Dracopedia: A Guide to Drawing the Dragons of the World
William O'Connor
Impact
Nonfiction, Art
*****
DESCRIPTION: Since ancient times, the world has been filled with a mulitiude of dragons. Great serpentine sea orcs, multiheaded hydras, diminutive feydragons, eight-legged basilisks, traditional winged dragons... all these and more continue to inhabit the wildest and most hidden realms. The author describes many dragon species and offers step-by-step instructions for painting them.
REVIEW: O'Connor's art appears in titles from Wizards of the Coast, Lucasfilms, and other prominent names in the fantasy entertainment industry. Here, he offers a look into his work process. By presupposing dragons to be real, he fleshes out each species with exploratory sketches, giving them each peculiar markings, habitats, and other traits. The "step by step" part isn't so much about how the image is drawn as it is about how to render it in color; he jumps from thumbnail to finished sketch in one step, then scans it in for color work in Photoshop. This can get a bit repetitive, image after image, though each one has a slightly different focus. His images are so diverse and lively, and the dragons he invents so imaginative, that I readily forgave this flaw. This one may not walk you through drawing dragons in baby steps, but the inspiration factor alone makes it a winner for any aspiring fantasy artist or dragon fan!
You might also enjoy:
Tales of Great Dragons (J. K. Anderson, YA Fiction - A good introduction to dragon lore, with many pictures to color)
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Learn to Draw Like the Masters: Dragons (Eugene Caine, Art - An interactive lesson in art history featuring dragons)
The Book of Dragons (Ciruelo, Fiction - A lavishly illustrated book about dragons)
Dancing with Dragons (D. J. Conway, Nonfiction - Many dragons described, along with their use in magickal rites and as spiritual guardians)
Painting Dragons in Watercolour (Paul Bryn Davies, Art - Step-by-step guide to painting watercolor dragons)
Dragonlore (Ash "LeopardDancer" DeKirk, Nonfiction - Dragon lore ancient and modern)
The Flight of Dragons (Peter Dickinson, Fiction - A speculative essay about a hypothetical, biologically plausible dragon animal, illustrated by Wayne Anderson)
How to Draw Dragons and Other Mythical Creatures (Emmett Elvin, YA Art - Drawing dragons and other animals, easy step-by-step)
The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures (Emily Fiegenschuh, YA? Art - Learn to draw a variety of imaginative animals)
Forging Dragons (John Howe, Art - Designing and drawing dragons)
The Great Book of Dragon Patterns (Lora S. Irish, Art - Dragon designs for artists to use, plus basic dragon lore)
How to Draw and Paint Dragons (Tom Kidd, Art - A course in creating dragons, from starting gesture to finishing touches)
A Diversity of Dragons (Anne McCaffrey, Fiction - The famed author explores dragons in myth and modern fiction, with art by John Howe)
The Art of How to Train Your Dragon (Tracy Miller-Zarneke, Nonfiction - The concept art behind the 2010 Dreamworks Animation Studios movie)
Claudia Nice's art books (Claudia Nice, Art - Creating art with pen & ink with watercolor)
Dragons - Truth, Myth, and Legend (David Passes, YA Nonfiction - Dragon lore and myths)
DragonArt (J. "NeonDragon" Peffer, YA? Art - How to draw dragons and other fabulous beasties)
The Dragons are Singing Tonight (Jack Prelutsky, YA Poetry - Whimsical verses about dragons of all kinds)
Dragons: A Natural History (Dr. Karl Shuker, Nonfiction - Dragon myths from around the world)
The Dragonology books (Dugald A. Steer, editor, YA Fiction - The illustrated notebooks of 19th-century "dragonologist" Dr. Ernest Drake, describing the world's dragons)
How to Raise and Keep a Dragon (John Topsell, Joseph Nigg "editor", YA Fiction - A guide to keeping dragons as pets, based on real-world dragon lore)
Drawing & Painting Fantasy Beasts (Kevin Walker, Art - Conceptualizing and rendering various fantastic monsters)
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