DragonArt Reviews

• A Wonderful Way To Learn How To Draw!

  
  By A27LXKCV5MDYE7 on 2006-06-26
  As far as drawing can go, this has to be one of the most helpful books out there. I must admit that I am a dragon-obsessed freak, but you don't have to like dragons or fantasy art in order to like this book.
  
  To start off, Neondragon's book is perfectly organized. It's divided into four sections, basics, how to draw dragons, how to draw various details, such as horns and frills, and last we've got the other fantasy creatures. Everything starts out simple and easy, progressively moving on to harder and harder subjects. For example, at the beginning we work on a basic dragon, then we learn how to draw paws, talons, heads, and wings, until you finish off with a western (the kind that has wings and breathes fire) and eastern (the Chinese and Japanese type) dragon. This shows that, instead of jumping all over the place and drawing like there's no tommorow, you get the hang of things before you tackle complicated poses and parts.
  
  So what about the section about making the dragon look unique? Neondragon really includes a lot about making your dragon good, so that you don't have just another winged lizard on your hands. You can learn to draw differant types of horns, scales, tails, and frills. Sometimes it helps to give you a little more inspiratin, and create awesome dragons that no else could ever create. In addition, it even teaches you how to draw feathers and fur for your dragon, or any of the other types of creatures found in the book.
  
  After you've finished drawing dragons, you get to look at the other fantasy critters. You use the skills you learn from drawing dragons to draw the various beasties at the end of the book. This includes kirins (Chinese and Japanese unicorns), sea serpents, and phoenixes. This adds variety to the book, so that you can learn to create things other than dragons.
  
  And what about the instructions? Everything is broken down into simple and easy steps. The current step is in red, while stuff that's already done is in blue. This makes it easy to tell what you have to do next, instead of searching for that tiny line that you couldn't find in other drawing books. There are also tips and tricks along the way, making it a little bit easier to draw that dragon. The only thing that may be of trouble is that it's hard to see the red line occasionally, since there are so many blue lines in the way. But there are only a few places where this happens.
  
  And somewhere in the book, you get a look at dragon anatomy. It helps make your dragon look believable and alive. Neon makes it easy to understand that a believable creature is a better creature. And it's simple to make it look believable. It tells you how you can make your dragon or fantasy creature to look real. Plus, it explains why a creature should look believable.
  
  If you're looking for a helpful and useful way to draw fantasy creatures, you may want to consider picking this book up.
  
  

• A Straightforward Guide to Designing Fantastic Creatures

  
  By A3C4900KZZFY6Q on 2006-06-09
  Dragons are certainly among the most quintessential elements of the fantasy genre and their likenesses comprise one of the cornerstones of the art associated with it. DragonArt: How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy Creatures is both an enjoyable browse and a useful guide for anyone interested in creating their own dragons or other fantastic creatures with pencil and paper.
  
  DragonArt is divided into three major parts, Fantastic Dragons, Unique Details, and Other Fantasy Creatures, along with an introduction, a section on how to use the book, and a brief guide to fantastic creatures.
  
  Lessons in this book are progressive in nature, beginning with fundamentals and moving into increasingly advanced aspects of dragon design, all illustrated with step-by-step illustrations that are punctuated by helpful tips and tricks throughout. And author/artist Jessica "NeonDragon" Peffer has a clear, easy writing style that can be easily comprehended, absorbed, and acted upon, an example of which follows below.
  
  "Okay, so we're going to discuss the anatomy of a creature that exists nowhere but in our minds. Sounds kind of silly to say that something made from pure imagination does not look correct, but that will happen if your creature doesn't look believable. To help make your dragon as real as possible, base its structure on real creatures," she writes at one point (page 44). "The ideal dragon is likely a mix of cat, bird, and reptile body types. The trick is choosing which parts to keep and which ones to throw out. You want it to feel like a single creature."
  
  This advice, incidentally, is very reminiscent of that given by Leonardo Da Vinci in his notebooks for drawing creatures of this ilk, making Peffer well read or naturally very insightful, either of which speaks well for her. Under "How You Should Make an Imaginary Animal Look Natural," the increasingly famous Renaissance man writes, "You know that you cannot invent animals without limbs, each of which, in itself, must resemble those of some other animal. Hence if you wish to make an animal, imagined by you, appear natural -- let us say a Dragon, take for its head that of a mastiff or hound, with the eyes of a cat, the ears of a porcupine, the nose of a greyhound, the brow of a lion, the temples of an old cock, the neck of a water tortoise."
  
