Dragons

"A Boy and His Dragon"
Original, Prints & Digital | Watch the reel of this being painted! 

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the original film, "How To Train Your Dragon." I took my eldest daughter to see it in the theatre, she was just 2.5 years old at the time... and she fell in love with dragons. At the time there weren't many "girly" fan clothes for the film, so I bought a boys hoodie, and sewed red fabric under the arms, so she could put her arms out and spread her "wings" and run around like a dragon! (Shortly after the film was released, my son was born, so it was a very special year for me.)

The second film was one of those rare times the sequel is as good as the first movie... and the final film had all three of my children in tears at the conclusion of the series. 

My favourite thing about the original films is the friendship between Hiccup & Toothless. They are both the same age, both figuring out who they are. As an artist, I LOVE that scene when they bonded over drawing in the sand together! And I still get choked up when I watch that scene when Hiccup looks away and puts his hand out towards Toothless... in friendship. 

So with this alteration, I wanted to capture that bond between the boy and his dragon... just a couple best friends looking out at the vast landscape, ready to explore together.

"Volant" 

Original, Prints & Digital | Watch the reel of this being painted! 

Flying across the sky of the vast Canadian wilderness was a great dragon. He didn’t even spare a glance at me as I watched him pass overhead… he knew I was there, but I was merely an insignificant mortal to him.

What species do you think it is? He is a deep black with warm undertones. (I’m reading Fourth Wing at the moment, and even though this dragon is not a club tail, he is how I picture Tairn!) 

The original vintage painting was collected locally in Ontario. As a nod to this vintage Canadian art, I’ve titled it “Volant,” which means “flying” in French.

"The Nest"

"It's not everyday you find out your mother is some kind of... crazy, feral, vigilante dragon lady." —Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III

This vintage painting of a mountain scene was so blue and so striking, it immediately reminded me of a setting for an ice dragon's ice nest. In the second How To Train Your Dragon film, I loved how the dragons flew towards the icy fortress, knowing they would be safe inside, protected by the great bewilderbeast.  

For Hiccup, who had just been abducted by dragons (and his Mum!), the sight of the nest was terrifying and amazing at the same time. 

The nest was also the location of the sweetest reunion between Valka & Stoick. Has me in tears every time they first set eyes on each other! 

"Great Canadian Migration"

Don’t worry… they’re Canadian dragons, they’re nice! 

The original vintage photograph was collected locally in Ontario. It’s quite old, you can see where it has been painted to give it colour! Painting on photographs isn’t forgiving, as the surface is fragile & shiny… so I had one shot at this one! Was fun, makes me laugh imagining being up North at my grandparent’s place, watching the dragons migrate. 

I’m not sure where this location is, does anybody recognize it? It reminds me of Northern Ontario / Eastern Canada. The photograph was collected locally in Ontario.

Charcoal

Watercolour

Pastel

Charcoal

Acrylic

Cast-off canvas

 (This what I brush my paintbrush off on as I work, so it has a little bit of each painting on it! Of all the relics left over of the art journey, I enjoy this one the most... sometimes I put them on the wall with prints, but most continue their journey with my next paintings.)