Dracopedia: A Guide to Drawing the Dragons of the World
The Dracopedia series William O'Connor Impact Nonfiction, Art Themes: Dragons *****
Description
Since ancient times, the world has been filled with a mulitiude of dragons. Great serpentine sea orcs, multiheaded hydras, diminutive feydragons,
eight-legged basilisks, traditional winged dragons... all these and more continue to inhabit the wildest and most hidden realms. The author describes
many dragon species and offers step-by-step instructions for painting them.
Review
O'Connor's art appears in titles from Wizards of the Coast, Lucasfilms, and other prominent names in the fantasy entertainment industry. Here, he
offers a look into his work process. By presupposing dragons to be real, he fleshes out each species with exploratory sketches, giving them each peculiar
markings, habitats, and other traits. The "step by step" part isn't so much about how the image is drawn as it is about how to render it in color; he jumps
from thumbnail to finished sketch in one step, then scans it in for color work in Photoshop. This can get a bit repetitive, image after image, though each
one has a slightly different focus. His images are so diverse and lively, and the dragons he invents so imaginative, that I readily forgave this flaw. This
one may not walk you through drawing dragons in baby steps, but the inspiration factor alone makes it a winner for any aspiring fantasy artist or dragon
fan!
The Dracopedia series William O'Connor Impact Nonfiction, Art Themes: Bestiaries, Dragons ****
Description
From the draconic alphyn to the wolfish zburator, from the popular pegasus to the elusive enfield, artist William O'Connor reinterprets twenty-six
mythical monsters.
Review
From dragons, O'Connor turns his attention to other fantastic creatures lurking in heraldry, mythology, and folklore in this A to Z book. He includes
common creatures such as unicorns and griffins, plus several more obscure animals like shedu (winged lions) and the peculiar "questing beast" from King
Arthur's tales. Each gets an original spin, though by now O'Connor has developed a somewhat repetitious pattern, glossing over much of the
conceptualization and actual construction phases. The line between actual folklore and his own contributions is also blurred. Despite those flaws, it's
still an inspiring book for artists and lovers of fantastic beasts.
The Dracopedia series William O'Connor Impact Nonfiction, Art Themes: Alternate Earths, Dragons ****+
Description
Since prehistory, the great dragons of the world have inspired fear and awe in humans. Today's populations may be threatened by poaching, pollution,
and habitat destruction, but they still endure among us. From the white Icelandic dragons to the critically endangered gray Ligurians of the
Mediterranean, from the misty coasts of the Pacific Northwest to the polluted lakes and rivers of mainland China, conservationists struggle to ensure
that the world's great dragons will be with us for generations to come. Famed artist William O'Connor and his intrepid assistant, Conseil, set out on a
trek around the world to observe and sketch all eight surviving great dragon species in their natural habitats.
Review
Much like the first Dracopedia, O'Connor blends a vivid imagination with artistic skills, creating eight wonderfully realized species of dragon
while offering artistic instruction. He focuses on digital media, with many tips on using Photoshop and related software for maximum effect - and how to
avoid the sterile, "plastic" look of digital art; his final images look like true traditional paintings, demonstrating the versatility and power of modern
media in the hands of an experienced artist. The art instruction often takes a back seat to O'Connor's invented dragons, though, and his accompanying art
walkthroughs gloss over several steps. This is not a book for rank beginners, in other words, but for artists with some basic knowledge and skill to work
with. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. Even non-artistic dracophiles should be able to appreciate this book.
The world is full of dragons, from the legless wyrms and multiheaded hydras of ancient legends to the hovering garden feydraons and domestic
dragonette breeds. This field guide compiles numerous species of dragons and relatives, with notes on behavior and conservation status.
Review
This field guide was intended to be part of author/artist William O'Connor's series of Dracopedia art books, blending art instruction and
technique with invented field notes on "living" dragon species studied in the wild. Unfortunately, shortly after this project was started in
2018, O'Connor unexpectedly passed away, leaving this book to be finished by a collection of friends and collaborators for one last outing of
his remarkable beasts. The "guide" rehashes some dragons from previous books (such as the Great Dragons, the largest species of "living"
dragons) along with newer inventions of his artistic muse. Unlike previous volumes, there is nothing about how to draw or compose art in this
volume; the art must speak for itself as inpsiration, along with the text, which frankly invites skimming (and seems like it could've used
some stronger editing, as some passages felt clunky or repetitious). I almost clipped it the extra half-star for this, but O'Connor's dragons
are so detailed and memorable that they ultimately earned it back, even if relies a bit much on recycled material. I sadly couldn't help
wondering what the original plans for this field guide were, especially if they were to contain as much in the way of art notes as previous
Dracopedia installments...
