The Little Book of Drawing Dragons & Fantasy Characters

The artist who illustrated this book is incredibly talented. The dragons and creatures included were well drawn and fantastic. I do not feel I could do these drawings as well. The book seemed to be a more advanced teaching than a learning book. I feel the descriptions about tools used and ways to draw and shade were well done. However once it got to the dragons it was six steps and I just got lost. It was as easy to follow along.

Maybe this is a lore advanced drawing guide. If you’re interested in learning to draw dragons and magical creatures and you have patience this book is for you.

I’m not a drawer but this is a fabulous book to step you through, even for a Novice! Definitely a must look for.

A lovely collection of magical creatures, with good, solid tips on how to draw them. Overall, a good helping hand to the aspiring illustrator.

I enjoyed the works presented in this how-to. I learned a lot and really enjoyed this went just past dragons. While I liked that they added the colouring aspect of the pieces, they didn't break down the drawing. While they are assuming that the beginning chapters were enough to extrapolate from, for me, I knew step by step instructions still.

The Little Book of Drawing Dragons & Fantasy Characters is a tutorial book aimed at artists of all levels of experience. Released 3rd Sept by Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 128 pages and available in paperback format.

The book follows a logical, easy progression. The general introduction covers tools and materials, along with a short treatment of breaking subjects down into geometric shapes and refining them, adding details, shading and texture. It separates the drawing process into technical elements which can be studied and mastered by any student with practice.

The next couple of chapters are full of tutorials for dragons (western and eastern), wyverns, wyrms, centaurs, fairies, and 8 more.

The fourth and final section gives a short tutorial with projects for adding color with markers, colored pencils, and watercolors. There is a small amount of filler in the page content with 'practice pages' scattered throughout, but there is a lot of good instructional content here. I found a lot of useful information and added a couple of sketches to my sketchbook based on the siu riu (Japanese water dragon).

This would make a super gift with a set of pencils or drawing materials for learning realistic anatomy based graphic fantasy art.

Five stars.

This book is so helpful and really easy to use for drawing. The instructions are so good and it breaks everything down so well. So many different methods the book uses to ensure you draw things correctly and easily.

I enjoyed the works presented in this how-to. I learned a lot and really enjoyed this went just past dragons. While I liked that they added the coloring aspect of the pieces, they didn't break down the drawing. While they are assuming that the beginning chapters were enough to extrapolate from, for me, I knew step by step instructions still.

This book is very detailed but it is not necessarily for beginners. I would suggest this for more intermediate artists. The illustrations are beautiful and they break down supplies(tools) and strokes but the details are very intricate. I am currently
Using to try and draw the dragons and it’s definitely a challenge. Overall it’s a fantastic reference to use for fantasy illustrations.

This was a short but useful book about drawing and shading, and making realistic images of fantasy beasts such as dragons, griffins, satyrs, and wyrms. It takes a step-by-step approach, and I'm not sure I buy into this raw blocky shapes first approach, followed by refining them because, for me at least, it means a rather soul-destroying trudge through drawing and erasing repeatedly as the blocky shape is transformed into the final artwork. Ultimately though, the point is to get to that final image, so whatever works for you as an artist is the way to go.

I wish more attention was paid to thais kind of thing, because I've seen very many art books which take this same approach and treat all prospective artists as though they are at the same level with the same personality and methodology and in need of precisely the same tuition. That is patently untrue, but I guess if you wish for more individual attention, you take an art class. This book is a 'lowest common denominator' kind of approach, but that doesn't mean it can't take you at least a part of the way along the path you wish to travel, and if starting here gets you closer to that fine end result embodied in the examples we see here, then this is as good a way to go as any!

On that basis I commend this as a worthy read.

The Little Book of Drawing Dragons & Fantasy Characters gives very detailed instructions on both tools and materials and the actual drawing process. Because there are four different artists, who have contributed to the book, there are also different drawing styles present, which makes the book more interesting and inspiring. A great little guide to drawing for anyone interested in these subjects. Suitable for beginner level too.

REVIEW

The Little Book of Drawing Dragons & Fantasy Characters

More than 50 tips and techniques for drawing fantastical fairies, dragons, mythological beasts, and more


by Michael Dobrzycki, Bob Berry, Cynthia Knox, Meredith Dillman, Kithera of Anevern


A Walter Foster art book is a prize. I remember looking through my mother’s art books by Walter Foster that dealt with fashion illustration and wanting to become an illustrator...but those were the dreams of childhood. I also remember seeing the books in art stores when we would go after school for my mother to pick up paint or brushes or other art supplies. More recently I have purchased original Walter Foster art books to assist me with drawing I have picked up later in life and they are definitely keepers no matter whether old or newly on the market!


