Designing Dragons

Discover step by step how professional concept artists take inspiration from the rich biology of real animals, using their scientific insights to design believable dragons, drakes, and serpents from myths and legends around the world. The brand-new artwork inside is created primarily with digital art software, such as Procreate, Photoshop, and Clip Studio Paint, with some traditional methods used for the early steps.

The in-depth introduction is written jointly by Stephen Oakley, Senior Concept Artist at Naughty Dog and designer of monsters for the award-winning God of War games, and Alexander Ostrowki, whose clients include game studios such as Wizards of the Coast. These two expert artists discuss the history and anatomy of the dragon, the techniques to create the colours and textures of these mighty creatures, and how to turn real-world inspiration into eye-catching fantasy. You will then find thirteen epic design projects to pore over, with professional artists taking a defined dragon from mythology, such as Hydra, Lindworm, Wyvern, and Jaculus, and sharing a step-by-step creative process as they transform it into a brand-new representation.

This is the ultimate dragon-design book for artists of any skill level and fantasy fans of all ages.

About the Authors

Stephen Oakley is a Senior Concept Artist at game-development studio Naughty Dog (Sony), working on games such as the hugely popular God of War Ragnarok. In 2023 he won an award for 'Excellence In Creature Concept Art' in the video-game category at the 2023 Concept Art Association Awards. He has over 63.1K followers on Instagram.

Alexander Ostrowski is a concept artist and illustrator from Germany, who specialises in creature design for the entertainment industry. His clients include respected IP developers SIXMOREVODKA and West Studio, and game studios including Eidos Montreal and Wizards of the Coast.