Mountains of the Dragonhorse

The August illustration for my 2006 Calendar Antellonian Horse which you can purchase via check or PayPal at Eltsar Press.

Dragonhorses yay! I love these little buggers, even though they are as vicious as they look and probably more tenacious than a herd of rabid goats on crack. This particular breed (or really, species) is based mostly off of the Shetland Pony's infamous reputation, plus a few fantastical spikes. I'd gotten tired of always seeing mythical horses as sort of ethereal, or beautiful creatures, and wanted to portray a breed that was downright vicious. Because everyone needs a little, spikey, badass side to them, right? (No comment on the fact that this illustration coincides with MY birth month (the fifteenth). Nope. None at all. )

Official Calendar Comment:
Dragonhorses are probably the most aptly named of all the equines in the world. However, whether the "dragon" part of their name refers to the spiky projections (which are actually not horns, but condensed hair, like those of a rhinoceros) on the backs of their necks, legs and tails or to their volatile and hot headed temperament is unknown. Most experts would suggest both. Dragonhorses are deceptively small, on average about two and a half feet at the withers (horns not included), and because of their downright flammable personalities they are not used as domestic animals by anyone. They live in the heart of griffin territory, and need all the defense they can get. Because of this, and their small size, they make poor meat animals.

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Orginal size 8" x 11" on paper board, mixed media colored pencils and watercolor. All riiight. This one started off badly for me, I drew the two horses, and they looked... okay. But rather plain. I was gonna have the background be a valley or sommat, but then I thought it would be a great deal more interesting if you were looking UP into the mountains. You get to see more mountains that way, and it was a challenge for me to pull off.

Note to vigilant viewers: Recognize those spikey, yellow mountains in the very back? *coughAprilcough*

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Indevidual 11"x14" matted prints available for $7.00 or two for $10.00 + shipping and tax (CA only) at the Eltsar Press Prints Gallery.
Other Pictures in the series:

* Cover * Inside Piece * January * February * March * April * May *
* June * July * September * * October * November * December *