Dragonatomy- Illustrated Scientific Field Guide to Dragons

A Small Delay, a Steady Course, and a Leviathan's Life!
12 months ago – Tue, Apr 15, 2025 at 08:16:50 PM

First off, thank you as always for the incredible support, enthusiasm, and trust you’ve shown us. Creating Dragonatomy has been the privilege of a lifetime, and we are getting SO CLOSE to completing the project. 
It looks like the final fully illustrated book will be around 220-250 PAGES. 
But as with all endeavors crafted by human hands… sometimes those hands need a rest.

A Brief Delay And Why

Over the past few weeks, I’ve developed an increasing case of tendonitis in my dominant drawing arm. While thankfully not serious, it does mean that I need to scale back illustration work to avoid making it worse.

Even working alongside some incredible professional designers like Autumn Leiker, editors, and production support, there’s still some drawing to be done that can’t be outsourced or delegated. 
The project’s visuals are totally dependent on hand-drawn artwork, and we take pride in using real art, not AI-generated imagery. That human touch means we’re occasionally subject to human limits, but I believe that’s part of what makes this project special.

We’ll keep you up to date as we progress through recovery and rescheduling, and we genuinely appreciate your understanding during this short detour. 
We expect it shouldn’t throw off final delivery by more than a few weeks, and late summer is still the goal.

Tariffs and Costs. What’s Changing (and What’s Not)

A couple of you actually reached out with concerns over the unpredictable tariffs recently levied by the United States on international goods. Please rest assured, these will not affect your rewards.

We’ve budgeted the project well, and are lucky to have received such incredible support during the Kickstarter run. Right now we’re investigating a variety of manufacturers and shipping methods for the final book. Even if production or delivery costs rise, your books and rewards are secure at the original pledge price. If necessary, we will eat any cost difference because your trust and support are worth far more than a margin. This book was always about love and craft, and that hasn’t changed.

Now Onto the Cool Stuff

At the heart of Dragonatomy is the goal of making the fantastical believable through the (pretty darn awesome) lens of real biology and natural science. 

Not just mythic monsters icons of myth, but as living organisms with physiology, behavior, and ecological roles shaped by the same evolutionary forces that sculpt all life on Earth. 

That means portraying them not only in flight or fury, but in every stage of life: from hatchlings blinking in sunlight for the first time, to aging titans succumbing to time, their bodies returning to the world in death.

So I had the idea of depicting a leviathan whale fall, showing the final destination of the creature's enormous body.

I'm trying to include a few more of these vignettes, full page illustrated spreads that will have some diagrams and labels included but mostly focus on the art. To give a more naturalistic feel to the work! It’s in these quiet, natural moments that the wonder of the world reveals itself most clearly, and it’s where fantasy and science converge into something both magical and true.

And since you've been so patient, here's another little dragon to keep ya satisfied, a beach-combing scavenger :) just a bonus creature that is getting added thanks to the extensive stretch goals. It also fits nicely into the theme of ecological exploration and niches. Dragons can be more than fearsome monsters (though there are a plenty formidable ones as well)
Help me find a better name for them than "gutterdrake" or I stg it'll end up that way in the final book :P

Thanks as always for your understanding, support, and continued interest in the project! 
We're closer every day, and I know the extra time and effort will bring something truly amazing into the world.

-Topher
 

🐉 Dragonatomy Update: Surveys Incoming! 📜
about 1 year ago – Fri, Mar 07, 2025 at 02:13:53 PM

Greetings, Dragonologists!

We have an exciting update! 🐉 Over the next week, you can expect to receive your BackerKit survey, where you’ll confirm your shipping information, and any exciting add-ons you’d like to include.

Before we send out all surveys, we’ll be running a smoke test this weekend—this means that about 10% of backers will receive their surveys first. This helps us catch any potential issues before rolling them out to everyone. If you’re one of the lucky few to receive a survey early, filling it out quickly will help ensure a smooth process for the rest of our backers!

Keep an eye on your inbox, and if you don’t see your survey by the end of next week, check your spam folder or reach out to us. Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm—we’re one step closer to bringing Dragonatomy to life!

Project Timeline & Shipping 🚚

Everything is progressing right on schedule, and we’re still on track to ship rewards in summer! We’ll keep you updated as we move through production, but rest assured—Dragonatomy is well on its way and we are working as hard as possible to make this something special! 

NOTICE: there will still be time to adjust your address before the books are sent out! In summer, before anything is shipped you'll get a final heads up.
 

Art and Design Update! 

I want to show off some of the formatting and design decisions we've been working one. The art and writing is 80% done, and we've moved onto compiling and editing. So here's a preview of some of the graphic design. 

