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Name: Dracopedia: A Guide to Drawing the Dragons of the World: O'Connor, William: 9781600613159: Amazon.com: Books
Price: 15.05 USD
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Rating: 4.7 (559 reviews)

William O'Connor

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Dracopedia: A Guide to Drawing the Dragons of the World Hardcover – Download: Adobe Reader, September 24, 2009

by William O'Connor (Author)

559 ratings

Part of: Dracopedia (4 books)

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Everything you ever wanted to know about dragons, but were afraid to find out!

Fantasy artists can now breathe easier thanks to this less perilous alternative to drawing dragons from life. Dracopedia offers you safe, easy access to the world's most prominent dragon species, from tiny, innocuous feydragons to the ferocious wyvern.

For years, artist William O'Connor has traveled the globe, studying dragons in their natural environments. His findings, field notes and sketches have been compiled for the first time into this single, beautifully illustrated compendium--a natural and cultural history of the beasts as well as a step-by-step drawing workshop.

   • Details of the anatomy, behavior, habitats and legends of 13 major dragon families
   • Heavily illustrated with field sketches, anatomical studies and gesture drawings
   • Shows the start-to-finish creation of 13 striking paintings, illustrating key concepts that apply to every medium
   • Dragon demonstrations include: amphiptere, Arctic dragon, Asian dragon, basilisk, coatyl, dragon, dragonette, drake, feydragon, hydra, sea orc, wyrm, wyvern
Dragons have terrorized and delighted humans for centuries--continue the tradition with Dracopedia. It's packed with inspiration for putting "fierce" into your fantasy art, as well as the facts to keep your dragons true to life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Illustrator, concept artist, fine artist and teacher, William O'Connor graduated from Alfred University and also attended The School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design. He has freelanced for Harper Collins, Lucasfilm, Doubleday, Wizards of the Coast, Bookspan, Hasbro, History Channel and more. He's executed thousands of illustrations for gaming and publishing, as well as production designs, concepts, posters and advertisements. He has won over thirty awards and has been published in the showcase books Spectrum 12 and Spectrum 13: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. O'Connor is a member of the Graphic Artist's Guild, New York; Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists; American Showcase of Illustration; and Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. He resides in Pearl River, NY. Visit his website, wocstudios.com, and blog, williamoconnorstudios.blogspot.com.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ IMPACT Books; Illustrated edition (September 24, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1600613152
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1600613159
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.55 x 0.66 x 11.12 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #288,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #91 in Mythology & Folklore Encyclopedias
- #147 in Science Fiction & Fantasy Art (Books)
- #3,894 in Fantasy Manga (Books)

Customer Reviews:
559 ratings

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William O'Connor

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Author/Illustrator of the best selling Dracopedia book series, as well as illustrator of over 3000 illustrations for the gaming and publishing business, William O’Connor’s 25 year career has allowed him to work with such companies as Wizards of the Coast, Impact Books, Blizzard Entertainment, Lucas Films, Activision and many more. Winner of over 30 industry awards for artistic excellence including 10 contributions to Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantasy Art and 8 Chesley Nominations, William has taught and lectured around the country about his unique and varied artwork as well as exhibited his work at ComicCon, IX and various museums and galleries.

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559 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the book's beautiful, detailed illustrations and appreciate how it goes into extensive detail about each dragon species. Moreover, the book is informative and serves as a great reference, with one customer noting the author's thorough study of the subject matter. Additionally, customers find it fun to read and suitable for all ages, with one mentioning it's particularly good for kids. However, the book receives mixed feedback about its pacing, with one customer noting it's not suitable for beginners.

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Artwork Dragons Information quality Art tips Ages Enjoyment History Pacing

44 customers mention "Artwork"44 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the artwork in the book, praising its beautiful illustrations and detailed, magnificent creatures.

