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Art Tutorial Book Review: "DragonArt" by NeonDragon
13 years ago
General
“DragonArt: How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy Creatures” by Jessica Peffer, AKA 
http://www.amazon.ca/DragonArt-Jess...../dp/1581806574
As the title suggests, this book is all about how to draw fantasy creatures of different types, focusing primarily on dragons.
You'd think this would make for a very short book, but there are so many different things about fantasy creatures that make them so difficult to draw. This book touches on most of those subjects, and helps you out with very colorful, bold illustrations.
The book goes over the basic shapes of dragons, touches briefly on shading and perspective... Okay, whatever. After the obligatory things you see in every “how to draw” book, she starts getting into the basics of dragon construction. She talks about how different shapes can create different personalities and moods, how you can give facial expressions to these reptiles... different eye types, Side views, front views, ¾ views....
Limbs, hands, wings, she touches on every visible aspect of their anatomy. She also touches on how dragons tend to combine the best features of real-life animals. There's a shot of the dragon's muscles under the skin... I can't help but be reminded of Todd Lockwood's art. Any DnD fans out there will recognize that name.
The book pretty much goes on like this, covering the basics, and offering “suggestions” to the reader on how to create their own original draconic characters. She spends a few pages talking about other types of fantasy creatures, like gargoyles, the pegasus, the chimera, etc. But they're not covered in extensive detail.
NeonDragon may not be a MASTER of her craft like Frank Frazetta or Todd Lockwood. But she does a very good job of teaching the basics of dragon-related art. She doesn't waste time talking about useless crap like “The BIZ,” or whatever. And if you are an artist.... ESPECIALLY if you are a furry artist who does commissions, this book is absolutely worth getting. Humor's a bit juvenile at times, but who cares. You'll learn a lot from this book, if you are having trouble with lizard and dragon characters.
http://www.amazon.ca/DragonArt-Jess...../dp/1581806574
As the title suggests, this book is all about how to draw fantasy creatures of different types, focusing primarily on dragons.
You'd think this would make for a very short book, but there are so many different things about fantasy creatures that make them so difficult to draw. This book touches on most of those subjects, and helps you out with very colorful, bold illustrations.
The book goes over the basic shapes of dragons, touches briefly on shading and perspective... Okay, whatever. After the obligatory things you see in every “how to draw” book, she starts getting into the basics of dragon construction. She talks about how different shapes can create different personalities and moods, how you can give facial expressions to these reptiles... different eye types, Side views, front views, ¾ views....
Limbs, hands, wings, she touches on every visible aspect of their anatomy. She also touches on how dragons tend to combine the best features of real-life animals. There's a shot of the dragon's muscles under the skin... I can't help but be reminded of Todd Lockwood's art. Any DnD fans out there will recognize that name.
The book pretty much goes on like this, covering the basics, and offering “suggestions” to the reader on how to create their own original draconic characters. She spends a few pages talking about other types of fantasy creatures, like gargoyles, the pegasus, the chimera, etc. But they're not covered in extensive detail.
NeonDragon may not be a MASTER of her craft like Frank Frazetta or Todd Lockwood. But she does a very good job of teaching the basics of dragon-related art. She doesn't waste time talking about useless crap like “The BIZ,” or whatever. And if you are an artist.... ESPECIALLY if you are a furry artist who does commissions, this book is absolutely worth getting. Humor's a bit juvenile at times, but who cares. You'll learn a lot from this book, if you are having trouble with lizard and dragon characters.
All 3 of her books are pretty interesting. She also have some DVDs that can teach you drawing them and using Photoshop as well. Nice artist. ^^