European Lindwyrm
Ouroboridus pedeviperus, 25' (8m) Nearly extinct in much of Europe, as their habitat and food supply has disappeared, several species of lindwyrm are now protected animals.
American Banyan Wyrm
Ouroboridus americanus, 50' (15m)
Wyrm Head and Mouth
The large mouth of the wyrm allows the maw to be opened wide enough to swallow its prey whole. The long snout, which contains a large nasal cavity along with the sensitive tongue, gives the wyrm an excellent sense of smell, but small eyes give it poor vision.
The poisonous mist emitted by the wyrm has been used as a sacred drink by many ancient cultures, creating hallucinogenic visions in those who consume it.
Wyrm Tooth, 3" (8cm)
The wyrm has small teeth in relationship to its body. The teeth are not used for hunting or killing, but for grasping its prey.
BEHAVIOR
The wyrm is a solitary and viciously territorial animal that makes its lairs under the roots of large trees along rivers and lakes. Lying in wait for prey to come to the water to feed, the wyrm sprays a plume of noxious gas that paralyses or dazes its prey, giving the wyrm time to capture and coil around the animal. Using its powerful body muscles, the wyrm constricts around its prey, suffocating and crushing the animal to death. The wyrm then typically swallows its prey whole. The eastern species of wyrm typically hide in the trees branches and dangle down waiting for prey to pass by. Large specimens of wyrm have been discovered with the remains of cattle in their stomachs. One report actually claims that an Indian drakon (Ouroboridus marikeshus) was discovered at more than 100' (30m) and contained the remains of an elephant.
Movement of the Wyrm
The coiling, serpentine motion of the wyrm can be seen in these sketches, where the body movement resembles that of a whip.
Wyrm Egg, 10" (25cm)
A clutch of four to five wyrm eggs laid in the roots of a tree will be intensely guarded by the mother.
Wyrm Habitat
Wyrms tend to live in temperate to tropical climates, especially in lowlands and wetlands where they lie in wait for their prey.
HISTORY
Almost every culture in the world has a long mythological history of giant serpents. The famous accounts of Python, who was slain by Apollo in classical mythology, Nidhogg of ancient Norse mythology and the serpent in the Garden of Eden are all assumed to have been wyrms. Such creatures would have been a terrible threat to early human cultures whose survival relied upon settlements along rivers. Other fables that are accredited to wyrms are the Questing Beast of King Arthur and the dragon that swallowed Saint Margaret. The wyrm possesses spiritual symbolism in many ancient religions in the form of the serpent eating its own tail, or ouroboros, symbolizing infinity or the circle of life, from which is derived the wyrm’s family name.
Ouroborus
The ouroborus was a symbol used in medieval European alchemy to illustrate the concept of infinity. It is the precursor to the infinity symbol () used today.
Wyrms and Ancient Celts
Nowhere was the serpent more revered than in Celtic art. Symbolizing the labyrinthian maze of life, the coiling circles of a Celtic knot were inspired by the wyrm. Once a fearsome foe to Irish natives, there are today no species of wyrm living on the island, said to have been driven off by Saint Patrick.
DEMONSTRATION
AMERICAN BANYAN WYRM
The wyrm has been depicted in many cultures throughout history. In order to capture the essence of this animal, there are certain qualities that are necessary to include in the painting. From the conceptual and historical references for the wyrm in the previous pages, it’s important to try to incorporate all of these qualities into one image:
• Solitary habits
• Inhabits swampy marshes around trees
• Coils in complex circles
• Swallows its prey whole
Exploring of different kinds of scales found on snakes and lizards will help you come up with a unique yet believable pattern. Look at reference materials for the banyan trees and their leaves to get the environment accurate.
Working Out the Kinks
The coiling shape of the wyrm can get confusing, so establish the structural framework with basic shapes. The form of the wyrm acts like a stretched-out Slinky.® Here you can see the angle of the internal structure and the arrows that indicate the direction all the scales need to follow.
1 Thumbnail Design Sketches
Beginning with compositional design sketches, experiment with several ideas for the wyrm’s position and placement. I rejected these early design drawings because they didn’t demonstrate the coiling power of the wyrm to the best effect. A position where the creature is rearing up and creating loops produces more drama and looks more like the infinity symbol discussed in the sidebar onHistory.
