Royal Sandwing Genealogy
I suddenly felt like doing this, after I was asked for my thoughts about Deserter and subsequently fell into a leg-less jack rabbit hole while thinking about Smolder for the 3 trillionth time.
If I had to describe how I draw WoF dragons, I would say that I try to preserve the spirit of what the graphic novels do (because I like that style), but also adding my own quirks and tweaks on top of that. My ultimate end goal is to make each character vaguely distinct enough that you could pick them out of a crowd, but still keeping them readable as members of their tribe at a glance.
One of those quirks is that I try to keep track of who is related to whom, and how I can express that in this art style.
Okay, preamble over, here's some royal Sandwings:
Queen Oasis
I chose to draw these without accessories, so she doesn't have her circlet, or any jewelry. I'm sure if she went out in public like this, it would be a huge scandal. Luckily this is just a display drawing.
I also gave her a light fringe, instead of the brown one she has in the graphic novels. IIRC the books don't specify her fringe color, and I felt like, between her and her husband, one of them should have this fringe color for Burn and Blaze to be able to inherit it.
Oasis has the following physical traits:
Face is narrow and snake-like, with high brows and a snout that ends in a point.
Complexion is a decently saturated yellow with light brown accents.
Fringe is a light color, rounded, and shallow length.
Horns are burgundy, roughly textured, and have an S-like bend with the ends pointing up.
King Char
Not a lot is known about King Char's appearance, other than that he is apparently burly. That unknown list includes his colors. I chose to give him a very dark color scheme because his name is Char, and also because I find the thought of there being dark Sandwings appealing. If there are yellow Skywings and green Mudwings, there can be dark Sandwings. Dark sand. Earth tones. It just makes sense.
The dark color scheme is also why I didn't want to give him the white fringe. I don't think it would have suited him.
Char has the following physical traits:
Face is burly and boxy, with prominent cheek bones and a snout with a flat end.
Complexion is dark yellow/brown with charred accents and a distinct scale pattern going down the neck.
Fringe is a dark color, angular and even, and tall.
Horns are dark, smooth, and are mostly straight with a hint of a curve.
Burn
Here is a fun fact: This whole thing started because I randomly had the idea to give Burn a two-tone zebra mohawk and wanted to draw it. Don't ask why I thought that would be a good idea. I don't know either.
Burn has the following physical traits:
Facial features inherited from father.
Complexion inherited from mother, but with father's scale pattern showing in it.
Fringe is shaped like her father's, but with a heterogeneous mixture of both parents' colors.
Horns are her mother's.
It seems like Burn displays her inherited traits in a very heterogeneous manner; many of her features are taken wholesale from one parent with very little mixing going on. Maybe this is symbolism for her disdain for genetic "impurity".
Singe
If you haven't read the Winglets, there is a chance you may not know who this guy is. The rival queens actually have two brothers, other than Smolder, who are both dead when the series starts. This is Singe, he... exists. He seemed to be a nice fellow at least, was there when Smolder was crying after Palm's disappearance.
My personal headcanon is that he was a little too nice and had moral standards. That's not a good thing to have while in Burn's army, so she likely had him discharged... from life.
Singe has the following physical traits:
Face shape inherited from father.
Complexion is his mothers, with his father's charred accents. Father's scale pattern is expressed but with a slight mutation. Doesn't have his father's prominent cheek bones.
Frill is dark and tall like his father's, but with rounded shapes resembling his mother's.
Horn color and shape from father, with mother's texture.
Blister
Here is Blister, the original wasp-patterned dragon Queen.
Blister has the following physical traits:
Face is somewhere between her father's and her mother's, pointed but not quite as narrow.
Complexion is her mothers, but with her father's scale pattern.
Fringe color is inherited from father, but with mother's shape and length.
Horns are inherited from father, but curve upwards instead of down, likely due to influence from mother.
Smolder
Smolder and Blister look extremely similar, due to coming from the same hatching. Essentially, he is Blister without the "I want to murder you" eyes.
I'm not going to list which traits come from whom, since it would essentially be the same as Blister's. It would be redundant.
I did give him droopy ears though. That's cute.
Blaze
Blaze's color scheme looks like it is out-of-step with the rest of her family's. I choose to think that it's because she has her scales polished and oiled very frequently (maybe even bleached), so they look very vibrant and smooth. If she stopped doing that, she might revert to a color scheme closer to her mother's. Or she might be stuck this way now, who knows.
Blaze has the following physical traits:
Face shape is her mother's, but softer with much fewer blemishes due to superior skin care.
Complexion is... presumably her mother's?
Fringe inherited from father, but with mother's color.
Horns are burgundy, roughly textured, and have an S-like bend with the ends pointing up. Not quite as angular though, presumably influenced from an unknown grandparent.
Scald
Ah, right. The third brother.
He's the reason why I didn't give Char the white fringe. I didn't want his dad to steal his thunder. Scald wears it better.
Scald has the following physical traits:
Face is inherited from mother.
Complexion is his father's, but lacking the distinct scale pattern.
Fringe is mostly his father's, but with mother's color and transitioning into mother's shape further down the neck.
Horns are a mixture of mother's and father's.
Palm
Palm technically isn't a member of the royal family, but she was Smolder's girlfriend and had a child with him, earning her the homicidal wrath of his mother. And really, what greater proof of being a family member is there than your mother-in-law sending a hit squad after you?
Palm has the following physical traits:
Face is soft and rounded, with a textured snout.
Complexion is a pale yellow with light brown accents and splotches that resemble freckles.
Fringe is light brown and grows in segments, resembling leaves.
Horns are brown and textured, with said texturing being very even.
Olive green highlights in eyes.
Prickle
Prickle's genes are not represented in any of Queen Oasis' descendants, but she is here for completeness' sake, so we can infer information about Palm's parents for the sake of her daughter.
Prickle has the following physical traits:
Face resembles Palm's, with a textured snout, but looks more angular and sharp due to fewer fat deposits.
Complexion is a matte yellow with reddish brown accents and spots.
Fringe is light brown and grows in segments, resembling (pointy) leaves.
Horns are brown and textured, with said texturing being very even.
Jade green highlights in eyes.
Onyx
Daughter of Smolder and Palm, and Queen Oasis' last living heir other than Blaze. This completes the set.
Onyx has the following physical traits:
Face appears to be influenced by paternal grandfather, but with her mother's textured snout.
Complexion is a mixture of mother's and paternal grandfather's, with an accent color similar to her aunt's, so it's likely inherited by a maternal grandparent. Has her father's distinct scale pattern (with a slight mutation) and hints of her mother's freckles.
Fringe is her father's, with slight hints of her mother's in shape.
Horns are a mixture of her father's and paternal grandmother's, but with a hint of her mother's texturing.
Has her aunt's eye color, so likely inherited from maternal grandparent, or a mixture of father's and mothers that just happened to look similar.
