Ralph Masiello's Dragon Drawing Book

September 1, 2007
Gr 4-6-The vibrant, eye-catching cover of this well-designed, neatly arranged book is sure to attract the attention of dragon fans and aspiring artists. A "Choose your tools" box illustrates the supplies needed (pastel pencil, crayon, watercolor, fine-tip marker, colored pencil, marker, poster paint). An outline map (that does not identify the continents) indicates where the types of dragons originated. Detailed drawings of 11 creatures (Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent, Lambton Wyrm, Chinese Imperial Dragon, etc.) require anywhere from 12 to 50 steps to complete. The technique is similar to the method used in Lee J. Ames's books, but Masiello includes boxes with additional drawing ideas for fish scales, Maya patterns and shapes, a treasure chest, and so on, and a paragraph of facts about each dragon. The glorious, fire-breathing creatures depicted nearly leap off the page."Augusta R. Malvagno, Queens Borough Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2007
In this handsome, large-format book, Masiello introduces 11 traditional beasts and shows how to draw them. For each, he provides a series of detailed drawings that build up to the finished pictures slowly, guiding young artists line by line. Masiello uses the term dragon broadly to include Ouroboros and the cockatrice as well as more traditional forms such as Fafnir, the Aboriginal Australian Rainbow Serpent, and the Chinese imperial dragon. By closely following the series of drawings, with the new lines in red, an aspiring artist of even modest talent could end up with a respectable representation of a dragon. After two to eight wordless pages of step-by-step drawings, the finished picture appears, brightened with brilliant colors and accompanied by a paragraph discussing the beast. The book opens with an authors note and a world map placing the dragons on five continents. It closes with a pronunciation guide and short lists of recommended books and Web sites. Well designed and practical.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2008
Masiello gives clear step-by-step instructions on how to draw eleven dragons--from the Australian Aboriginal rainbow serpent to the Maya celestial dragon to European winged dragons--along with patterns, scales, and extras for each beast. The figures are complex, but every step contains only small, manageable amounts of new material. Background information about each dragon's mythology accompanies the illustrations. Reading list, websites.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)