko was drawn to as the central character for the picture, and his mother Maya (Coral's older sister) is right alongside him. I won second place in the contest.

#6: Coral

Sanibel Island has become one of my most favorite places to be in Florida. Made all the more a favorite with a new friend I made there: Coral. She's very loving, outgoing, and makes fast friends with many others. Four months later, I shared her with the world on paper when I entered a summer-themed contest.

#5: Sevour

@artSevour is an avid fan of The Legend of Spyro, and created Sevour as a dragon fit for the series. The sense of imagination and majesty is strong in her. And I wanted to show all that as well as her magical essence in this birthday picture.

#4: Nintendo's Dragons

To kick off the Chinese New Year of the Dragon, I drew Tiki, Valoo, Landia, Yoshi, Lilac, and Charizard all in one place and dressed for the occasion. But with @Smash-New-Universe hosting its Wyvern Warriors challenge, that gave me all the more reason to create it.

#3: Dulcy

DeviantArt helped me to remember Dulcy the Dragon from SATAM; and showcased more modern looking adaptions of her. And that inspired me to draw Dulcy myself, more anthropomorphic like Sonic and the rest of his friends as I've seen her in some pictures. I really think I showed full well what she'd look like as a playable character in any Sonic game from the 2000's or more recent.

#2: Baby Draigar

@DraigarFireCrystal reminded me of how wonderfully nostalgic The Land Before Time is, capturing all its charm in every picture she's done of the franchise and of her Alternate Universe for it. In her AU, there are dragons known among all the reptilian species as backwings, with the red backwing Draigar as the main heroine. DraigarFireCrystal and I did an art trade together, and for my end I drew Baby Draigar being helped by Littlefoot to get some berries out of her reach.

#1: Disney's Dragons

I wanted to go two-for-two with dragons celebrating their Chinese New Year. The world of Disney has kicked it if off in a big way at the Imperial Palace (from Mulan), with Jake Long, Nessie, Figment, Mushu, The Reluctant Dragon, and Sisu together in various traditional Chinese outfits. This is one of my top two pictures of 2024.

Sunny by the Numbers: Year of the Dragon 2024:

Number of Dragons that I introduced to DA: 6

Number of Dragons that are other's OCs: 16

Number of Dragons that exist in pop culture: 15

Number of Fan Characters: 7

Number of Non-Dragons shown: 12

Number of Art Fight Attacks: 6

Number of Gift Pictures: 6

Number of Contest Entries: 5

Total Number of Pictures from 2024 featuring Amitha (on and off DA): 7

Number of Pictures set in Florida: 4

Number of Dragon Artists I started watching in 2024: 6

Next Year of the Dragon: 2036