Legendary Dragon

Dragon myths and legends abound in literature from around the world. Depict a Legendary Dragon in a lavish sculpture that brings a magnificent creature almost to life.

• 1.

  Explore the different types of dragons in world mythology including Western Dragons, Eastern Dragons, Wyverns, and others. Discuss the unique qualities of each. Compare and contrast the literature and history about them.

• 2.

  Survey various artists’ representations of dragons. Some are depicted with thick, long bodies, scaly skin, four strong legs, two bat-like wings, wedge-shaped heads, and long necks. Some may be serpent-like and breathe fire. Other dragons are shape changers, while some have chameleon power to change the color of their backgrounds. Dragons are sometimes displayed as having a spade or spiked tail. They can be any color, or many colors. Choose one type of mythical dragon to represent in a detailed sculpture using these ideas and your own imagination.

• 3.

  Shape a basic dragon body armature with crumpled aluminum foil. Use the foil to make the neck, body, and tail. You can build the rest of the body off of this basic form. Cover the whole dragon with a very thin layer of Crayola Model Magic® compound.

• 4.

  Next, add a head, arms, legs, wings, horns, and anything else you can imagine! These features will be covered in scales next. If your pieces dry while you work, just attach them with glue. HINT: It may be easier for you to sculpt if you rest the body of the dragon on a form that allows the tail, arms, and legs to dangle freely, such as a recycled plastic container.

• 5.

  After your dragon has all of its parts, cover the body with layers of colorful scales. To make scales, roll small Model Magic balls. Press them flat with your thumb. Start at the bottom of an area, such as the tail, and overlap scales going upward until t

• 6.

  Add any finishing touches such as eyes and toenails. Use layers or rolls of compound to highlight the wings or other body parts, for example.

• 7.

  If your dragon has fiery breath, marbleize yellow and orange Model Magic compound. Pinch out and twist sections with your fingers. Place the fire in your dragon’s mouth. Model Magic air-dries in about 24 hours.

• 8.

  Display your dragon and present classmates with a short description of the myth in which it appears.

Benefits

• Students read dragon myths from various cultural and historic perspectives.
• Students compare and contrast dragon depictions and representations in various art forms.
• Students use their imaginations to create a dragon that exemplifies one about which they read.
• Students explain their dragon’s mythological significance orally to their classmates.

Adaptations

• Read about dragons in Chinese culture. Talk about how they are similar to and different from other culture’s dragons. Find out how they play an important role in Chinese customs.
• Create dragon masks or costumes to reenact selected stories. Write and perform music in the style of the culture or time period to accompany the presentation.
• Write an original dragon myth from an imaginary culture or time period. Illustrate a book telling the story with detailed dragon drawings.
• Discuss modern day real-life dragons such as the Komodo dragon. Research other mythical creatures such as gargoyles, unicorns, and griffins and discuss their importance in American culture.
• Assessment: Students interpret their world mythology readings. Students realistically and accurately portray a dragon from one myth. Students concisely and clearly present their dragon myth orally to classmates.