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 the entire dragon is covered. Vary the colors if you like.
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.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—
- Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
- Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
- Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
- The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
- Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
- Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
- Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Recycled Containers—Must be clean and safe. Do not use containers that contained bleach or other harmful chemicals (for example, household cleaners, dishwasher or laundry detergents). Do not use recycled metal cans that have sharp edges (for example, lids removed by household can openers).
- 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.
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