In this book I learned more about the fantastic beings that populate fantasy worlds and fairy tale lands. And, as adults are also reading fantasy and fairy tales and learning to draw these creatures sounded intriguing I was thrilled to be given the chance to look through and try my hand sketching a few...and...they are not quite like in the book but were fun to create.


I also learned a bit about some of the creatures while learning to first draw them by putting basic shapes next to one another, smoothing the shapes into lines and then add texture, color and more to make them pop off the page.


Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I buy this book for my collection? Definitely


Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing – Walter Foster for the ARC – This is my honest review.


5 Stars

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44287359-the-little-book-of-drawing-dragons-fantasy-characters?ac=1&from_search=true




Description


Featuring drawing lessons, step-by-step projects, and open practice pages, The Little Book of Drawing Dragons & Fantasy Characters teaches beginning artists how to draw dragons, fairies, mythological beasts, and more.

Step-by-step projects, creative exercises, interactive prompts, and helpful tips and techniques bring this popular drawing subject to life and invite creativity and personalization. Drawing techniques, such as value, shading, and creating texture and perspective, are included to help artists of all skill levels learn to draw accurately. Learn to draw fur, scales, wings, tails, and how to put them all together to create your own unique fantasy characters and artwork.

More than 15 step-by-step projects include:Western Dragon, Eastern Dragon, Water Dragon, Hydra, Centaur, Fairy, Minotaur, Griffin, Unicorn And more!


In the popular, established The Little Book of... series from Walter Foster Publishing, artists and art hobbyists alike delight in learning a variety of fun, approachable, relevant, and interesting art topics in a portable format boasting a fresh, contemporary, and interactive design. Open practice pages, creative exercises, and art prompts encourage interactivity for immediate results while teaching beginners the fundamentals of the featured medium in a fun, engaging way.

This is a wonderful little book for beginners and experienced artist alike. There are sections on various magical creatures as well as dragons in their basic forms, then it goes into various media like marker, colored pencil and watercolor to make some beautiful finished drawings. Really enjoyed it! Good reference book!

This is a good book for anyone with some drawing experience who wants to focus on the details of dragons and fantasy creatures. There are some good step by step projects with an excellent variety of good quality pictures to try. However I don't think there are enough steps for a complete beginner. I love the section that focusses on the individual features such as scales, skin and claws. This will allow any artist to select different styles and work on intricate details of a subject. It is a good quality well thought out book and I would have loved for it to be double the size with lots more projects to try.

An amazing book if you want to get into drawing.

I loved the concepts of the designs and how it goes through step by step of different aspects of drawing with shapes and tones etc.

It's very informative and can lead to some fantastic drawings.

This book shows you how to simplify your drawings. You break down the subject into basic shapes like circles and triangles which later become body parts like a head or claws. I found the chart of how to create different textures very helpful and a great resource to look back at.

I was amazed at how easy it was when you followed the step by step instructions. I would have been overwhelmed if I had tried to draw the creatures from the end drawing. But breaking it down it into steps and leaving the details for the end makes the process much easier.

I like to paint more than I like to draw. However, I think the principals I learned about shadows and highlights will help me in my painting. As you are drawing you realize how well-placed shadows will help show proportion and depth.

The last portion of the book covers added color to your drawings. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in learning to draw.

I received this book from NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this how to book on how to draw dragons (Yeah Dragons!) and other magical creatures. I got to spend some relax time while my baby was asleep drawing dragons with my morning coffee. The steps gave you the general structure of the creature and then you had to use your creativity to create details of scales, fur, etc. It was a wonderful experience.
#drawingdragons #Netgalley

I am so impressed with this book. It has beautiful illustrations with fairly detailed instructions for learning to draw dragons and other fantasy art. I feel it will take me time to become as good as the artist but with practice and these steps I believe I can accomplish fairly decent drawings of all my favorites and more. I received this book from netgalley for an honest opinion and I love it! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy!

This is a nice book to learn how to draw specific fantasy characters. This is a great starter book, for a teen getting into drawing. The explainations are very clear and the process is shown step by step.

Great book with step by step instructions on drawing realistic images of fantasy characters. There are details on the pencil drawings, but very minimal info when it gets to the coloring step. If you are looking for a great drawing book for dragons etc. this is a good place to look.

The Little Book of Drawing Dragons & Fantasy Characters is indeed little, but it has a lot of useful information and inspiration in it. The step-by-step instructions are clear and extremely helpful, and the characters themselves, however few they may be, offer great inspiration to people interested in drawing fantasy creatures. Although, the book should be a few hundred pages longer to include every possible hobgoblin imaginable, but the selection of critters chosen for this book covers the main dragon-y ones as well as the most commonly known mythological creatures and characters.

