Dragons . . . again.

So, after deciding that mythology and folklore would be the crux of my project, I looked back over my work and what I was planning to do and found that dragons played a prominent feature throughout in one way or another. Now, I don't want all my final outcomes to be dragons, otherwise it wouldn't show a range of creatures as I intended, however, dragons are so important to mythology and folklore that I feel making them a main focal point will give the project some more direction and aid the dissertation. Thus, I have written out a chunk of thoughts and ideas that will be used, though probably somewhat reworded, based on the reasoning for choosing dragons as a key area in the project.


Why Dragons?

Dragons are an intrinsic part of mythology and folklore, as well as being addressed often within modern media. As such a distinctive creature, it is interesting to see the way in which media represents them, in particular those that stray from the 'classic' aesthetics that are so well known to many of us. There are a multitude of films, games, television series etc. that have dragons play a key role and so there is a wide variety of designs and artistic choices to contrast and compare. This is important, as it will help the practical side of the project to be innovative and hopefully push designs further so as not to get caught in the cliche archetype aesthetic of dragons. Two examples are shown below: the left is a Western dragon; the right is an Eastern dragon.

Western Dragon (Left); Eastern Dragon (Right)

Through visual research, a set of criteria has been decided upon to determine if a dragon's design diverges from the 'classic' Western aesthetic and, if so, by how much. This has been done by cross-referencing multiple sources, that have enabled a body of qualitative data to be formed. These sources focus mainly on classical pieces such as religious paintings and heraldry, but also looks at modern media for examples that coincide with the determined aesthetic. The dragon designs that diverge from the determined criteria are particularly important to the project, as they help to show an artist's vision, as well as creativity and being unafraid to explore new avenues; challenging the status quo.


Pokemon in particular shows this challenging attitude that the project seeks and as such, is a prominent reference point, especially when it comes to the practical side of the project. Being in an anime style, it is of course somewhat a given that the designs will not be of the standard Western dragon aesthetic, however, Pokemon takes this further by creating creatures denoted as 'dragon-types', though they bear very little resemblance to any kind of established dragon design at all. To give an example of this, the Pokemon 'Goomy' (pictured below left) resembles little more than a slimy, pink, spherical, slug-like creature. 'Goomy' does however eventually evolve into 'Goodra' (pictured below right), which looks far more like a dragon, but still maintains the slimy pink aesthetic that 'Goomy' originally exhibited. This example is key to the project and it's philosophies: to be diverse in designs; seeking to make a distinctive mark within the area of creature design; and to put forward the case that the artist has the final say in what a creature is because they created it, brought it to life, not the viewer. 

Goomy (Left); Goodra (Right)

In a way, this creates a new mythology behind dragons, and all creature design when it comes down to it. It implies that imaginary creatures can be designed in any way seen fit by the creator; no matter the style, the tone or even the skill, all creature designs should be accepted. It is a mythology that revolves around breaking the rules, looking outside the box and questioning the need for things to be so restricted. If the Pokemon 'Goomy' can be defined as a dragon, why should any design not be defined as such, as long as the artist has a clear vision and good intentions. That is not to say that the archetypes of any creature design should not be noted, appreciated, respected even; no, instead they should be studied, used and dissected to create new, innovative designs that show passion, creativity and love.