With all the Gem Dragons I did for Dungeons & Dragons The Book of Dragons, the crystal dragon probably had the strongest foundation to build from so I really made a meal out of painting the skin folds.

This is dragon 4 of 5

July 31, 2025 - 19:19 UTC

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Love the turtle-esque head on this big lug
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Eating the crystals like candy
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I simple have to know what this dragon's name is. Is it Gemery? Can it be Gemery?
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Heeeheee wrinkly ♥
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ooh I love the skin folds! very dinosaur/turtle like. this is so rad!
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While I repost these on general principle, I'm sorry to say these don't feel gemmy enough for me. Not sure anything will top the 2E Crystal for me. But you're giving me ideas, which I appreciate regardless. Keep going.
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This is the design I was given to work from and update. So I did actually add a good amount of crystals bits over what it had before. The crystal dragon just had the least gem vibe I guess.
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shiny.
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Awesome! I love how the membrane crinkles up around the elbow! That's so cool!
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Oh this one came out delightfully! I adore the neck folds and how the tails twist around each other ~
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He looks very sage and wise
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Gorgeous
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Mama Mia! What a beauty
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There's a silhouette to show its scale vs a human, but is there an image that shows the scale of these dragons with each other, too?
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I’ll post that one after all the solos are posted first yeah
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The details on this are amazing. I love the design!
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Love how this guy looks like a Draconic sauropod
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Oh yeah a little bit with the longer neck and tails huh. Funnily enough big cats and bears were the primary anatomy reference for the body.
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The skin is so facinating! Amazing job!
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This one is my fav 😎
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Fact checked by a true patriot: true
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As a big boy myself I appreciate that thick neck. Definitely gunna bring gem dragons into my endgame of the campaign im running just to drop these units in
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when you approach such a complex creature like this how do you handle the rendering?
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More than any of the others this one had a lot of gem bits in the hide. I’m already such a fan of painting osteoderms that doing crystalline ones were a special treat, a painter’s delight 🤠
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He looks wise. I would take his advice.
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Love how it looks like some of the crystal has worked it’s way out of the dragons hid on the legs or been shed. Really neat detail!
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Love this cunty crystal dragon sm
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That attack is incredible, I love everything lighting up
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The gem details are impressive
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I am imagining that its skin is loose, like that of the Rhacodactylus leachianus gecko. I imagine that the dragon's skin spreads out a little when it lays along the fallen trunks of enormous trees, camouflaging it like bark even without magic.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhacodactylus_leachianus href="/search?t=posts&q=/media/File:Diplodactylidae_-_Rhacodactylus_leachianus.JPG">#/media/File:Diplodactylidae_-_Rhacodactylus_leachianus.JPG
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Here is both a link to the previous one I posted in this series as well as a link to preorder the book!

Come back tomorrow for the last one!

www.dk.com/us/book/9780593969311-dungeons-and-dragons-the-book-of-dragons/

bsky.app/profile/rj-palmer.com/post/3lv7g6kqals25
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Okay but every single one of these is sitting at the top as my favorite dragon designs I’ve ever seen, I’m not even gonna lie about it
I love these lol
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That’s mighty high praise for a very competitive field.
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I love how all the tails have been very spiraly noodley coils!
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your rendering is out of this world. It takes me out everytime
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I hope I don't offend when I say that his face is very cute and reminds me of a rhinoceros iguana.
He also looks old and wise.
Would definitely die trying to pet him.
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Oh no that totally makes sense. I intended this one to be the most friendly looking of the bunch
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that komodo dragon-esque neck is GORGEOUS. this guy's design is so interesting!
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So much potential in the crystals along the spine!
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Yesss! My favorite! I love this so much!
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Oh wow. Love this. Nothing about it I even dislike. Great work.

Gosh I love seeing cool dragon designs. Need me a dragon BF LMAO
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This is the one
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Damn!! Probably my fav so far!!
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Big fan of the wrinkles just behind the wing elbow!
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Thanks dude! That’s one of my fave parts too
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That's awesome
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yep, this is my fave of yours. this is the kinda artwork that would have been formative to me as a kid. my 13 year old self is going fuckin nuts looking at this. excellent excellent excellent
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I remember growing up and loving to learn about all the dragons from HTTYD especially the Scauldron. That one just tickled my fancy in a really good way.
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I’m really hoping to see that a lot of young artists get inspired by the book too. It would have been such an awesome book to get as a kid.
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SO charmed by this one, I can tell you had a great time painting it!! The tortoise-y head giving me Willow dragon vibes haha
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The crystal osteoderms embedded in that fabulously textured skin... Delicious!

I've been following your art for over a decade and your ability to create not just believable, but beautifully distinct creatures has never stopped blowing me away. Can't wait to see the next dragon!
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I really like this one, it is giving me elephant vibes which I feel fits the Crystal Dragons personality really well
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Nice! What element is the breath attack if you dont mind answering?
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I REALLY love this one RJ! Especially the Jackson Chameleon horn and the twin tails. The Crystal Dragon is my absolute favorite so far!
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The double tail is very unique! 😍
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You are hitting these out of the park. <3
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💜
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He looks so friendly. Can i give him chin scritches
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These have been so awesome one after the next, just insanely cool. Can really feel the HEFT of this guy in particular, love it. Glad I got to chat briefly at your booth as you were posting this one. Your stuff always inspires. Have a great rest of your con weekend!
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