Goose and Toothless

But would Dad be allergic to the Flerkin?

Yes, we saw “How To Train Your Dragon:The Hidden World” and “Captain Marvel”

How could we not?

The HTTYD franchise presents a marvelously compelling fantasy of the ultimate pet: Very intelligent, powerful, rideable, flying and breathing fire. So much better than your average dog, cat or even horse.

The only other things we could look for in the ultimate pet might be hidden tentacles and a pocket dimension. 

Goose the Cat/ Flerkin in “Captain Marvel” certainly did not disappoint. 

If you live with a cat and you haven’t seen the movie yet, I can only advise you to be sure to hang around for the post credit scene. 

Sadly, our house does not have accommodations for dragons or felines, but we could sure use a pocket dimension.

King of Dragons from “Dragons: Race to the Edge”

Our son was overjoyed to find that the release of the sixth season of Dragons: Race to the Edge coincided with the Presidents Day long weekend.

And I always enjoy an opportunity to draw pointy teeth.

Wyvern from Ark

Ark Wyvern rendered in butter, sugar and food coloring.

We have survived another birthday event, complete with a frosted surface.

The Wyverns have been a source of contention at our house recently as they require round the clock care and feeding. This maintenance interferes with other bodily and academic functions (sleep, school)

Fortunately, the Wyvern has reached adulthood and I can stop hiding the cord to the WiFi overnight.

Skylanders Skyrim Mash up

Skyrimlanders. Or is it Skylandrim?

The younger set takes on The Elder Scrolls and Spyro the Dragon faces the Dovahkiin

Our sons might be too old for Skylanders, and technically too young for Skyrim. 

But we are all pretty confused at this point about what is age appropriate.  

Our older son claims that he has been playing Skyrim in a mod that turns all the dragons into Thomas the Tank Engine, but I have not personally observed this.

If there is one for Thomas, there should definitely be a Skylanders mod for the Elder Scrolls, but I don't know if such a thing exists. Although purple Spyro would seem to be the Barney of the Skyrim dragon universe. I considered drawing the "Dark Spyro" version of the character, where he looks more serious in black and silver. 

But I decided if I were going to mash up the two games that Spyro should be in his more colorful, child friendly form. 

Dragon Claws

No One Notices Your Dragon Claws on the New York City Subway:

(Adolescence can be rough, with ones body changing all the time.)

This image was based on some origami "dragon claws" (google it- they are a thing) that my older son wore all the way home from camp on the subway. 

But only on one hand. He needed the other hand to use his phone.

Dragon Rider

In a very surprising turn of events, my younger son asked me to draw a picture of him riding a dragon.

He is usually violently, if not hysterically, opposed to any attempted depictions. I suspect that the mixed age group of summer arts camp is proving to be a more receptive audience for the unveiling of lunchtime napkins than the second grade classroom.  He reported a lot of teasing and criticism from his from his rather conformist classmates during the school year. His less socially sensitive older brother is also eating lunch in the same room at camp, so he has some backup.

Still, I was somewhat surprised by the request. He had just rejected a pet raptor napkin with his likeness on it a few days ago.

Somehow, it was a long week, so my attention to this particular dragon was limited. I did my best to splice dragons from "Dragon Age" and "Skyrim," particularly cribbing from a nice image by "Dragon Age" concept artist, Matt Rhodes which I cannot seem to locate now.

It's not a fantastic dragon or a particularly fine portrait of my son,...but I thought the contrast between the purple sky and the orange flame is nice.

Pug and Dragon

Bi-Species Team-up inspired by Dragons Beware:

Our kids were so enthusiastic to receive the sequel to "Giants Beware," by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre, that we had a bitter struggle over who was going to get to look at the book first. Things were looking so grim that, against my  better judgement, I broke out a second copy that I had purchased for a birthday gift for a friend.

Of course now we have two sticky copies.

Dragon Perched on Brooklyn Bridge

"If dragons are real, can we have one, please?"

There are some periods of time when my sons are not obsessed with dragons. But, they never lose interest entirely. 