  DragonArt also includes guidelines on drawing a number of other sorts of fantastic creatures, including basilisks, chimeras, gargoyles, and griffins.
  
  For those interested in applying the guidelines presented in this book, a companion DragonArt Kit: How to Draw & Paint Fantastic Creatures that includes a compressed version of the book and some art supplies will also be available soon. Author Peffer is also the creator of the popular fantasy art Website NeonDragonArt.com, which can give anyone potentially interested in this book the opportunity to get a sense of the kinds of creatures they can learn to create themselves.
  
  

• A Master artist and tutorial writer

  
  By A2JPG9R9QP6KD2 on 2007-01-13
  Jessica has an innate gift at teaching the tricks of her trade. She has studied her dragons well, even giving us bone structures, musculatures, and all those little hints about making our dragons look realistic. She provides different paradigms for driving the form of our dragons, and helps us to find our own creative approach.
  This is one of those books every fantasy artist (or aspiring artist) and lover of dragons (and other fantasy creatures) should definitely have a copy of.
  When it comes to how she writes tutorials, this is one of those rare books that flows and reads well. Just like her online tutorials, each step is surrounded by suggestions, and each step doesn't leave you hanging or asking questions. This is a good read in general.
  Also, at the time of this writing, she is working on finishing her second book and has already spoken of her third! Also, between her first and second (and third) books, her artistic talent has jumped leaps and bounds. Looking at this book, you wouldn't expect it to get that much better (its beautiful, already) but her next two books are bound to amaze!
  Jessica, we anxiously look forward to your next release!
  
  

• Dragonart: How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy Creatures

  
  By A19FNG2GIDRT8B on 2006-02-23
  This book not only appeals to adults but to children as well, and it is easy to follow. I sat down with my 8 year old granddaughter and helped her to sketch a dragon.
  
  I thought is was absolutely fascinating, and actually purchased it, not to draw dragons but to use it for creating a fantasy plush toy dragon. However, once I saw the sketches and final product, I decided to tackle drawing a few dragons myself and just loved the details and overall look.
  
  I am not an expert artist but found this book was written in such a way as it helped my art (of this type) look more professional. Thanks, I would recommend it to anyone.
  
  

• NeonDragon knows what she's doing

  
  By A39IOWLQMSXMIR on 2006-02-22
  NeonDragon's beautiful creatures have had my attention for a few years now, and I am proud of how well she did on her "How to" book. I've been drawing for several years, but could never manage dragons quite as well as I wished. NeonDragon's book was very helpful; it broke down the complex and ununiform dragon into simple steps with plenty of colorful visuals. NeonDragon even made it simple to personalize my drawings by giving examples of different horns, body and leg shapes, wings, and all other things that make dragons unique. The parts on other mythical creatures wasn't as in depth, but still held my attention and gave me some ideas. It is filled with NeonDragon's humor and spirit and is a wonderful book for one struggling to make thier dragons look good and believable.
  
  
• Simply Amazing.
  By AD9DXOCYKZNOW on 2006-06-17
  I found this book to be extremely helpful. The author of this book did an amazing job with the illustrations and breaking down the steps where they are able to be followed to the finished product. As far as drawing books go, this was one of the far more helpful and I was thrilled with gaining insight on how to draw the more complicated anatomical features of the fantasy creatures, such as wings with feathers. I suggest this book to anyone who is interested in fantasy drawing, but cannot seem to pinpoint certain features such as feathers, horns, or tails.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• A must have Book
  By AHO85XISZLZNI on 2005-10-14
  I have looked at the work Of J Preffer for several years and she has never stopped amazing me. This book does her proud and shows young and old that anything is possible.
  It is filled with easy to understand tutorials, and many helpful tips. From basic structure to high detail. A major must for any fantasy lover.I look forward to seeing more of her work.
  
  
• Simply amazing
  By A7YXVCKXOWZ8M on 2006-07-31
  This book is an enchanting and fun way to learn how to draw dragons and other mythical creatures. It helped me a lot in my art with it's easy to follow instructions and beautiful illustrations. Jessica Peffer really knows what she is doing and this book is really well organized. A truely amazing book.
  
  
• Ah, to be young again . . . and also a dragon.
  By A3AD98G65MUB8S on 2005-12-22
  Hands down one of the best "How to Draw ____" books I've come across. Peffer's book (in full-color) has easy to follow step-by-step instructions on how to construct dragons (and a few other creatures) from their basic anatomy to variations on body parts (tails, horns, etc...) and some information on basic composure and shading techniques.
  