"...It has many examples or different dragons with great sketches...." Read more

"...is beautifully detailed in both its art and its design, made to look like a tome with page design that adds to the feeling of the book without being..." Read more

"...The author not only covers the basics in the drawing aspect, but also shows two or three examples of each creature...." Read more

"...The dragon designs were also very interesting and believable. The only downside is the corny "these are what real dragons look like" deal...." Read more

28 customers mention "Dragons"28 positive0 negative

Customers find the dragons fascinating and appreciate how the book explains facts and details about them, with extensive information provided for each species. One customer notes that the author has created an entire fictional dragon taxonomy.

"...It has many examples or different dragons with great sketches...." Read more

"...It covers Asian style dragons, dragons of Central Europe, South America, North America, the desert, the seas, and more...." Read more

"...The dragon designs were also very interesting and believable. The only downside is the corny "these are what real dragons look like" deal...." Read more

"...There are dozens of vividly colored, intricately detailed pictures of dragons, and the author has created an entire fictional dragon taxonomy and..." Read more

23 customers mention "Information quality"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative and appreciate that it serves as a great reference, with one customer noting its detailed content and another mentioning the helpful artist's notes.

"...recreate them in oil paint just the same as he unfolds the development stages of drawing quite well...." Read more

"...A last thing worth mentioning, along with a nice index, is that the book has a foldout color poster at the end that compares all of the demonstrated..." Read more

"...The slight history to it was interesting, but saying that the dragons are real might throw some readers imaginations off by making them believe that..." Read more

"...It has stunning illustrations and so much information. Great quality. I’m impressed and my son is already asking for similar from this author." Read more

14 customers mention "Art tips"14 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the art tips in the book, which guide aspiring artists and teach how to draw dragons, with one customer highlighting the Photoshop techniques.

"The author was fantastic in capturing how step by step to draw the dragons...." Read more

"...That also makes it great for the non-artist dragon lovers! More about the content and the organization of it:..." Read more

"...My favorite part is that it also had information for computer painting, which most books leave out...." Read more

"...bit steep but it's a great collection to any bookshelf or reference to any aspiring artist!" Read more

6 customers mention "Ages"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fun to thumb through, with one mentioning it's great for all ages to read.

"...It will make a fine example to use for adults and kids in classes as the material is interesting enough and appropriate for ALL ages...." Read more

"...It was a great find and a book she really enjoyed." Read more

"...The imagery includes interesting facts and backstories. It's great for all ages to read and enjoy!..." Read more

"...If your or someone you know is into dragons this is a fun book to thumb through." Read more

6 customers mention "Enjoyment"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fun to read, with one mentioning it makes advancing through the book exciting.

"...It gets five stars because it's beautiful and imaginative and lots of fun to read...." Read more

"...This real take on dragons is a refreshing and makes advancing through the book exciting...." Read more

"...It's great for all ages to read and enjoy!..." Read more

"Love this book. Much more than an instructional volume. Entertaining and tutorial! A little treasure for any collection." Read more

4 customers mention "History"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's historical content, with one customer highlighting its ancient folklore and another noting its detailed histories and habitats.

"...that, but a wide variety of dragons and their relatives, their histories and habitats, and hints at illustrating them using both conventional and..." Read more

"...The imagery includes interesting facts and backstories. It's great for all ages to read and enjoy!..." Read more

"Excellent book on Dragons and drawing them. The history is interesting and the authors digital art tips are very helpful. Beautifully illustrated." Read more

"Sent as a gift to my Grandson . He loves Dragons, Swords and Ancient Folklore. He is an Artist and I hope he likes the Books." Read more

7 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive7 negative

Customers find the book's pacing unsatisfactory, with one customer noting it's not suitable for beginners.

