Dani’s Paper Mache Baby Dragons

Here’s where I give away one of my guilty pleasures.  I am a “Game of Thrones” fan (adapted from the book “A Song of Fire and Ice” by George R.R. Martin).  I’ve read all the books and watched the series on HBO.  I don’t usually do this kind of thing, but I’ve decided to make a few of the main characters.  Well, three of the characters that I think are the main ones, the three little dragons that were born with Dani in the big bonfire at the end of season.    One will be completely hatched, one partially hatched, and one still in the egg.   I will need three eggs for this project.  I’ll start with those.

Those of you who know me know that I hate the using balloons for paper mache.   It is too reminiscent of the tired, antiquated use of this wonderful medium.   But…and here is my big but…balloons are great for one thing…yes, EGGS.    I want to make three dragon eggs, so I bought a few balloons.   (They have to be green.)   Making them the same size is a bit tricky.

I added the paper mache and let them dry.   It turns out that these balloons didn’t quite give me the shape I wanted.  They weren’t quite dragon eggs.

So I sliced them down the middle and pushed on side under the other.

Then I added paper to fill in the gaps.  Of course I’m obsessive with my masking tape and paper.    I kept adding paper here and there until I got the egg the exact shape I wanted.

I made three of these.  Again, getting them to be the same size and shape was much more challenging than I expected.

Dani’s (or Danny’s) Paper Mache Dragon Babies: More Eggs and Little Jaws
Dani’s dragon eggs had scales.  That’s right down my alley.   I started on the bottom and worked my way to the top.   I will cut a couple of these eggs open.    Since I will hollow them out, I want the shell to be strong.   Adding scales like this is perfect for strength.   When you fold the cloth for the scales you get about three layers of cloth and glue. 

On to one of the babies.   Everything springs from the jaws.  I cut open a small paper mache ball and pulled out the wadded paper.    I used the shell for the jaws.   I hot glued some little baby teeth inside the shell. 


I added cloth mache to the jaws.  Then I made a little tongue and added cloth.  Then I painted.  It’s always easier to paint the jaws before assembling the head.

Cute little jaws.

 

Dani’s (or Danny’s) Paper Mache Dragon Babies:  Wings, Some Assembly
First, a quick note about the bottom of the egg.  I just crumpled cloth for a rough effect.  I think it looks great (although it wouldn’t be too comfortable for a mother dragon to push that out)(of course having scales on the eggs would be no fun either).    As I mentioned earlier, I’m making two hatched dragons.   One will be standing, the other just emerging from his egg.  They are similar so I’ll bounce between one and the other.    On the right I’ve made one of the little bodies by taping together two small paper mache balls.  I attached a shell rolled up for the neck, then I added the upper and lower jaws.     Beside the body, you see the makings of a tail and legs.   No paper mache for those.   I just twisted newspaper around pieces of wire clothes hangers and wrapped with masking tape.


I used bird eyes.  They had to be small.   I like the way they turned out.   These teeth are probably too big.   But they will have to do.   They would just break if I tried to make them smaller.     Here is one of the little legs after I added some details.   Again, I just crumpled small pieces of paper and used masking tape to fashion calves and toes.


Here is the little guy with his legs on.  Looks a bit like a frog from the waist down.   I added the tail and checked to see how he would fit in his egg.


Time for wings.  I make the “fingers” the same way I make the legs by twisting paper around wire.  Then I tape them all together.


As always, I drape wet cloth over the fingers.   After the wings dry overnight, I trim them with scissors.


I draped the wings of the little guy in the egg before I put them on the body.  As you can see I rolled them up so that they look as though they are unfurling as he gets ready to leave his egg.


I added cloth mache to the faces.  Then I promptly changed my mind about the shape of the head.   I added a bridge between the forehead and the nose.   I wanted the face to be more round.   Such a change is kind of silly I suppose.   It’s just a matter of taste.

(PS.  For those of you who are watching the TV series, I hope you loved the scene where Drogon, as a young juvenile, took care of the slave owner.)(PSS.  Yes, I’m also making juvenile Drogon.  I want him.)(But mine won’t shoot fire.  Damn. )

 

Game of Thrones- Dani’s Paper Mache Babies finished

Here are the two little dragons.  I guess I ended up melding the way they looked on the TV series and the way they are described in the books.    Drogon is basically black with red markings.    He looks a lot like the famous photo of him sitting on Dani’s shoulder right after the fire.

Danis paper mache baby

Viserion is cream colored with gold on the horns and spines and black teeth.   It was quite a challenge making the full dragon so that it would fit into the egg.    Here are a photos.  I think he is cute.

paper mache baby
paper mache baby dragon 2
paper mache baby dragon hatching

You will  just have to trust me that Rhaegal is still inside his green egg.    If you’d like to watch the time-lapse making of this project, you can find it here.
Remember to subscribe to my Youtube channel if  you like the videos.

