Monday, August 9, 2010

How to Draw and Paint Dragons (Tom Kidd)

How to Draw and Paint Dragons
Tom Kidd
Barron's
Nonfiction, Art
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: Behold the dragon. Be they legless wyrm or classical winged fire-breather, they are the undisputed monarch of the artist's fantastic bestiary. Tom Kidd, an accomplished artist, discusses how to draw dragons, from initial gesture through building up three-dimensional forms and adding colors and textures. This book also includes a gallery of dragon paintings for inspiration and "scan-it, trace-it" templates to work from.

REVIEW: Yes, I have quite the collection of dragon drawing books on my shelves. I like to draw, and I like dragons. I also like books that make me want to draw dragons, and this is one of those books. Kidd's methods lean toward developing visual memory and imagination, downplaying the importance of life drawing and references in favor of training the mind's eye and the artist's hand. This is not a fast process, and while it's possible to follow Kidd's in-book tutorials and belt out a few dragon images, it's not going to be nearly as easy as he makes it look without some experience and a few photo refs on hand. Still, he does some nice dragons with interesting variations, and if this book isn't precisely the "complete course built around the legendary beasts" that the cover claims, it still does a decent job covering the subject. A worthy addition to any dracophile artist's library.

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