"...Agreeing with what a previous reviewer wrote, this is not a how to draw book and would likely be most useful for those who are past that stage and..." Read more

"...I will say that this is not for a beginning artist and probably should have that stated in the description, or at least state "for advance artist"." Read more

"...However, this taught me nothing about how to draw dragons...." Read more

"...Not a beginner drawing book." Read more

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Marsanik Lapp
excellent dragon art
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2010
Verified Purchase

The author was fantastic in capturing how step by step to draw the dragons. I was very impressed he did the "KILIN" since it is hard to find and my totem animal. Also in the book of unicorns and that too is an excellent book series as the figurines in the front cover are placed inside it. This book of dragons however, he also does in photoshop and gives you clues to steps. You can recreate them in oil paint just the same as he unfolds the development stages of drawing quite well. I just ordered another for my 15 yr old nephew as well who also hopes to become like myself a professional artist and/or teacher. It has many examples or different dragons with great sketches. It will make a fine example to use for adults and kids in classes as the material is interesting enough and appropriate for ALL ages. This artist is NOT a beginner. (he is not Robert Bateman either but then again that is a superior master of our day we all hope to aspire to.) He could be a bit like John Howe though as he chose to be about this painter's skill, and John Howe is certainly worth buying also. It was worth every penny I spent and got the 2 books all for under five dollars for this order.

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PC
Great for artists and non-artists alike!
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2010
Verified Purchase
The Dracopedia is beautifully detailed in both its art and its design, made to look like a tome with page design that adds to the feeling of the book without being distracting. It is well laid out and a great read.

Agreeing with what a previous reviewer wrote, this is not a how to draw book and would likely be most useful for those who are past that stage and would like to learn more about more advanced stages, such as coloring, shading, and backgrounds, along with extra information about the dragons themselves. Therefore, the book has much more potential for reuse and reference, rather than being tossed to the side when people are past the "okay, I can draw circles, lines, and other shapes now" (stick frame) stage.

That also makes it great for the non-artist dragon lovers!

More about the content and the organization of it:

Each chapter begins with larger art of the final piece and specifications of the type of dragon. It then goes into biology and the various other genera and species within that category. Though the book may cover 13 dragons in more detail, there are countless other pieces, such as four other hydras and five other sea orcs, so it has much more content than the product description would lead people to believe.

It then goes into behavior and history before the demonstration, which includes various different tips in each section to help an artist along his/her way.

The actual detail within each chapter differs for each type of dragon, which makes things much more interesting. There's information ranging from an artist's note mini section about finding inspiration for the basilisk to the skeleton and musculature of the Great Red Welsh Dragon.

A last thing worth mentioning, along with a nice index, is that the book has a foldout color poster at the end that compares all of the demonstrated dragons side-by-side (mostly profile view) and includes a size comparison at the bottom.

Very well done!

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13 people found this helpful

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Brian Fuelleman
Dracopedia: A great resource for artists and dragon fans alike
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2011
Verified Purchase
This book was a surprising find for me, I was looking for different artists interpretations of dragons, and in this book I found not only that, but a wide variety of dragons and their relatives, their histories and habitats, and hints at illustrating them using both conventional and digital tools.
Most dragon artists tend to fall into a rut when it comes to drawing the heads and bodies,. Most of the dragons tend to end up looking like clones or copies that may have been repositioned. The author of this book shows us a wide variety of head, body, and scale types, and an equally wide variety of poses and backgrounds.
The author not only covers the basics in the drawing aspect, but also shows two or three examples of each creature. Though I could wish for some more of the basic structural aspects of the dragons for some of my students, I can understand that the book would have had to be many times it's current size.
The illustrations are in full color and the book is beautifully printed and bound. It covers Asian style dragons, dragons of Central Europe, South America, North America, the desert, the seas, and more.
The inclusion of the history, origins, and characteristics of the dragons helps keep this from being to dry.

This is one of a few books that I think should be included in any dragon artist's library.
I would also include John Howe's Forging Dragons, and some books on reptiles, dinosaurs, and bats or birds for those that wish to have winged dragons.
I liked this book so much that I ended up buying 3 copies to give to friends and fellow artists.

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19 people found this helpful

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Chey
Good but a little corny
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2011
Verified Purchase
This book was what I was looking for. It had a huge amount of varying dragons, not just the usual typical, and had lots of detail. My favorite part is that it also had information for computer painting, which most books leave out. The dragon designs were also very interesting and believable.

