Realism
I used the orange eye as the only strong colour point in this forearm piece. The surrounding scales stay black and grey, which gives the pupil room to hold attention without needing colour across the whole design. The armour-like shapes also follow the length and turn of the forearm rather than forming a square panel.
Contrast matters more here than adding endless scale detail. I kept deeper shadows between the plates and cleaner highlights around the eye so the central form reads first. Dragon-eye references can look sharp on a bright screen and still become muddy when reduced too far, so I check the scale and line spacing before drawing. Tell me which forearm and roughly how big it should be. Then send me the one reference you like most. I'll say straight out if the eye needs more room or if some of the scale texture has to go.