I am not sure how we got started on this recent surge in dragon enthusiasm, but suddenly the kids are carrying around "Dragonworld: Secrets of the Dragon Domain" by S.A. Caldwell again. Or more precisely, I am schlepping the giant book around in my backpack. Our younger son needed as it a visual aid this morning so that he could discuss with his friends what sort of dragon he is going to have as a pet/companion. But the book was much too precious to leave at school...or maybe just too heavy.

At any rate, it seemed like it was time for a dragon to appear on the Brooklyn Bridge. As usual I was not quite up to the perspectival challenge, but fire is always fun to draw.

Birthday Hydreigon

A napkin/card for a Pokemon themed 8th birthday party.

It is probably way too much pink and purple for a male birthday child, but so be it.

When our older son was 8, the Pokemon infection was so widespread and intense that the second grade teachers outlawed Pokemon cards at school. There were many Pokemon napkins as I tried to compensate for our son's lack of $15 cards. Mercifully, our younger son's second grade enthusiasm for things Pokemon is much less intense.

But after attending this Pokemon birthday party today, the situation has escalated noticeably.

Duke Fishron From Terraria

When Pigs Fly:
Just when you thought there could not be another Terraria boss napkin....

A boss who can do it all: swim, and....oink?

According to the Terraria Wiki, Duke Fishron "appears to be part pig, part dragon, and part fish."

Below is an image from the game.  I slimmed him down and made him look more sharklike.  I am not sure why...Maybe because I like to draw sharks?

Now that we are 8 napkins in, I am definitely ready for a new obsession.

Dragon from Kid Beowulf

It's easy to be disapproving if you are a dragon.

We've been reading the first book in Alexis E. Fajardo's "Kid Beowulf" series, "Kid Beowulf and the Blood Bound Oath." It is a sort of prequel to the classic Beowulf story which imagines a back story for Beowulf and Grendel that involves a sarcastic dragon living under the mere.

Looking at the Kid Beowulf website this morning, I discover that I have made the dragon the wrong color and neglected to provide him with wings.

Skullcrusher from "How To Train Your Dragon 2"

A belated Father's Day post featuring Hiccup's father, Stoick's dragon, "Skullcrusher."

Going to see "How to Train Your Dragon 2" on Sunday was probably not my husband's first choice for a personally gratifying Father's Day, but he was a good sport and even stayed awake for the entire movie.

The movie made the kids more or less ecstatic.  They were able to mostly ignore the tragic demise of Hiccup's father, just as they had been able to overlook his previous lack of a mother.

I'll admit to being amused by the not-at-all-traditionally-maternal behavior of Hiccup's mother Valka. Having done the Viking equivalent of going to the corner to get milk and cigarettes, she chose to live alone in the company of dragons for 20 years without ever going back home to check on her son.  She was  apparently still more or less in the neighborhood with plenty of available transportation, so it was not for lack of opportunity. It's much more cliche absentee Dad behavior to disappear for decades and then reappear wearing a cool mask to claim significant influence over one's offspring after all of the hard work of parenting has already been done by someone else.

When I jokingly mentioned the advantages of Valka's parenting style to my sons, the younger one asked me, seemingly worried, if I would consider leaving him for 20 years to help dragons.  I told him it was a bit late for that, and fortunately, dragons don't really exist.

Bewilderbeast From How To Train Your Dragon 2

The Bewilderbeast: another peculiarly noseless dragon from the HTTYD universe.

We spend a substantial amount of time each day bickering about when and with whom we are going to see the Dreamworks Dragons sequel.  Will one child be allowed to bring a friend if the other one cannot line one up?  Will we see it immediately with the raging throngs when it opens, or will we be able to hold off and go later when we will not have to wait in line. (a fate almost worse than death for one child).

As they say, the anticipation is killing me... Or at least my children's' anticipation is causing me grave discomfort. 

Cloud Jumper Dragon From How To Train Your Dragon 2

To say that the kids are looking forward to the Dreamworks Dragons sequel might be a bit of an understatement.

I found this new dragon in the HTTYD wiki last night, but this morning it was clear that Archer already knew all about it.  "Did you notice that the Cloud Jumper has four wings?" he asked.