The only note I would have is about proportions and faces: If a beginner wishes to start with this book, it won't be an easy first guide book to follow. There should be perhaps a tiny section about how to measure proportions for a character or how to draw a face, but I suppose such things can be found in other tomes.

Also, perhaps the empty pages left for practicing could have been replaced by a few more example drawings, seeing as most people will possibly use their own notebooks for drawing. (Just a thought, there.)

All in all, it was an enjoyable and inspiring read, which definitely will make the reader want to pick up a pencil and start sketching.

If you’re a big fan of fantasy creatures – and I know certain TV shows have made that more mainstream – and you either draw or want to learn to draw, I think this book would be a good find. The instructions are easy to understand. If you already know how to draw, I think the creatures presented here would be fun to create. If you don’t know how to draw, I think this approach is good. Not only do they give you step-by-step instructions spread over several pages on each subject, but they also present a small example of the many tools of the trade. I like how they leave it for you to finish exactly as they show or add your own details.

This is a really lovely book.
covering tools, materials, shading techniques, textures and features to mention a few.

Each design has plenty of steps to help create wonderful artistic drawings, and leaving you with wonderful results.
I really love the fairy !Just when you think it cant get any better you find the colour application section at the back, i have to say this takes it all to a whole new level.. amazing.

I loved the book but don't think its suitable for complete beginners.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This little book contains introductory sections of materials, drawing and shading techniques, how to create textures with them. Then comes the construction of the dragon bodies from basic forms, the various features like hairs, horns, claws, wings, etc., next there are step by step intructions for drawing different types of dragons and other creatures. In the end some projects are coloured too. Very simple but user-friendly little book for those who want to draw some dragons with minimal effort.

Thank you, NetGalley and the author for a preview of this eBook.

The Little Book of Drawing Dragons & Fantasy Characters is filled with easy step by step instructions to draw all sorts of fantasy creatures. I cannot wait to try out some of the illustrations.

What an excellent book. Detailed images and excellent explanations.
Really love the simplicity of this book and yet it offers so much detail.
The drawings are wonderful and so much useful information is given to help guide you.
One of the best books I have seen

A look at the beautifully shaded drawings on the cover is enough to tell me this is above my drawing level, but I thought I would give it a try anyway and see if my perspective might improve.

Like many drawing books, it goes over tools and materials first. I noted the inclusion of tortillions, used for smudge shading. This is followed by a section on shading techniques, so a lot of possibility there for improving my skills. Then we get to the construction of creatures using basic shapes. They make it look so easy!

The creating textures section goes into more detail than I've seen in a lot of books. I can see this becoming the key, along with the shading, to making the drawings have that detailed finished look. The details on claws, horns and especially wing positions was extremely well done.

The creatures shown in the instructions include the western dragon, eastern dragon, wyvern (perhaps a good starting project as it has fewer fiddly bits), wyrm, water dragon, hydra, sui riu (Japanese rain dragon), centaur, fairy, minotaur, satyr, griffin and unicorn. The fact that it's weighted towards dragon-related creatures is part of the appeal of the book to me.

There is another section on tools and materials, this time for adding colour. This goes into using marker for an alternative dragon design, a pegasus in pencil and marker and another fairy in coloured pencil. Then a detailed drawing of a wisteria fairy is provided for working in water colour, though there are no instructions for drawing this one.

Overall I think the book is wonderful, but it's going to take some real practice to get to a level that looks as good as the pictures provided.

This is a great book for people who like fantasy and drawing. The techniques are explained really well and it's nice you get some blank pages where you can practice. The drawings are absolutely beautiful!

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Little Book of Drawing Dragons and Fantasy Characters is a excellent book for beginners and art classes. It gives valuable information and techniques.

3.5 stars.

I'm not a big fan of this type of an artstyle but it did have some very good tips in the beginning. I really liked the texture and creature features tips and they looked really good.

There's enough practice areas for whoever buys the book and at the last few drawings, the book teaches you coloring too. The last 3 drawings were the only ones that I liked since it's closer to what artstyle I usually love to see.

Overall, I think it's helpful for anyone who's starting out on drawing fantasy creatures but as I mentioned before, the artstyle is not for me.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

Whilst the book does have several creative exercises and tips to create mythical creatures. However, I was hoping for more in-depth explanation on how to create the elements. It leapt from sketching to the creation and so I battled to follow the steps. I also anticipated ore friendly looking creatures. The sketching elements are really well done though.