Learn to Draw Like the Masters: Dragons
Eugene Caine
Walter Foster Books
Nonfiction, Art
****
DESCRIPTION: Throughout history, dragons have been a popular subject for artists around the world. While dragons today are exceptionally rare, many of history's great art masters left behind masterful renderings of their own encounters with the great beasts. Modern dragonologists and artists alike can learn much from their techniques, as the author demonstrates through several studies and exercises.
REVIEW: This is one of the most unusual dragon drawing books I've come across. It stars with the not-entirely-original idea that dragons are real, if remarkably rare and elusive, and that important historical figures were part-time "dragonologists" (a word coined by Dugald A. Steer's incredibly popular Dragonology series, I believe, and now in danger of being overused.) Caine, however, applies this idea to the world of classical art. Using images both authentic and imaginary, he demonstrates various art techniques used by the masters - including Da Vinci, Picasso, Rubens, and Van Gogh - with dragons as a common subject. There's a nice section on dragon anatomy and art media, then step-by-step demonstrations highlighting each artist's particular style. He also describes how to artificially age one's dragon sketches to make them look like old documents, a process I found oddly fascinating. I had a minor quibble with some of his anatomy; for all that he did an excellent job drawing a dragon skeleton (and actually remembering the "elbow" of the wing, which many artists sadly overlook), his main demonstration sketch has an impossible secondary "wrist" in the far forelimb that not only runs counter to general anatomy, but to his own dragon skeletal sketches (and the anatomy of the other forelimb on the same exact dragon drawing.) At least, I can't work out how that joint could possibly flex the ways he shows it and still be based on the same skeleton - it looks distractingly awkward, not to mention painful. That aside, I enjoyed the variety of techniques demonstrated, and I liked how he explained that all art styles have merit, even when drawing dragons. This book should appeal to dragon lovers and aspiring artists alike, teaching art appreciation as well as technique. An enjoyable book all around!
You might also enjoy:
Make Your Own Paper Dragons (Sean Brand and Ivan Hissey, YA Art - A kit for making dragons)
Painting Dragons in Watercolor (Paul Bryn Davies, Art - Use watercolors to paint radiant dragons)
How to Draw Dragons and Other Mythical Creatures (Emmett Elvin, YA Art - How to draw fantasy beasts, easy step by step)
Forging Dragons (John Howe, Art - Designing and drawing dragons)
The Great Book of Dragon Patterns (Lora S. Irish, Art - Basic dragon lore, plus many patterns for crafters and artists to use and adapt)
How to Draw and Paint Dragons (Tom Kidd, Art - A course in creating dragons, from starting gesture to finishing touches)
Creating Creatures of Fantasy and Imagination (Claudia Nice, Art - Drawing fantasy beasts and beings with pen & ink with watercolor)
Dracopedia: A Guide to Drawing the Dragons of the World (William O'Connor, Art - How to draw a variety of dragons)
DragonArt (J. "NeonDragon" Peffer, YA? Art - A fun guide to drawing dragons and other mythical creatures)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
Return to Brightdreamer Books Home
Brightdreamer Books is created and maintained by TBW, a.k.a. "Brightdreamer."
E-mail: tbweber AT comcast DOT net. (Remove spaces, replace AT with "@" and DOT with "." - please put "Brightdreamer Books" in the subject line, or your e-mail may be deleted as
spam! Thank you!