How to Draw a Dragon: “Cautiously approach the dragon, offer it a piece of candy or a little sister, and draw while it happily munches away.”

DragonArt or How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy Creatures is an awesome book authored by Jessica ‘NeonDragon’ Peffer an up and coming fantasy artist. My son took it out of the library last week and I have to admit I have spent way more time with it than he has. While DragonArt is primarily focused on the aspiring young fantasy artist, it is a great book for anyone interested in learning to draw. DragonArt shows you how to draw dragons using the traditional method of figure drawing by beginning your drawing with simple shapes and then adding additional layers of detail.

There is some hints and tricks for coloring your dragons but this is not something which is heavily focused on in the book. Peffer shows you how to draw a dragon from every possible angle. She also includes exercises that focus on the individual pieces of a dragon’s anatomy: head, body, tail, fore and rear limbs, wings, etc. One of the reasons I liked this book so much is that it helped me not only draw dragons but it also improved my figure drawing in general. Towards the end of the book, Peffer expands the range of drawings to include other fantasy creatures besides dragons like unicorns using the same techniques taught earlier in the book.

You definitely do not have to have an formal training in art to use this book. I took Art 101 as a freshmen in high school a long long time ago and have barely drawn anything since. I was able to pick up a pencil and start drawing dragons almost immediately. I have included a picture of one of my dragons as an example.

My one disappointment with the book was that Peffer did not include a ‘Dragons in action’ chapter. I would have liked some instruction on how to draw fire coming from the dragon’s mouth, or smoke from its nostrils, or maybe what does a dragon look like with something in its mouth like a knight, or a fair maiden, or a little sister. I would rather have had that chapter instead of the other fantasy creatures.

If your kids (or you) have any interest in drawing, especially drawing fantasy creatures, this is a great way to get them started or expand their knowledge. It’s focused on kids aged 9-12 but obviously its great for older kids as well. I love this book and I’m… well lets just say older than 12. Peffer has several other books out as well. I am probably going to order the Fantasy Characters one when we return this one to the library. There is also a DragonArt Kit which includes a sketch pad, pencils, paints, etc. I’m not really sure that is something I would be interested in but, if you pick up one of these books for you kids for Christmas that might be a nice to include the kit to help get them started.

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