Image by ramon82 via Flickr

Author: Suzanne

The influence of symbolism in Vietnamese art has been in vogue since prehistoric times. One of the most supernatural of all creatures, dragons and fairies, symbolized various instances of Vietnamese art.

From the Dong Son civilization to the modern Nyugen Dynasty, the dragon motif has been used in various forms and shapes in sculptures, paintings, palaces, and different religious or architectural structures. The evolution of the dragon symbol portrayed the changing beliefs and culture of the people from time to time.

The Dong Son civilization (400BC to 200AD) saw the reptile version of the dragon, also known as the “Giao Long” dragon. This symbol was found etched on a number of bronze urns and weapon hatches.

The following period (Dai La) witnessed Vietnam under Chinese colonization from the first to the tenth century. This period had a profound impact on Vietnamese art. This is clearly evident from the decorative tiles found at Co Loa, where the Dai La dragon shows remarkable resemblance with its Chinese counterpart.

Vietnam breathed the air of independence with the dawn of the Ly Dynasty. This period can also be termed the ‘golden period’ for Vietnamese art as it reached the peak of excellence. Water dragons symbolizing the God of Rain found way into Vietnamese art during this period.

Some of the distinguishing features of this dragon in contrast to the Chinese creature were: thin and long body; undulated body contours of a serpent; small head with long whisker and mane and fine legs with small claws. The Chuong Son tower now showcases an extraordinary example of the Ly dragon carved on stone.

The heritage of the Ly Dynasty was transferred to the later Tran Dynasty (13-14th century). The fire-gurgling creature during this period still appeared with a small head and body; an instance of which can be found in the Pho Minh temple.

The influence of Chinese culture and heritage rose profoundly in the later Ly Dynasty, with Chinese emperors adopting Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. As a consequence, the dragon symbol came to be associated with the emperor and his authoritative powers.

The dragon motif then began to be extensively used in tombs, and religious temples. Dragons of the later Ly Dynasty also owes greatly to the Chinese influence. Large head, gigantic body, thick scales, long sharp claws, thick mane, and a beastly glance summarize the appearance of the Ly dragon.

The modern Nyugen Dynasty hails from the “Tu Linh”- the four mythical Chinese creatures namely the phoenix, the dragon, the lion, and the tortoise. These creatures were collectively portrayed in numerous paintings, sculptures, royal palaces, and tombs in Hue.

These fiery dragon motifs have attracted the attention of connoisseurs all over the world. Art gallery in Vietnam showcases these mythical creatures in their changing moods. Imbibing the Chinese motif, Vietnamese art have become even more alluring.

About the Author:

Suzanne Macguire is an expert writer with keen interest in contemporary art.

You can also find this article here: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=959440

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The Wrath of Dragons in Vietnamese Art

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Cover of Reign of Fire

Author: John Hill

They fill the air with fire,
They soar above the tallest tower,
They glisten with emerald-scaled attire
They inspire awe and terror whenever they glower…Dragons!!

Dragons are more than just creatures of myth; they are beings of legend. They are even considered gods in some cultures. Dragons of ancient times garner fear and respect but dragons of modern times entertain and inspire the imagination.

Take a look at some of the more popular dragons of modern times:

Dragons in Movies

Dragonheart: Based on the concept that dragons were being hunted to extinction, this movie has heart. Literally. During this time, one lonely dragon was sought out to save the life of the king’s son. This noble dragon gave this young prince a piece of his dragon heart.

The problem was, with a dragon’s heart beating in his chest, he couldn’t die. This prince turns into one of the worst villains the world had ever known. He is eventually brought down when the dragon sacrifices himself to allow his dragon heart to die.

Dragons, in this film, are seen as noble, valiant creatures with true compassion.

Reign of Fire: This is one of those movies that does a splendid job of picturing dragons as vicious and hungry creatures. Twenty years after his mother inadvertently awakens a fire-breathing dragon, Fire Chief Quinn must do all he can to save the remaining human population from total eradication by the dragons.

Dragons in Literature

There are no cultures in the world that feature the dragon more prominently than the cultures of Japan and China. In Japanese and Chinese literature, dragons are spirits and gods of ancient times with untold power and supernatural wisdom.

Dragons feature greatly in their religious beliefs and cultural ceremonies and rituals. When written and drawn with an Eastern pen, dragons hold immense magic and fantastical power.

Dragons in Animation

Talented and imaginative, animators from all over the world have dipped their pens into the same ancient inkwell and have conjured for us fearsome creatures and loyal friends.

Disney animators have crafted generations of movies that either feature dragons as the main character, as in their movie Mulan or they have dragons as secondary characters as in Sleeping Beauty where Maleficent transforms into a dragon to keep Philip from Aurora and the Sword in the Stone wherein Madam Mim transforms into a dragon during her wizards duel with Merlin.

Everyone remembers the fire breathing dragon guarding the tower in which Aurora slept. Everyone giggles when they catch a glimpse of the laughable and delightful Mushu.

Overall, Disney has created a new look for the dragon that will last generations to come. Animators have a rare chance at crafting an image of dragons that is truly unique

Popular media is filled with all types of dragons little and large; ferocious dragons whose very breathe can fill you with dread. Since the very beginning, dragons have held man captive with their fiery breath and hair-raising tales; it is likely to be that way till the fire dies away, if it ever will.