 

23 Responses to Dani’s Paper Mache Baby Dragons

  1. Melinda says:
    August 8, 2014 at 8:58 pm

    Hello Dan,
    I made my first dragon and I just love her. I did have trouble with the scales not laying flat. They gaped open at the V. Is that normal? I added a wire loop to her back and put cloth and painted it so she can be hung on the wall or by 25# test fishing line.
    I am ready to make a baby but how big is the egg and the over all length of the baby. I tend to make things too big. So any measurement would really, really help me.
    Love your work
    Bluegill

    Reply
    • danmonsterman says:
      August 9, 2014 at 2:00 am

      Hello Buegill. Glad you had fun with your first dragon. I guess you are talking about these Game of Throne babies. I think the eggs were about 8 inches tall, and drogon was about 10 inches tall. Of course you will have to decide on the relative size of the baby since you know the size of your dragon. Good luck!

      Reply
  2. cage langill says:
    December 20, 2014 at 1:06 am

    Hi Dan,

    I have a question about the scales. You refer to a “cloth” in the instructions. What is that? A canvas? Or paper mache jargon for newspaper and tape layers? Or something completely different?

    Thanks.
    Cage

    Reply
  3. christian cuellar says:
    March 27, 2015 at 5:44 pm

    HI Dan i have question for the wings , it is clothes that you put to cover the fingers, and also what kind of material did you put to stick it

    Reply
  4. Gail Bailey says:
    July 10, 2015 at 7:49 am

    Hi Dan, can you please tell me what you cover the reverse side of the dragon wing fingers with? I see you drape glue-soaked cloth over the front, let dry and then trim. Just wondering what you do to the back, given that you would still be able to see the masking tape? Cheers Gail

    Reply
    • danmonsterman says:
      July 10, 2015 at 4:06 pm

      Hello Gail. After trimming I turn the dragon over and use strips of cloth to cover the spines or fingers. I don’t drape again. It covers the masking tape but it also helps to hold the shape of the draping.
      Good luck

      Reply
      • Gail Bailey says:
        August 8, 2015 at 1:56 pm

        Thanks Dan,
        I’m a high school art teacher and I’m planning to do a paper mache dragon project (like your Game of Thrones baby dragons) with one of my classes. I purchased your book Paper Mache Dragons (through Booktopia) which looks extremely helpful. I’m just wondering about size of the baby dragons though (the book features a much larger dragon)? How big should I make the body? If I have a basic idea of the central body size then all the other body parts will be relative to that? Also, did you use wire coat hangers inside the baby dragons’ bodies, given that they were much smaller?
        Cheers Gail

  5. Gail Bailey says:
    August 9, 2015 at 2:55 am

    Oh and one more question, what size taxidermy eyes did you use for the Game of Thrones baby dragons…I need to order 70 (two for each student) so don’t want to get the wrong size.
    Sorry about all the questions
    Regards Gail

    Reply
  6. Gail Bailey says:
    August 10, 2015 at 3:38 pm

    Thanks Dan…will post some pics of my students dragons when done

    Reply
  7. Nicolas Evilasio says:
    October 4, 2015 at 1:44 am

    Hello Dan,

    What kind of paint did you use in the baby dragons wings?
    I’m thinking about making a little dragon to give for a friend, but I really haven’t much painting abilities.
    How did you do to paint the dragon this way? (Drogon)
    What colors did you use?
    That black color isn’t so dark, I’m sure that I can to make the dragon but I’m afraid of err at the painting time.

    Reply
    • danmonsterman says:
      October 4, 2015 at 3:40 am

      Hello Nicolas. I just use all purpose paint, like you get at Home Depot or any hardware store. Any water based paint will do. If you watch the video (the link is at the end of the post) you can see how I painted it. Start with red, paint the black on while it’s still wet. The best part about painting is if you make a mistake, you can always fix it by repainting. Be brave. It will work fine! Have fun!

      Reply
  8. Collin says:
    November 1, 2016 at 5:02 am

    Hi,
    I have all ways wanted to make a dragon myself, but i dont know what you use for the teeth. I all so dont know what the blackish stuff you put on after you have painted and wipe off to give the shadowing.

    Reply

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  10. Tim Byron says:
    September 9, 2018 at 11:21 pm

    ็Hello Dan!
    What material do you use to make dragon’s scales?

    Reply
    • danmonsterman says:
      September 17, 2018 at 5:23 pm

      Hello Tim. Sorry, for some reason this comment was sent to my spam folder. I made these scales by making a “paper clay”, a mixture of toilet paper, commercial Celluclay, and white glue. I rolled the dough-like clay into balls and then squashed them onto the project.

      Reply

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  12. Taya Pollard says:
    February 25, 2023 at 10:22 pm

    Nice blog thanks for postiing

    Reply

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