A lot of it is still underway and subject to change or adjustment, but we're trying to capture a feeling between a old explorers journal, monster manual, and anatomical artbook. We'll be printing it on 105 lb uncoated matte paper-stock, so it'll have a heavy feel and a natural roughness to the paper that should really give a vintage grain to each illustration.
Each chapter will have a color scheme, to give the book a subtle aesthetic essence based in each biome and the dragons within. 

 Along with some little embellishments...

And visual additions, for extra flair! 

We're working hard to add details to every page, and make the project feel like a beloved collectors piece. 

More Dragons to look at! 
 

This update took a while, so you are more than entitled to see MORE dragooooons (and other creatures)! 
Here's some fun additions as we fill out various biomes and try to be creative with the biological 

An additional Griffin! Adapted for the cold reaches of the frozen North. Might take another pass at the head, it's very puffin and I can't tell if I love that or if it needs a more fantastical rework. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Cute little guy! I'm balancing the larger creatures with some insectivores and other niches. These live in temperate forests, with such extremely high metabolisms that every failed hunt carries the risk of starvation. 

Next we have a domesticated species of dragon. Something I wanted to play with early on is the premise of biological plausibility applied to fantastical species, and domestication exemplifies that! This art and the writing is still in the early stages, but it hopefully shows you the general idea.

And finally, in addition to the cuties and the niche-fillers we have some fun BIG dinosaur-like dragons. 

Perfect for populating your game-world, or just appreciating the bizzare and beautiful extremes that life can encompass.

Thanks as always for your patience, and I'll be back in a few weeks with more information. Please let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments, and I look forward to keeping you updated on the project's progress.

Stay awesome, 
Topher 

Dragons of the Extremes
about 1 year ago – Sat, Jan 11, 2025 at 11:56:46 AM

Hey all, 

Hope you all had a good Holiday Season! I'm back again with another update and some previews of new bizarre and extreme creatures! 

First, I want to clarify-

A few people reached out asking where their book was, it seems not everyone is reading the updates. Right now things are still on schedule, and I'll let you know if there are any unexpected delays.

ALSO! Quick housekeeping thing, I haven't sent out the surveys for people's custom dragons yet. They are coming within the next week or so. Thanks for understanding! I haven't forgotten about you. 

Now, let's see some of the crazy creatures that you earned with your stretch goal support!

I wanted to seriously push the limits of biology while still rooting the creatures in existing and plausible possibilities. So first we have an deep sea abyssal dragon. The only known species of dragon which breathes water instead of air. An ancient and bizarre lineage of life, these creatures dwell in the crushing darkness and freezing temperatures of the Abyssopelagic Zone where the only visible light is that emitted by organisms. They retain their hexapodal body plan, drifting through the black with gentle maneuvers of their wings, and sensing prey with their sensitive branched forelimbs. 

You can see the visual inspiration at the bottom of the image. They also have a slingshot jaw which extends beyond the boundaries of their skull like a goblin shark (more anatomy pics will be in the book).

The write up for this guy was VERY fun, and had me researching old sailors accounts of deep sea species which we now know are real (like giant squids). Even today, the ocean's floor is still so inaccessible, its mysteries have long eluded humanity's grasps.

Next we have a high altitude dragon with its partially inflated reservoir. 

The biological secret to dragonfire has long been known- hydrogen storage within the body, naturally accumulated via an efficient process of natural electrolysis. But some species take this phenomena to the next level, storing hydrogen in distended bladders which allow them to drift across continents on warm trade winds. Dropping down into deep ocean waters or isolated islands to feed, breed, and recover before taking flight again. These creatures spend much of their lives in the open air. 

Here are some of the visual and biological inspirations! This one will have a few more angles and a deeper dive into its biology (yes, I know in that pic the sac isn't really inflated enough to make flight remotely plausible)

Finally we have our first parasitic dragon! This one is in progress, I'm thinking of changing the coloration, at least on the back of its wings. What do you think?

These diminutive creatures are blood suckers, latching onto the bodies of larger dragons and filling the sacs along their bellies with nourishment. Their saliva is a powerful anesthetic, and their flat limbs and muscled wings anchor tightly to create a seal against the host. 

Visual and biological inspiration! 

Their long grasping appendages (yellow) are actually just a single extended finger from their hand which allows them to crawl and climb and hang from surfaces when not in flight. While their grasping appendages (blue) are the remainder of their "hands" and have suction like gecko-pads to grip tight onto skin while the mouth bites.
Sort of like an aye aye finger taken to the extreme. 

Originally this one was going to have remora-like suction plates on the undersides of their wings (which is why their wings are so fat) but I am concerned about overcooking the design. 
Would love your opinions on these! There is still so much room to grow and change.

*oh! And in case you were wondering, its eyes are hidden under a plate of skin on the head which can raise and lower via muscular action for protection while feeding. They are rudimentary since the dragon navigates primarily by echolocation, but they have eyes.

