Dragoncraft: Treasures from a Dragon's Hoard, pt. 2

Dragons are clever creatures. They hoard many things - jewels, gold, expensive fabrics, and precious artifacts - but there are other less-known things a dragon will hoard. They love pretty things of all natures, of course, like paintings, fine wines and liquors... and women. But their cleverness shows in that they also find knowledge beautiful and hoard-worthy. Many dragons keep extensive libraries, and read whatever strikes their fancy when they're not out hunting a farmer's herds or raiding castles or making off with pretty virgins.

My Dragon always says that his hoard is his family, sweet, romantic, scaly fire-breathing thing that he is... I also know that he loves pretty and precious things just as any other dragon. However, he too loves knowledge. More specifically, he loves sharing it. He loves teaching. And he loves old things.

Amongst the many things I have seen him teach others in recent years, one of the most fun is listening to him on the subject of Antiques. He is deeply in his element at certain times... such as crafting, or cooking... or surrounded by old things. The area we live in is rich in history and antiques; this area of NC has roots as deep as the mountains in the distance. Inspired by these old and deeply rooted surroundings that he grew up in, Dragon has decided to share some of his personal Hoard with our small audience.

He has acquired three artifacts of history that will follow this post in pictures and detail. If you know antiquers or junkers (and yes I know the difference), you might want to spread the word.

Source credit: deviantART

Dragoncraft: Bones and Ink - Treasures from a Dragon's Hoard

“We men dream dreams, we work magic, we do good, we do evil. The dragons do not dream. They are dreams. They do not work magic: it is their substance, their being. They do not do; they are.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Farthest Shore

Such can be said for Fox's dear Dragon. The Internet is not his thing; blogging and networking via this electronic medium is a vexing task for my grumpy one, so he mostly leaves it to his Fox.  But outside the computerized world, he does plenty else. He takes care of his Fox, and our little dragonette, as best as he is able. And somehow amongst all that, he finds time to create. So let me celebrate him:

The Birth of Something New and Drippy: Dragon's Inklings. Feed them your hopes, your dreams, your wishes and prayers, and they'll work themselves to the bone to help them come true!

Dragon hand-carves and hand-paints bone in much the same manner and much the same techniques Fox uses to create her own bone and antler pieces. Only, he creates little wish-creatures instead of jewelry. No machinery was used; these are shaped and carved with nothing but a pocketknife, a craft knife, and some detail files. They are painted with India Ink and a fine-tip brush, and much patience and care. Have I mentioned, his hands are magic?

Now I must admit, this post is a bit of a tease; There will be 4 (I believe) more Limited Edition Deer Bone Inklings, made from deadfall deer bones rescued from an ignominious ending in a ditch. These are Dragon's current project, along with some clay versions of the Inklings. These will be available for purchase (wink wink nudge nudge). Stay tuned for more on those, but for now, let me show you what I am describing:

Thanks to Magaly (recipient of the #1 Limited Edition Deer Bone Inkling named Moe), I have got some lovely pix to share. If you'd like to see what she wrote about him, look no further than Ink, Art, Books, and Bones. The Moe-specific portion is the third picture down from top.