DragonArt
J. "NeonDragon" Peffer
Impact Books
Nonfiction, YA? Art
*****
DESCRIPTION: Perhaps no creature in the annals of fantasy is so universal and diverse as the dragon. They can be powerful and majestic, dark and brutish, big, little, serious, silly, or anything else one can imagine. This makes drawing them quite the challenge. Using simple step-by-step instructions, plus explanatory text and hints for creating original designs, NeonDragon teaches you how to draw a wide variety of dragons, plus a few other fantastic creatures.
REVIEW: I may be a bit generous with the top-notch rating, but this book did something that few have lately: it made me excited about drawing. I saw the artist's website and knew I had to have the book. These aren't strictly realistic images, leaning more toward cartoons, but not caricatures. Peffer's creatures show great variety in appearance and mood. She also covers a few critters seldom seen, such as the chimera and the kirin (the Asian unicorn.) I find the instructions and images very helpful and inspirational.
You might also enjoy:
Learn to Draw Like the Masters: Dragons (Eugene Caine, YA? Art - How to draw dragons using methods similar to classic painters)
Painting Dragons in Watercolor (Paul Bryn Davies, Art - Using watercolors to paint whimsical dragons)
How to Draw Dragons and Other Mythical Creatures (Emmett Elvin, YA Art - Step-by-step instructions for drawing fantasy animals)
The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures (Emily Fiegenschuh, YA? Art - Learn to draw a variety of imaginative animals)
Manga Mania: Fantasy Worlds (Christopher Hart, YA? Fantasy - Drawing imaginative worlds with a manga influence)
Forging Dragons (John Howe, Art - One of fantasy's preeminint artists discusses the great beasts)
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)
The Art of How to Train Your Dragon (Tracy Miller-Zarneke, Nonfiction - The concept art behind the 2010 Dreamworks Animation Studios movie)
Creating Creatures of Fantasy and Imagination (Claudia Nice, Art - How to create fantasy beasts and beings)
Dracopedia: A Guide to Drawing the Dragons of the World (William O'Connor, Art - Conceptualizing and rendering a wide variety of dragons)
Fantastic Realms (V. Shane, YA? Art - Drawing fantasy settings, people, and monsters)
Drawing & Painting Fantasy Beasts (Kevin Walker, Art - Designing and drawing a variety of fantastic beasts)
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DragonArt Fantasy Characters
J. "NeonDragon" Peffer
Impact Books
Nonfiction, YA? Art
****
DESCRIPTION: Dragons and griffins and such are well and good, but most fantasy worlds have humans - or something distinctly humanlike - in them as well. From goblins to mermaids and elves to centaurs, J. "NeonDragon" Peffer (author of DragonArt) explains how to draw all manner of fantastic characters.
REVIEW: Like Peffer's previous book, this one makes me want to sit down and draw. Her humans, like her dragons and other creatures, have a manga-inspired cartoonish look about them, but Peffer stresses underdrawings and (very) basic "matchstick" anatomy. It is not an all-inclusive book, but it does demonstrate the great variety of fantastic humanoids that one can create, and gives enough hints for the ambitious, imaginative artist to continue on their own way. Being an unabashed dracophile, I was partial to the first book, but this one's fun, too.
You might also enjoy:
Drawing & Painting Fantasy Figures (Finlay Cowan, Art - Designing and drawing fantasy characters)
Anatomy for Fantasy Artists (Glenn Fabry, Art - How to bend the rules of anatomy to create convincing yet larger-than-life fantasy archetypes)
Drawing the Head and Figure (Jack Hamm, Art - A book on drawing humans)
Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy (Christopher Hart, YA? Art - A good, easy introduction to anatomy)
Dreamscapes: Creating Magical Angel, Faery & Mermaid Worlds in Watercolor (Stephanie Pui-Mon Law, Art - How to create radiant fantasy beings)
How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way (Stan Lee and Steve Buscema, YA? Art - Anatomy, perspective, inking, design, and storytelling with the Marvel flair)
How to Draw and Paint Fairies (Linda Ravenscroft, Art - Drawing colorful fairies)
Watercolor Fairies (David Riché and Anna Franklin, Art - Using watercolors to create fairies)
Fantastic Realms (V. Shane, YA? Art - Drawing fantasy characters, creatures, and worlds)
Figure Drawing Without a Model (Ron Tiner, Art - Learning to draw convincing humans from memory)
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DragonArt: Evolution
J. "NeonDragon" Peffer
Impact Books
Nonfiction, YA? Art
****+
DESCRIPTION: Despite being one of the most popular fantasy creatures of all time, no two people seem to agree on just what dragons look like. Are they huge or tiny? Squat and muscular or ethereal and serpentine? Bat wings or feathers? Rough scales or smooth - or no scales at all? Dragons come in an endless variety of sizes, colors, and styles. This drawing book, the third by J. "NeonDragon" Peffer, offers tips for creating all manner of dragons to suit any occasion, including several full-size step-by-step projects to kick-start the imagination.
REVIEW: What can I say? I'm a dracophile at heart. I'm also a half-arsed artist with delusions of eventual competence, hence my oversized art library and undersized used-sketchbook pile. Like Peffer's previous books, this may superficially be a step-by-step drawing book, but it simply bursts at the seams with imagination and inspiration. She repeats a little information from previous books by way of grounding new readers. The vast majority of the images are brand-new, with some wild variations on the basic dragon forms that should stoke the imaginative fires of dragon artists young and old. If you liked Peffer's first two DragonArt books, you ought to love this one... and if you're a would-be dragon artist who hasn't heard of them, you really should give them a try.
You might also enjoy:
Drawing & Painting Fantasy Figures (Finlay Cowan, Art - Designing and drawing fantasy characters)
Anatomy for Fantasy Artists (Glenn Fabry, Art - How to bend the rules of anatomy to create convincing yet larger-than-life fantasy archetypes)
The Explorer's Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures (Emily Fiegenschuh, YA? Art - Learn to draw a variety of imaginative animals)
Drawing the Head and Figure (Jack Hamm, Art - A book on drawing humans)
Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy (Christopher Hart, YA? Art - A good, easy introduction to anatomy)
Dreamscapes: Creating Magical Angel, Faery & Mermaid Worlds in Watercolor (Stephanie Pui-Mon Law, Art - How to create radiant fantasy beings)
How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way (Stan Lee and Steve Buscema, YA? Art - Anatomy, perspective, inking, design, and storytelling with the Marvel flair)
The Art of How to Train Your Dragon (Tracy Miller-Zarneke, Nonfiction - The concept art behind the 2010 Dreamworks Animation Studios movie)
How to Draw and Paint Fairies (Linda Ravenscroft, Art - Drawing colorful fairies)
Watercolor Fairies (David Riché and Anna Franklin, Art - Using watercolors to create fairies)
Fantastic Realms (V. Shane, YA? Art - Drawing fantasy characters, creatures, and worlds)
Figure Drawing Without a Model (Ron Tiner, Art - Learning to draw convincing humans from memory)
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