Thanks as always for your patience, the book will have PLENTY of more classical dragons as well so don't worry! These are very fun very extreme outliers which explore how dragons could adapt to every ecosystem. 

In the next update (in a few weeks) I think I'll share some more work in progress stuff. I get a little self conscious and find myself wasting time touching up rough sketches before I share them, so this is a good chance to break that habit. Will also definitely be showing some of the BIG dragons soon, and some anatomy stuff for the more classical designs and shapes. 

I'm sure after that hydras and wyverns are soon to follow! 

As always, please leave your thoughts below and feel free to share things you'd like to see or are curious about!

Stay awesome, dragonologists! 

-Topher

New creatures & RPG preview
over 1 year ago – Mon, Dec 09, 2024 at 10:21:02 AM

Hey all, I'm here with another update!

A few backers in the previous post said that an update every two weeks would be a bit much, so I'm going to play it a little looser and just post every couple of weeks. I'll keep it light, and hopefully keep everyone excited for the project! 

Here's a (partly unfinished) preview of a botanical inspired dragon. Behind the fleshy pink structures on the upper portion of its open mouth are twin slender viper-like fangs which administer a fast acting neurotoxin to paralyze and kill pollinating birds and small nectar-drinking dragons. I'll have some close ups of the fang/mouth anatomy in the final book.

This one might seem a little fanciful, but it's directly inspired by existing real-life species that wait in flowers to ambush their prey. 

It's my hope for the project to create incredible creatures which also explores the beauty and diversity of real biology. 

Here's a snowy griffin! Pretty straight-forward conceptually, but it's been a real delight studying how animals adapt to extreme cold. I've got a little unfinished insert of how their feathers raise as a threat display. I thought it would be really funny to have the griffin's skull visually displayed, and quite small. Like a little fist sized nugget under layers and layers of muscle and insulating feathers. Still working it, but let me know what you think! 

RPG 

Here's a preview of the game stuff! Right now it's just PILES and PILES of notes. Like WAAAAAAY too many notes. I've been so focused on the art, but I know a lot of people are interested in having a cool naturalist artbook AND being able to easily integrate it into their game world. So in addition to the animated dragons, I'm working hard on brining these creatures to life mechanically and in encounter designs. 

Like I said, right now it's a mess, but I hope you don't mind seeing some behind the scenes stuff. It will get edited down, cleaned up, and turned into an exciting addition to the book! 

This is WAY TOO MUCH, but I appreciate you sticking with me 

Anyway! Thanks for reading! I'll be back in a couple weeks with some new additions. The project is on track, and I'll let you know if there are any delays (which is totally possible, but right now things are remarkably going well)

Stay awesome, and as always please feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

-Topher

Timeline, Outline, and Sketches
over 1 year ago – Wed, Nov 20, 2024 at 10:04:33 AM

Hey everyone!

Sorry for being a little late with this update, I caught COVID coming back from my trip and it took a few days to recover. Been working on the book full time, and I’m so excited to share how it’s coming together.

The Updated Timeline for the book’s release

There’s an outline for the final book’ below, so you can see the expanded content for yourself. But, basically we are looking at 60-70 creatures, more than DOUBLE the original amount (25-30). That's well over one HUNDRED full additional illustrations that weren't going to be in the original book, so I hope you're ready for a heck of a lot of Dragons! 

Early in the project I polled backers to ask if they wanted more content even if it delayed the release date. The results were overwhelming.

Considering all the added content, right now I’m hoping to begin shipping physical rewards in June or July 2025. 

I hope you’ll be patient with me and my editor as we strive to make this project all that it can be.

The last thing we want is to cut corners or deliver a less-than-amazing final project, and dozens of additional illustrations will take time to polish (not to mention all the expanded RPG content to cover the new creatures), along with the time needed to manufacture and ship the book.

Book Outline

Here's a rough outline for the book, with stretch goal content in RED.

Every entry requires multiple full-color illustrations, often of complex behaviors or detailed anatomical structures

I'll keep updating as the project comes along, a few new entires for wyverns, basiliks, and some exciting exotic dragons are almost done and I've been thinking of doing a little creature design tutorial that shows either a time lapse or a step by step breakdown of how the creatures are drawn. Also finishing some graphic design content for the book's interior and layout that I'd love to show off and recieve feedback for (if it doesn't feel like a chore). 
Please let me know in the comments what kind of content you'd like to see going forwards, and what you think of the current outline for the book. Always happy to discuss and adjust based on the desires of backers. After all, this book wouldn't exist without your support and dedication. 

Don't stop exploring and discovering, Dragonologists! I'll see you next time! 

-Topher


P.S. I will be reaching out individually to the DESIGN A DRAGON backers to begin work on your original creatures in December. I appreciate your patience, everything has moving so fast but I haven't forgotten you.