How to Draw a Dragon by Kate Talbot

Title: How to Draw a Dragon

Author: Kate Talbot

Genre: Educational/Activity

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 1^st October 2024

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: A very funny and inventive celebration of the art of compromise!

Everybody knows what a dragon looks like.

Don’t they?

Dragons have wings.
Dragons breathe fire.
Maybe dragons wear roller-skates? And shoot marshmallows from their tails!

A hilarious exploration of imagination, creativity and teamwork, perfect to share with children who love drawing… or having opinions. How To Draw a Dragon will inspire you to get out the pencils and paper – whether you are 5 or 105!

~*~

Drawing is fun and magical, and nothing is more fun to draw than a dragon. And everyone knows what a dragon looks like, or so they think. We all know that dragons are big and that they have scales, and they breathe fire. And, collect gold. None of that can change, right? Well, get ready to think again. Even if you have hardcore ideas about what a dragon should look like, Kate Talbot’s book How to Draw a Dragon will make you question this.

This is a book filled with creativity and inspiration for readers of all ages – whether you’re five, fifty or one hundred and five. It examines how our preconceived notions of what fantasy and mythical dragons look like. It asks what happens if a dragon lives under water. Do they still have wings? Do they still breathe fire? What do they look like? Do all dragons fly? The book begins with very simple explanations and assumptions of what we think dragons look like, because it is what we have been taught through fiction and drawing. We know what a dragon is meant to look like. Yet, this book goes further and asks readers of all ages to use their imagination and imagine a dragon that doesn’t do all the stereotypical things a dragon does.

Dragons can roller-skate, and they can breathe anything they want. They can sing, and dance, and collect treasure in their own way. They can even be swashbuckling pirates! But most importantly, they breathe FIRE! This is a book that says dragons can be anything whilst celebrating the joy of art and drawing, and using our imaginations to create what we want in the way that we want.

This book was a pure joy to read – one that evoked a sense of whimsy and wonder in a world where screens compete for our attention. It brings creativity to life, because at the heart of everything we do is imagination and the spark that brings something we are interested in to life. Imagination is key in this book that asks readers to draw a dragon as they see it. Or, to draw anything they want in the way that they want. Because when it comes to dreaming and imagining things, the sky is the limit.

Kate Talbot’s book is full of fun and whimsy and encourages people to think outside of the box when they are creating something. It’s a joyous celebration of art, education and drawing, because it teaches us that drawing is supposed to be fun. Yes, there are techniques, but we should also enjoy it because it is something fun and beautiful. Art is a joy to behold and at the end of the day, art is what we make of it. And this is the perfect book to show us that.