2 Do the Final Drawing
Draw the composition with an HB pencil on bristol board, referring to your thumbnail sketches. As you work, keep in mind the wyrm’s anatomy (refer back to the sidebar onWorking Out the Kinks) and its directional flow. The scale pattern you use is completely up to you; I chose to draw thick, pointed, armored scales like those on a rattlesnake.
3 Establish the Underpainting
In a new layer in Multiply mode, block in the basic shapes and forms using a single monochromatic color. Keep the color transparent and begin with simple shapes and develop more detail as you work. Don’t work in too many details at this point, since this work is the foundation of later work to be done over this. Notice how the scale patterning is merely indicated, allowing for alterations to occur as the painting progresses.
4 Complete the Underpainting
In a new layer and still using transparent colors, complete the underpainting by outlining all of the details of the wyrm. Add more details to the areas you want to appear to come forward and keep the background details less defined. With smaller brushes, add patterns to the scales and refine the facial features.
Feel free to experiment at this stage. Since you’re working in a new layer, you won’t damage the work done in earlier layers.
5 Add Color
In a new layer in Normal mode with 50% opacity and using broad strokes, block in the basic colors of the wyrm. Work loosely here since the colors will change as the painting develops. Add dappled light falling over the tree trunk and warm, golden leaves to contrast with the cool colors of the wyrm.
6 Refine the Background and Add Details
Working with smaller brushes and opaque color, complete the details of the wyrm. Add a turquoise blue to make the wyrm’s hide pop against the background and refine the eyes, mouth and teeth with reds and yellows. Punch up the color and texture of the tree bark and leaves.
Detail of Leaves
With small brushes add highlights to the golden leaves. The complementary golden tone of the leaves will help the blue color of the wyrm stand out.
Detail of Reflected Light
Add cool, reflected light splashing across the back of the wyrm to give more volume and dimension to the wyrm’s form.
Detail of Scales
Paint each scale with your smallest brushes, varying the color and pattern of the hide. Your patience will be rewarded.
7 Add the Finishing Touches
Working with smaller brushes and opaque colors, complete the details of the wyrm.
WYVERN
Draco wyvernae
SPECIFICATIONS
Size: 30' (9m)
Wingspan: 30' (9m)
Recognition: Red eye spots on wings (male); brown and green markings (female); large, spiked club on tail
Habitat: Alpine and mountainous regions in the Northern Hemisphere
Species: Asian wyvern, European wyvern (extinct), golden wyvern, North American wyvern, sea wyvern
North American Wyvern
Pencil and digital
14" × 22" (36cm × 56cm)
BIOLOGY
By far one of
the most dangerous and ferocious members of the dragon class, the wyvern is sometimes referred to as the dragon wolf.
Averaging 30' (9m) long with a 30' (9m) wingspan, the wyvern has two legs and a spiny tail surmounted by a poisonous stinger. Their durable hides of armored scales gives wyverns ample protection to fight off other predators and even larger dragons when fighting in a pack. Although the wyvern does not possess a breath weapon, his poisonous stinger, powerful body and ferocious maw of razor-sharp teeth make it a formidable foe.
Wyvern Egg, 12" (30cm)
The average female lays six eggs; yet, less than half of wyvern hatchlings will survive to adulthood.
Wyvern Movement
The long, flexible skeleton of the wyvern creates S curves as it moves.
North American Wyvern
Wyvernus morcaudus, 30' (9m)
Wyvern Head
Powerful jaws and rows of razor-sharp teeth make the the bite of a wyvern nearly always fatal.
Wyvern Tracks
Wyvern tracks are abundant in mountainous hunting territories. If you see them while hiking, leave the area immediately!
Wyvern Tail
The wyvern’s tail is covered with spines that can be projected at an enemy, as well as a poisonous stinger capable of killing an ox.
WYVERN FLIGHT ABILITIES
Wyvern Markings
The unmistakable markings of the wyvern: The eyespots are unique to the male and grow more vibrant during the mating season. The wyvern is not as graceful a flier as some of its cousins.The large tail and bulky plates make it ungaingly in the air.
What the wyvern lacks in agility it makes up for with brute force and power. Hunting in packs and using its poisonous clubbed tail allow the wyvern to be the only natural enemy of the great dragon (see Dragon).
