Drago Childern's Book Concept

Final Concept of the child and dragon. With examples of how the dragon looks from multiple views.

Felt the dragon wasn't approachable enough and went for a dog skull base with forward eyes to make him more empathetic. Tried a canine body, went for a tiger body that gave the dragon a powerful weight and likeable cat body language.

Revised the head to look more Dragon like in appearance. Making sure the design looked good from multiple angles. Happy with the no-lines colors style and palette. Wanted style to create a unique look.

Simplified the Caiman design into something softer and friendly for a children's book. Originally aimed to give the dragon front legs that would be more able to interact with objects

Started my dragon design based on real animals to give the design some weight, physicality, and credibility.

After looking at recent graphic novel character designs I found a style that had the overall look I wanted. Something welcoming and expressive. Leaning towards a chubbier/round look like Lilo and Stitch or Don Bluth.

Playing with the proportions of the child character and how young I wanted them to look.

Didn't have much direction concerning the style. I studied various designs and children's books for ideas. Wanted something simple, appealing, with a good silhouette.

1st page of the book. I wanted to create an establishing shot, but also a spectacle that drew in the reader's imagination and interest with grandeur. Landed with something in-between that gives the reader a sense of where but inviting them to want more.

A shot to communicate the lonely isolation of the dragon character. Used a shot from above to create a sense of vulnerability.

Wanted to use a proper established shot for the castle while introducing our child protagonist. Kept the child somewhat vague as a self-insert for the reader.

Wanted to create the feel of finding that magical door that leads to a whimsical place and how small the child is compared to this massive home.

Our reveal of the dragon before the child gets to meet him. Wanted to be sure the audience knows this is a friendly dragon and is excited for this visitor.

Stuck with a more calmer composition with this scene to create a comfortable, safe, sturdy feel. Using the foreground to tell about the games and background to show their relationship developing.

Had a limited number of pages to use and this page's text talked about breakfast and leaving the castle. Tried using a unconventional panel split to make the most space here.