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| Shivan Dragon Donato Giancola 2001 copyright Wizards of the Coast |
by Donato
Having a little fun today with this post, tracing back the years and my various approaches to dragons. If there is anything to be learned from this, it is that your first drawings and paintings of dragons will never come out the way you see them in your mind’s eye, you need to revisit the theme again, again, and again….and again. And again. Did I mentioned revisiting the theme?
With each interpretation, I find a new quality or characteristic I wish to emphasis about my particular relationship with dragon mythology – Are they an adversary? Companion? Recluse? Beast? Threat? Weapon? Mystic?
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| Hidden Kingdom Donato Giancola 2012, private commission |
As the years pass, I am more interested in portraying a dragon as an intelligent, mindful individual, representing tremendous potential energy, withheld, but ready to be released. I think this expression of power in reserve, rather than power outwardly amplified is what I love best about dragons. I also find these qualities of checked power a theme running through many of my other works.
Keep an eye out for me and my dragons this summer as I return to GenCon for their 50th Anniversary convention and my appearance as the Artist Guest of Honor! I am honored, and thrilled to be attending!
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| Green Dragon Donato Giancola 1981 Inspired by, and copied from, the D&D Monster Manual drawing by David C. Sutherland |
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| Dragonrider Donato Giancola 1989, first dragon painting in oils |
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| Dragon Warrior Donato Giancola 1990, personal project while attending Syracuse University |
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| Dracologist Donato Giancola 199, personal project |
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| Dragon Egg Donato Giancola 1991, personal project |
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| Dragon Hunter Donato Giancola 1991, personal project while attending Syracuse University |
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| St. George and the Dragon Donato Giancola 1991, portfolio project |
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| The Pen and the Sword Donato Giancola 1992 One of my first samples to land book cover illustration work after college |
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| The Road Home Donato Giancola 1994 First published dragon novel cover illustration |
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| Sacred Seven Donato Giancola 1996, book cover for novel by Amy Stout |
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| DragonSight Donato Giancola 1998 Cover for a Science Fiction Book Club Edition |
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| Ebon Dragon Donato Giancola 1998, Portal Expansion for Wizards of the Coast |
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| Wyvern Hunting Donato Giancola 1999 Cover for David Drake’s novel The Mirror of Worlds |
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| Cromat Donato Giancola 2000 Magic: the Gathering card for Wizards of the Coast |
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| Dracopaleontology Donato Giancola 2000 cover art |
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| DragonFlight Donato Giancola 1999 cover art |
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| DragonShadow Donato Giancola 1998 cover art |
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| Smaug the Golden Donato Giancola, 2000, cover for Science Fiction Book Club edition of The Hobbit |
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| St. George and the Dragon Donato Giancola 2010, DragonCon promotional image |
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| Vanguard – Saga of Heroes Donato Giancola 2008 Kieth Parkinson makes a guest appearance in the group of adventurers on the left side. |
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| Adventurers Donato Giancola 2008, private commission |
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| Silk Road Donato Giancola 2010, private commission |
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| Fall of Gondolin Donato Giancola 2011, Middle-earth book project |
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| Daenerys in Meereen Donato Giancola 2016, inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire |
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| Road to Meereen Donato Giancola 2015, personal project inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire |
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| Mother of Dragons Donato Giancola 2014, cover to the 2015 A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar |
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| Sack of Nargothrond Donato Giancola 2016, Middle-earth book project & personal piece |
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| Nienor and Glaurung Donato Giancola 1991, personal piece
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| Shivan Dragon Donato Giancola 2016 Copyright Wizards of the Coast |
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| Voyager Donato Giancola 2016, private commission |
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| St George and the Dragon – Fear Donato Giancola 2016 |
A great collection of beasts. Thanks for sharing!
I really love the toned paper drawings. I'm still hoping to see one of these on Every Day Original early enough to buy it.
This feels very apropos, as I'm struggling with a dragon in a painting right now. I wish I'd seen that 2016 Shivan dragon before starting my painting!
Great to see the evolution over the years and admire them together as a collection. Amazing to see the nuances and character you've given to Dragons among the many pieces.
You missed my favorite one, the one with the dragon carrying away a horse. -Dan
Hmmm, they're ALL my favorite one! You are the BEST Donato!
Added!
What happened between 1994 and 1999? It seems like you really discovered your style and voice in that time and it really shows in your work. Very inspiring!
I discovered that publishers wanted my internal 'voice'. Rather than trying to make art that pleased them, I began to make art that please my inner self first, then solved their narrative needs. Nice catch and notice that something big happened around 1998-1999.