WYVERN SKELETAL STRUCTURE
In early paleontology, dragon skeletons and dinosaur skeletons were often confused. It was not until 1913 that Dr. Francis H. Kellerman discovered that dragons, like birds, diverged from the dinosaurs some time around one hundred million years ago.
The hollow bones of the dragon were one of the key factors in the classification of all the dragon species and gives them a class of their own. Today dragons are studied around the world in universities and colleges. Close studies of predatory dragons like the wyvern are common, with many draconologists tagging species to study their migration and behavioral habits. Tourists also like to go on dragon safaris to see these dangerous and other wild creatures up close.
BEHAVIOR
The wyvern is a social animal that lives in packs of up to twelve individuals, ranging over a territory many hundreds of miles in area. Hunting in packs allows for more successful attacks on prey, which include animals such as the moose, elk, bear, caribou and (its favorite) the dragonette. Pack society also enables the wyvern to fight off other packs of wyverns competing for hunting territory.
During the rutting season in the fall, the wyvern male wing patterning becomes vibrant in order to attract a female. The competition between males is fierce, often resulting in the death of rivals. The wyvern, like other temperate climate dragon species, hibernates through the winter when food is scarce.
Fearsome Fighter
Feared throughout all cultures, wyverns are ferocious fighters.
Expert Hunter
Hunting over large expanses of wilderness, the wyvern is a danger to people and their animals.
HISTORY
The wyvern is the beast responsible for most of the injuries throughout history reported as dragon attacks. It is believed by contemporary accounts and period artwork that the beast slain by Saint George was, in fact, a wyvern and not a dragon.
The European wyvern went extinct in the 1870s. The last known specimen was placed on tour with P. T. Barnum’s circus until 1898 and is now in permanent exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Natural History. The Asian and other wyvern species are still flourishing and many casualties are reported each year as new developments encroach upon their habitat.
European Wyvern
The European wyvern was a common enough sight in medieval Europe to influence the work of many of the Old Masters. Saint George and the Dragon, Paulo Uccello, 1456, National Gallery, London
Wyvern Habitat
Wyvern habitat ranges all over the world’s alpine regions. Although extinct in the Alps, the Asian wyvern is moving westward.
DEMONSTRATION
NORTH AMERICAN WYVERN
The North American wyvern’s habitat is particular to the Rocky Mountains of the United States and its colorations are unique to its species. As with the other dragons in the Dracopedia, make a list of your wyvern’s attributes that will be explored in your work before getting started:
• Two legged
• Alpine habitat
• Rugged build
• Bright wingspots on males
• Spiked and clubbed tail
1 Create a Thumbnail Sketch
Work out the details that will go into your finished painting by completing some thumbnail sketches. Since the wyvern’s spiked tail is the most fascinating feature, place it in the foreground. The patterned wings, musculature and scales also should be showcased. Placing the animal against a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains illustrates its habitat.
2 Start the Drawing
Rough in the initial sketch with an HB pencil on bristol board to determine composition and design. Keep the drawing loose so you can easily make corrections.
3 Complete the Final Drawing
Complete a detailed drawing of the wyvern, paying particular attention to the texture of the wings and hide. Scan the drawing.
4 Establish the Underpainting
Create a new layer in Multiply mode. Establish the basic texture, lighting and depth of the painting using the full value range of a single hue. This step will give a great deal of mass and volume to the subject. Whether you work traditionally or digitally, keep your work loose and transparent to allow the sketch to show through.
5 Add Color
Create a layer in Normal mode with an opacity of 50%. Continue to refine the painting, working from the back to the front. Using consecutively deeper shades of blue creates a rolling vista that disappears into the horizon, giving the illusion of great depth. Increasing the detail as the image moves closer also enhances this illusion.
6 Refine the Details
Work on the middle ground and foreground areas of the painting (see sidebar below). Contrast the rocks and flowers with the soft background by making their colors more vibrant and adding more detail. Using roughly textured brushstrokes on the rocks, along with light rocks and vibrant flowers, helps to create a sense of distance between the foreground and the hazy ridge line.
The Hide
Building up the texture in layers adds depth and complexity. This technique is similar to the rendering of the flowers on The Middle Ground.
1. Complete the drawing.
2. Add the underpainting.
3. Place the colors.
4. Render the details.
7 Apply the Finishing Touches
Make any last revisions, as necessary.
BRING FANTASY WORLDS to life WITH IMPACT
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