About the Author:
Hedgepig Gifts offers dragon gift ideas including dragon figures, dragon collectables & many more dragon gift ideas.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Dragons: Media Magic!

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When I was young I constantly doodled. I doodled a lot of things…but mainly I doodled dragons. Fast forward a number of years…well…a whole lot of years…and my twin brother is showing me pictures of his pet iguana…pretty cool looking creature…. Then it occurs to me…what a perfect dragon the iguana would make…and now I had the ultimate doodle tool…Photoshop!

With PhotoSshop pictures of an iguana become a photograph of a fire breathing dragon!

Photoshop is an incredibly powerful tool of alchemy…given the right raw materials any new photographic reality can be created. Without those raw materials Photoshop can be an exercise in frustration and a road to mediocrity.

To make sure that I have the raw materials to create my photographic visions it helps to begin with a sketch. Once I have the sketch I can systematically photograph those raw materials, comparing them with the sketch, until I know I have the parts to complete my stock image.

My brother brought in his iguana to my studio and we did the necessary photography. I also had a pile of cobblestones that had been dug up form the street in my San Francisco studio (I have since re-located to Sausalito). I used those to create a “perch” or “roost” for my dragon.

For the background I went through my own stock files and found an image of the Teton mountain range shot near Jackson Hole, Wyoming while on a family vacation. For a final detail I found an image of a castle I shot in Spain to put in the distant background.

With all the raw materials shot and scanned (this project was before digital capture had reached it’s now exalted state) I set to work.

To create the long neck of the dragon the tail can be manipulated by creating a clipping path around it, converting the clipping path to a selection, creating a new layer from that selection, and then using the warp tool and the liquefy brush to reshape it.

Free Transform can be used to position and size the new “neck”. The same tools can be used to stretch the jaws of the iguana into a more “dragonesque” look.

Once again those tools can be used to convert the spines of the iguana’s back into dagger-like teeth and fangs. The flap of skin under the iguana’s jaw can be selected (again with a clipping path…I believe the most important selection tool in Photoshop), turned into a new layer, and then reshaped to become the dragon’s wings.

Each element, be it a leg, claw, tail or whatever, can be selected with an appropriately hard edge (usually a 1-pixel feather when converting the clipping path to a selection) and then “faded” into it’s new adjoining part by using large soft brushes and a layer mask.

I find it truly increases the effectiveness of an image by using adjustment layers and their accompanying masks to add shadow and lightness to enhance the dimensionality of a given part. I mostly use “curves” (usually again with an adjustment layer) to adjust the density of a part in order to match the part with its new neighboring parts and environment.

An adjustment layer using Color Balance can help with fine-tuning color variations…and sometimes Hue/Saturation for major color changes. Of course, throughout the project I use the clone tool as necessary. A wonderful new feature of PhotoShop CS4 is the “preview” that is shown through the brush as it is moved over the area to be cloned. That alone might be worth the upgrade!

Once the image is looking complete I “Merge Visible Layers” with the option (Mac) key held down thereby creating a new layer that is a composite of all the visible layers. This gives me a final image in one layer facilitating dust-spotting and other touch up work without losing the ability to go back and revisit the underlying layers if need be.

The final result is a realistic photograph of a dragon breathing fire, a professional grade high-quality stock photo. You’d swear it was real.

About the Author:

Stock Photos of dogs, cats, elephants, Lions, baboons, snakes, and more: Animal Stock Photos Also Travel, people, animal, and concept stock photos and Fine Art Prints.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Creating a Fire Breathing Dragon With Photoshop

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Dragons have taken on many forms in our world, so it is only right that they have also become a very common subject for art. There are so many different designs today featuring dragons that this is where most of us get our images of them.

These common images have been passed down for centuries and that is why some people believe that dragons may have once roamed the Earth. Yet there is no real evidence to show that this indeed happened.

Paintings are the most common types of dragon art. You can often tell the type of culture and the time frame when it was done too. For those cultures such as the Chinese that have a strong bond with the dragon, this type of art work is even more common. In addition to drawings they also make masks and kites that feature amazing artistic abilities.

Sculptures of dragons are also found around the world. Some of them are very large to help symbolize the size and power that the images of dragons often give. They can be found at museums and art galleries. Some people display them in their homes as well. They are also symbolic in front of restaurants and other types of businesses operated by the Chinese.

On a smaller scale in size but still very common is dragon art in the form of tattoos. While men generally are the recipients of such art work, some women have been known to feature them as well. If you decide to get a dragon tattoo you want to make sure it is done by someone well qualified. You donít want to regret getting it later on because you donít like how it looks.

Dragon jewelry is always popular as well—and much easier to change than a dragon tattoo. Rings, pendants, earrings, and pins portray both Chinese and European winged dragons in silver or gold, often with precious stones for eyes.

Dragon images adorn dinnerware, glassware, linens, and other household items, too. People around the world are in love with dragons.

If you are interested in capturing the ability to draw dragons, you can take some lessons. Not everyone has the natural ability to do this. There are classes you can take as well as online videos that will show you the basics.

There is a great deal of room to explore your personal creativity in dragon art. It can be a great deal of fun, though, so make sure you find an avenue of art that you really enjoy for it.

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