  That besides, the art in this book is absolutely stunning, and the instructions and commentary are very helpful (without being overly obscure or too technical) and surprisingly witty. I would honestly be tempted to buy this book even if it were not as solid an instructional guide as it is.
  
  Highly recommended without reservation.
  
  
• Best Dragon Book Ever
  By A25K12XUP4PSV on 2006-02-07
  I have been teaching myself to draw from books for about two years now, and this is by far one of the best how to books ever. It is also one of the only how to draw dragons books. It contains lots of step by step instructions as well as anatomy and different ways to make your dragon unique. This book is also done with great passion for the subject.
  
  
• creative basics for beginners
  By A1Q5XGU35UY2YJ on 2007-05-07
  This is a nice book on the basics of drawing cartoon style dragon characters and other mythic creatures. Basic dragon anatomy, color, facial features, poses, and creative ways to draw them once you master the basics are all covered along with a bit of personification, wit and humor. While it is mostly for young adults, more accomplished artists might also gain some inspiration and ideas or at the least get some laughs from Neondragon's colorful creatures.
  
  
• Very Nice
  By A1UTP4NBJUG588 on 2006-02-17
  This is a very nice book for advanced artists. It is helpful in understanding different types of dragons and mythical creatures. It describes different body, head, and wing types. I would recommend this book for anyone who has a lot of interest in fantasy drawing.
  
  
• Awesome
  By A2KSAIJGPFAY4S on 2007-01-11
  This book is a great way to learn about what so many already love. I bought this book for my son and he loves using it. It has given him more confidence in his ability to draw and now is venturing away from the book but taking what the book taught with him
  
  
• Love it
  By A2U3752HW2N8MW on 2007-01-12
  Both very useful and has a nice little bit of humor inside. The tips on creating detail and position is very useful in creating a perfect custom dragon. This is a great book for everyone.
  
  
• impressed!
  By A2YE45B0B0RM4M on 2006-12-26
  my 10 year old son got this for Christmas yesterday and he is already estatic with the results. he is showing some talent at drawing, but this method is already helping him get past kid-type drawing and into some real good stuff! the three dragons he's drawn so far are the best drawings he's ever done. the book is very detailed and i would recommend it highly.
  
  
• The Perfect Gift
  By A2CSXB85WH7T5T on 2007-01-18
  My nephew (9 yrs old) loves to draw - especially dragons. I think this was his favorite gift he got for xmas. Forget about opening other gifts and playing with his cousins...he immediately got a pencil and paper and started drawing. I would definitely recommend this book to other children or adults that like to draw dragons/fantasy creatures.
  
  
• Dragons alive
  By A19IXZNXP85WRP on 2007-04-20
  I have never drawn a dragon before. I am a scientific illustrator and there is not much room for creativity in my daily work. This book is so great that after some trials I can't wait to draw another dragon and try a different face and a different body shape and so on....
  The step-by-step demos are very clear making the construction of those beautiful creatures much more fun than hard work! I wish the book had more 1000 pages!!!
  
  
• Fantastic!
  By A24R5EW6XJVKC6 on 2005-11-26
  What a great book! Covers a wide variety of dragons with highly detailed instructions and precise text. A nice addition to anyone's How to Draw Library.
  
  
• Wow!
  By A2FPQMW2Q7NO1A on 2005-12-28
  Really one of the best how-to-draw art books out there. Very detailed, segmented, and well drawn examples.
  
  Also lots of other creatures! Im "patiently" waiting for her next book! ^_^
  
  
• great
  By A2VU4YIXBZ05NL on 2007-01-11
  this book was a great help to me. i was never very good at drawing dragons but now i think i should start posting my art a an art site. i highly reccomend this book.
  
  
• One of the best gifts she received!! Excellent book!
  By A2SVQZ02HIRWHG on 2007-01-18
  This was one of the Christmas gifts I bought for my dragon-obsessed 10 year old daughter. She uses it for hours (which is more than I can say for some of the pricier gifts she received). I saw a huge leap in her drawing skills in just hours after she used the book. She also loves the humorous aspect of the book. It's written well and is entertaining and informative.
  
  
• Great Book For Anyone Who Wants To Draw Dragons
  By ABBF0F06RQ39F on 2007-02-13
  This book is a great Step by Step how to draw book, it really will help anyone who wants to draw dragons.
  