Ansel may not have done quite so much advance research, but he is no less enthusiastic.

Winterra Dragon From MagiQuest

Over last weekend, we finally succumbed to the combined pressure of a friend's birthday party and years of television advertising and took the kids for an overnight at Great Wolf Lodge. 

Pretty much everything about the place filled our kids with ridiculous glee:  The large indoor water park, the availability of pizza for breakfast, the robotic arm that could be instructed to put Skittles and rainbow sprinkles on a cup of FroYo, and, of course, the opportunity to fight virtual dragons by waving a $22.95 plastic wand in a MagiQuest game.

Beyond the ridiculous glee of one's offspring, the main advantage for parents is the complete absence of adult guests who are unfettered by children.  No one expects a lobby that is not besieged by groups of children rubbing their shoes on the furniture and scrambling up the wooden statues of bears, or a hallway that is not menaced by stampeding wand-waving kids, or a buffet line unpopulated by six year olds spilling their smiley face french fries on the floor, or a dining room free of toddlers shrieking in terror at the sight of a person in a large furry bear costume.

The all kid environment enables a pleasant lull in the constant parenting battles around appropriate behavior in public and the lack thereof.  One can then use the additional cognitive space to contemplate important questions like: what sort of effect on the human eye or lung does an indoor atmosphere that is mostly composed of chlorine and chlorine byproducts have?  Or what sort of organisms can cause large black swaths on orange plastic slides while being constantly soaked in chlorine, and are these organisms similar to those extremophiles found bathed in hydrogen sulfide on the ocean floor?  Or how much useful commercial data is the resort harvesting from tracking the movements of parents and children through its halls via their electronic wristbands?

The kids had a fantastic time, and I am sure I will be able to mull over these questions further on a future visit. 

Basewood Dragon and Dog

We had to read all of Alec Longstreth's graphic novel "Basewood" in one evening.  Even though the dog died, Ansel was immediately ready for the sequel.

I imagined a less antagonistic relationship between Dragon and Dog for the napkin.

Axe Cop's Wexter with Fire Breathing Dragon

Dragon vs. Dinosaur:  Sadly, not appropriate for Quaker first grade lunch.

We finished reading Axe Cop's "Revenge on Rainbow Girl" last night which included a huge battle featuring Axe Cop's Gatling gun-armed T-Rex and a red dragon.

I discovered last night that there just aren't that many images available online of dragons fighting dinosaurs. It's just one of those mysterious missed opportunities in the internet common culture.

"Vikings" Rollo with Dreamworks' Hiccup and Toothless

Perhaps Rollo and Hiccup are debating whose show is a more accurate depiction of Vikings.

The kids were very impressed with the shrink wrapped subway car devoted to the "Vikings" television show.  So impressed, in fact, that we had to wait ten minutes to ride in that particular car rather than in a regular car that did not have a large picture of a bare chested man on the outside and laminated photos of fur seats on the inside.

The "Vikings" train led to a discussion of which sort of Viking was more realistic- this particular show or Dreamworks' "Dragons: Defenders of Berk" 

No doubt Hiccup's hair, makeup and personal trainer budget is smaller.

The Vikings Train: since they insisted we wait for it, I insisted they pose with it.

King Ghidorah

This three headed "space dragon," the arch nemesis of Godzilla, is definitely not one of my better efforts.  How could one go wrong while drawing a three headed dragon?  I guess with enough sleep deprivation, it is possible.

Hamster and Komodo Dragon With Cookies

Our sons are entranced by the idea of Komodo dragons.  I'm not sure the reality would be so appealing.  Our older son did a class project on Komodos last year and is still a self-proclaimed authority. His younger brother's interest was suddenly revived yesterday, leading to a request.

I felt inexplicably compelled to include Fluffy. Briefly, I contemplated some sort of lion taming pose, taking advantage of the often pictured gaping Komodo maw, but decided I did not want to be accused of imperiling the celebrity Hamster.

I posed Fluffy away from the Dragon maw, and gave her a vegetarian food offering to hold, trying to keep her from looking too much like a tasty morsel herself.

Below, a gaping Komodo, ready to swallow a Hamster and then some.