Dracopedia The Great Dragons: An Artist's Field Guide and Drawing Journal

by William O'Connor

An Artist's Field Guide to the World's Great Dragons!Creatures of great beauty and terrible ferocity, dragons have been featured and revered for centuries. Of the thousand-plus species still in existence, none have inspired more folklore and artistic awe than the eight species of Great Dragons. Within these pages, these fire-breathing monsters of legend - the rock stars of the dragon world - come to life through the work of artist and adventurer William O'Connor.

Not since the original "Dracopedia" has there been such a beautifully illustrated and meticulously researched guide on the subject, with special focus on the distinctive features of each species - from the broad horns of the Icelandic white dragon to the elaborate neck frills of the Ligurian gray. Based on the author's expeditions to sanctuaries around the globe and consults with prominent regional experts, "Dracopedia The Great Dragons" presents never-before assembled facts and instruction to help you capture the heart-beating grandeur of these magnificent monsters. Inside, find everything you need to know to capture the essence of your favorite dragons through your artwork: Learn about the habits, anatomy and natural history of 8 fierce and fantastic dragonsEach profile features sketches, drawings and start-to-finish creation of a stunning artwork, illustrating key concepts that apply to any mediumDiscover special techniques for achieving dramatic lighting effects, powerful compositions and the incredible sculptural forms and textures of dragonsIncludes a gallery of dragons and a foldout comparison poster

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Art, Reference, Picture Books, Drawing

160 pages, Hardcover

First published June 26, 2012

Reviews

[J.R.R. Thunderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this and the one before

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

William O'Connor is one of my favorite creature artists, especially dragons. After owning his two previous Dracopedia, the Bestiary and Dragons of the world, it was a must to get this book. This books goes more into detail on perspectives, shading, and the basic, but that's mostly because there's less creatures in this one than his other two books.

This book goes over the following Great Dragons: Acadia, Icelandic, Scandinavian, Welsh, Ligurian, Crimean, Chinese, and Elwah. For those who didn't speculate it, William O'Connor writes this book as a travel guide (pretending that dragons are still in existence and always have been). With each new dragon, he gets a new tour guide that helps him learn more about these creatures.

Many of these dragons have features that animals today have. The Icelandic for instance can change color during the summer similar to the Arctic Fox. Plus it has dragons in fictional artifacts. There are dragon staffs, horns, and claw necklaces to name a few. Not to mention a Wartime Propaganda poster featuring the Crimean. William O'Connor obviously did his research in each land while designing the dragons.

In all, this was an amazing book, I only wish that we show cased each of the dragonlings (young dragons). Only the Crimean and the Elwah present dragonlings, but every dragon represents the dragons' eggs. I also just like that he pointed out lighting affecting the different colors of dragons, making them appear other colors.

I was happy to add this book to my collection and if he releases any more Dracopedia, I'll be picking it up.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have any need or interest in the art tutorial aspect of this book, but the art is lovely, both the full paintings and the sketches, and I enjoy the fictional conceit of the book, that various species of dragons inhabit the world. I think that part could stand to be better written and better edited, especially the tendency to have self-contradicting claims about the relative numbers and conservation statuses of different dragon species. I liked the original Dracopedia: A Guide to Drawing the Dragons of the World better since it had more variety of dragon types. The
"classic" four-legged, winged dragon featured in this book can only have so much variety, but it is also a relatively rare form of dragon in myths and legends; serpents, wyverns, and large lizard shapes are much more common. My favorite dragons were the more oddly shaped ones, the gargoyle-like Crimean black dragon, and the owl-esque Elwah brown dragon. The Chinese gold dragon seems the most pointless since the first book established several dragon species that more closely fit those from Chinese art.

[Silver Snapdragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and well done! (but not my style of drawing.)