  
• Great Book
  By AAMKF6FO99HYR on 2007-04-12
  A great book. Starts from the basics and gives good easy to understand directions. Recommended for anyone that would like to learn to draw dragons and other such creatures.
  
  
• Very nice book . . .
  By A2JU5Q5B9Q7M9D on 2007-08-16
  This book is wonderful. It's fun to look at even if you're not in it for the instructional value it has. What makes it unique is that it gives the reader a little history on each creature.
  I wouldn't consider this a 'beginners' book as some of the techniques are slightly advanced, but I think anyone can benefit from what this book offers.
  This book would be very beneficial to tattoo artists.
  
  
  
  
• A Great Addition to my "Drawing Books" Collection
  By A1QRJP3LE5PNQ3 on 2008-08-05
  Jessica's book is the only other dragon drawing book I would recommend other than my own:
  
  Drawing Dragons: Learn How to Create Fantastic Fire-Breathing Dragons
  
  Although I do find her artwork very cartoony, some of it is undeniably striking and she obviously is a very talented artist. The instructions are easy to follow and she has a fun and homourous tone to the way she writes. I have purchased pretty much every dragon drawing book out there to see how it compares to mine and this is the only purchase I am actually happy with.
  
  If you like this book, you should definitely check out her newest one on Fantasy Characters as well.
  
  
• Great Book!
  By on 2008-11-03
  This book really teaches you how to draw dragons! It starts off with a simple dragon to draw and then it shows you how to draw kinds of arms, legs, wings, and dragons! There's 3 sections, Fantastic Dragons, Unique Details, and even Other Fantasy Creatures! You can draw great dragons, gargoyles, pegasus, chimeras, kirins (chinese unicorns) phoenixes, griffins, basilisks, wyverns, and sea serpents! This is great for dragon fans and includes lots of details! You should really buy it!
  
  (P.S. If you flip the pages and look on the bottom right corner you can see a dragon flying!)
  
  
• Awesome and wonderful!
  By A2HLS5Z5DVNHH5 on 2007-03-08
  I bought this book for my daughter who is an aspiring artist and she fell in love with it! She had never seen anything like it and finished it in a weekend. She wants more just like it. Thank you for helping me to encourage her.
  
  
• artistic improvement
  By A2JRDGLGTH20ZE on 2007-05-12
  I bought this book as a birthday gift for my 11 year old daughter. She is a big fan of fantasy creatures, and loves to draw-however, is not especially gifted at it. This book makes it easy for her to draw dragons and other creatures with much more skill and detail. It was a big hit. I would reccomend it to anyone who loves fantasy creatures but may need help w/ drawing them.
  
  
• A playful perspective on Dragonart
  By A2CN66MZCSD8UH on 2007-05-13
  As a freelance artist I have perused many art books and I find this one to be quite a catch. Dragonart is aimed more toward the beginner artist then the experienced one, but even I have found a few new ideas to try from this book.
  
  The book takes a friendly laid back approach to drawing. It begins with basic anatomy, the subject that perhaps is the greatest obstacle to an artist, discussing how to properly design your dragon so that it looks pleasing and has a sense of weight and realism. The book then refines your drawing skills with details on drawing those difficult body parts such as hands, paws, wings, and maws. The pages are filled with colorful examples and the text is easy to read and understand.
  
  I recommend this book to other artists, both novice and experienced, who enjoy drawing one of the most inspirational creatures ever to appear from our imaginations. If you are not an artist, but are a collector of dragon books, this one might be a nice touch to your collection.
  
  
  
• Dragon RW by SL.
  By ABA5MLLB6JVDV on 2007-05-14
  This is a graet book, it will give you a step by step walkthrough about how to draw dragons, I found it very helpful, and easy to use.
  It dos not just have dragons in it, there are other mythelogical beast like the chimera, the griffon, gorgyle ect.
  
  But not just is it a drawing book, it is funny too, the artist have alot of humor in the book, something that actually made me read the damn thing (I don't normaly read drawing books).
  The only bad thing about this book is that it ends.
  
  

• DragonArt Fantasy Characters: How to Draw Fantastic Beings and Incredible Creatures
• Drawing & Painting Fantasy Beasts: Bring to Life the Creatures and Monsters of Other Realms
• Great Book of Dragon Patterns: The Ultimate Design Sourcebook for Artists and Craftspeople
• Drawing and Painting Fantasy Landscapes and Cityscapes
• A Practical Guide to Dragons