Sketch the dragon you would like to airbrush on a piece of paper first. This will give you an idea of what you will be airbrushing. Go into detail with the sketch. The more detail you give the sketch, the easier airbrushing the dragon will be.
Outline the dragon's body on the surface before you begin. This way, you can airbrush a background onto the surface without interfering with your piece.
Begin with the dragon's head. Shade the nose in darker than the rest of the head. The eyes should look as if they are focused off into the distance. Add long horns to the head and continue with spikes down the back of the neck where the horns end. Draw intricate scales that cover the dragon's whole body. Continue with the scales once you begin adding details to the rest of the dragon's body. You may wish to outline the scales first and go back later to fill them in.
Paint the dragon's flapping wings. Add detailed, larger scales to the underside of the wings, but leave the top flat so that there is a visible difference between the two. Shade the underside when necessary to create shadow.
Work your way down to the body of the dragon. Continue to add scales down to the very tips of its feet. The bigger the difference is between light and dark shading, the more detailed the piece will appear.
Shade in the dragon's tail. The spikes that were first created at the top of the head should lead down the spine, all the way to the tip of the tail.
Begin from the head again, this time using a darker color, such as black. Outline the eyes, nose, horns, spikes, scales and all other details of the dragon. Remember that there should be a light source shining somewhere on the dragon. hade lighter around the dragon's front legs and chest area, and shade slightly darker on the areas that would not receive as much light.