The only downside is the corny "these are what real dragons look like" deal. The slight history to it was interesting, but saying that the dragons are real might throw some readers imaginations off by making them believe that the dragons in the book alone are the only types you can draw. I would have also loved a few pages of just pure reference material for the readers own dragon building, such as drawings of horns, teeth, claws, eyes, and so on.

If you are looking for a guide to drawing more realistic dragons, this might help you.

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2 people found this helpful

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Edilson
Excelente
Reviewed in Brazil on June 25, 2023
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Ótimo livro, recomendo muito

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Tina
Excellent Art, Exellent Narritive
Reviewed in Canada on September 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
Every fantasy artist should have this book in their resources. Full stop.

Okay, I'll say a few more words. This book deserves a full thesis written about it, but we'll have to settle for an Amazon review.

In these pages are invaluable insights to creating a fully illustrated dragon, from concept all the way to finished artwork. For every beast, there are little imaginative backgrounds that describe the dragon like it's a real creature, with talks about habitat, history, behavior, and sometimes you'll even get a picture of an egg. There are sections about drawing digitally, and even some talk of dragon anatomy that is helpful. In the back, there is an Index and even a poster you can remove, if you're careful.

The whole thing is captured in a sturdy hardcover with glossy print embellishments where it needs to add pop to the presentation. The book cover and back attempts to make the resource look like a binding of old times where steel trappings were used. Very good look for the subject matter.

If you're an artist or dragon lover, you should have this book. Go get it.

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ドラゴン大好きマン
本が大きくて、イラストの見ごたえがあり。
Reviewed in Japan on September 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
さまざまな、ドラゴンが掲載されています。
そして、各ドラゴンのスケッチやタマゴなどもあるのが、気に入りました。本も大きくて、全体的
にボリュームがあり、見ごたえがありました。

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Lumen_Lunae
Tolles Buch
Reviewed in Germany on October 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
Ganz tolles Buch für Drachenfans mit vielen schönen Illustrationen. Es ist ein Nachschlagewerk mit Biografie zu den einzelnen Drachenarten. Der Autor hat sich viel Mühe gemacht. Das Buch ist grafisch sehr ansprechend. Wer eine Zeichenanleitung sucht dem sei gesagt, der Autor zeichnet mit Bleistift vor und digitalisiert dann die Colo am PC. Trotzdem sind die Zeichnungen auch eine tolle Anregung für traditioneller Künstler wie mich.

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Lumen_Lunae

Tolles Buch

Reviewed in Germany on October 5, 2017
Ganz tolles Buch für Drachenfans mit vielen schönen Illustrationen. Es ist ein Nachschlagewerk mit Biografie zu den einzelnen Drachenarten. Der Autor hat sich viel Mühe gemacht. Das Buch ist grafisch sehr ansprechend. Wer eine Zeichenanleitung sucht dem sei gesagt, der Autor zeichnet mit Bleistift vor und digitalisiert dann die Colo am PC. Trotzdem sind die Zeichnungen auch eine tolle Anregung für traditioneller Künstler wie mich.

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Blas
Awesome art!
Reviewed in Spain on June 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
William O'Connor is one of the greatest fantasy artists in the world, and the dracopedia books are a good proof of it.

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5.0 out of 5 stars excellent dragon art

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for artists and non-artists alike!

5.0 out of 5 stars Dracopedia: A great resource for artists and dragon fans alike

5.0 out of 5 stars Good but a little corny

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Art, Exellent Narritive

5.0 out of 5 stars 本が大きくて、イラストの見ごたえがあり。

5.0 out of 5 stars Tolles Buch

Tolles Buch

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5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome art!

excellent dragon art

Great for artists and non-artists alike!

Dracopedia: A great resource for artists and dragon fans alike

Good but a little corny

Excelente

Excellent Art, Exellent Narritive

本が大きくて、イラストの見ごたえがあり。

Tolles Buch

Awesome art!