Customer Reviews

John Howe Forging Dragons

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the book I had been waiting for, during the past 25 years or more. I wish I could have read a book like this when I started to notice this urge to draw dragons as a 15 year old student, scribbling on her school books.

This may sound biaised since I am a long time fan of John Howe's art, but on the other hand it is exactly what drew me to his work. When discovering the black dragon sitting on the cathedral of Strasbourg in a book I was leafing through in 1994, I immediately recognised a fellow dracologist, one who knows exactly how a dragon ticks...

So, how does it tick? Is there such a thing as the anatomy of a myth? Not as such according to John Howe, who rather sees his dragons as the results of the wanderings of his pencil on paper. Nevertheless it requires a good deal of knowledge in animal anatomy. To make an imaginary creature believable you need to understand how bones and tendons and muscles interact. Only then can you come up with a diversity of dragons.

But this book is much more than an artbook. It gives us a summary of dragonlore through the ages and cultures, such as has been rarely seen before. Having read many publications on the subject, I was very pleased to see some themes introduced here that had never or seldom been tackled in previous works.
Allegorical or mystical, mythical or legendary, metaphorical or fantasmagorical, modern and ancient lore, every aspect of this vast subject is exposed in short but informative sections, accompanied by old and new art and seasoned with some insights into the creation of each piece of art.

If you have never read a book about dragons, this may be a bit too much information in one go. But don't let it deter you, you will have lots of pieces of information that you can go back to and that may give you new ideas on what to read next. And slowly get to be familiar with these creatures that none of us have ever seen but that we all know somehow.

In Forging Dragons John leads the reader out of the worlds of narrative and history and onto the illustrated page. The book is divided into broad chapters (`Cosmic Dragons', `Monsters & Heroes' and `Dragons of Other Worlds'); these divisions are not simply based on aesthetic categories (as these sorts of books might be) but on geographical, narratological and historical traditions. It is as if one is peering into other worlds, into a hidden bestiary of impossible beasts, and for this reason this is not just a book about drawing and painting dragons but a book about dragons themselves. In addition to being an illustrator John is also a writer of both fiction and non-fiction and there is a lot to read here, from the story of the 11th century manuscript of Beowulf which survived the fire at the Cotton library in 1731 to the cosmic serpent Apep in Egypt who tried to swallow the sun. His introductions to the dragons, serpents and wyrms of legend, story and fantasy are fascinating, erudite and very readable indeed.

From a technical perspective the book is helpful, but don't think it's a colour-by-numbers book with those `sphere plus cone equals dragon's head' diagrams. Rather it is a rambling repository of facts and images and the book is filled with little notes and pieces of advice, often including a `behind-the-scenes' look at some specific paintings. More often than not John will divulge both how his imagination and his pencil have moved to create a scene or sketch, offering important insight into the whole creation process. The book provides many of John's own sketches and drafts (his composite image of the Norse cosmos keeps surfacing in my mind in new forms).

John's lucid prose and beautiful illustrations make you want to start scribbling dragons in the margins straightaway, so keep some paper next to you and get to it!

But... I wish he would bring the same incredibly thorough research to dragons as animals (rather than as mythic manifestations) as he does to armor, and trees, clouds, and all the other elements of figurative landscapes.

This is not unique to John - all the fantasy artists' work I've enjoyed have disappointed me with their lack of attention to animal anatomy and locomotion.

Am I being too critical? Yeah - insofar as there are few fantasy fans who care about such things as animal flight and locomotion mechanics, but this kind of art is so entertaining to virtually all viewers that it should go the extra mile (to allow those who are professionals in scientific fields) to suspend their disbelief with full abandon.

Also, I feel compelled to mention that the book itself was flawed - many pages were stuck together at the top. To the extent that the ink would often tear free and leave white ragged surfaces when I pulled them apart. I'm not going to return the book - in all probability the replacement would have sticking pages, too. This is the publisher's fault - not John's, and I do want to have the book, no matter its condition.

I will always be in profound awe of his painting and drawing skills. And, having had some pleasant correspondence with him, found him to be an extremely kind and courteous gentleman.
So, it seems he is as good a man as he is an artist.

Forging Dragons by John Howe is an excellent book. But in my opinion it informs (on Howe's method of working and on dragon lore) more than it entertains, i.e. fantastic dragon concept art. His artwork list from the great to good, but you always get a clear, fun narration on his process of thought, conception, creation, and inspiration(lore); the last being a personal favorite of mine. The book will appeal to a fan of John Howe's works and will please and greatly help any wishing sound advice on fantasy artwork. A good investment available at affordable prices.

This book is full of all kinds of helpful imformation with some Fantastic drawings and all explained in wonderful detail,..

Great information on techniques and inspiration, fantastic illustrations and all about dragons. What more could you want. I recommend this book for anyone with an interest in watercolour techniques, fantasy art, drawing and of course Dragons!

I Love John Howe's style but more than that he is a great teacher. Add to that Guillermo Del Toro's forward and you have an instant classic of fantasy art instruction. Just wish I had this when I was 12!

If you believe you'll end up able to construct and paint dragons like John Howe does after reading this book, you'll be disappointed. Take a look at the title. Notice how HUGE the words "JOHN HOWE" are, and all in caps? Now look at the next line: "Forging dragons". That really say it all right there. The book is about JOHN HOWE and how he creates his art, what he approves of, what he hates, and the art influences of his life. It's like a biography written with dragons to attract people to read it.
I don't like bashing books. I try to be careful and thoughtful but, I'm a little unhappy with the book because of my personal expectations. I really wanted to purchase this book and come away much more able to draw and paint dragons. I couldn't. Instead I learned that John Howe is a Candadian living in Switzerland who studied in France and is a member of an art historical society. He illustrated for Lord of the Rings. What kind of opinions would a person like this have? Yep. You guessed it. And they're in here, too.
I did learn how better to read titles and covers because, I could have used this cover to judge the book and been correct in doing so. Sorry, I just expected so much more in technique and how to.

this is a real good book if you like the way John draws his dragons, although im more into D&D style looking dragons this is a great book by him none the less although i think his other book "Fantasy Art Workshop" is better. If you really want to see his point of view on dragons and learn how he's inspired then buy it and if you wanna learn a little on how to draw them as well then buy it as well although he doesn't really teach you how to draw them he actually teaches you how to get inspiration.