How Artist Transforms 104 Pounds Of Steel Into A 9-Foot Dragon Colored Using Only Torches

Here are some images of my completed metal dragon sculpture! If you would like to see more work you can find me on instagram @aidendaleart or on my website www.aidendale.com!

Why a Dragon?

I have been drawn to mythical creatures since childhood. As a kid, I would get lost staring into the clouds, imagining griffons and dragons flying through the sky. I was born in the year of the dragon in the Chinese zodiac, which helped me feel a particular affinity for dragons. The thought of creating one had been in the back of my mind for quite some time, so when a dear friend approached me and asked me to create a large free standing dragon for his farm, I was immediately excited by this idea and jumped right in!

How I Did It

I started by looking at reference photos including Game of Thrones dragons, but they were not exactly what I wanted to create. I had a clear image of how I wanted my dragon to look, but couldn't find the right reference photos anywhere. I decided this was an opportunity for some collaboration, and I contacted my good friend Konstantin Kahl, an incredible illustrator. I described what I was thinking of, and he created sketches, which really helped me wrap my mind around the movement and fluidity of this creature. I drew out the face, the scale and wing patterns, and then projected these various sketches on the wall to create a full-size paper template of the dragon.

After rendering the visual references, it was time to get into making the physical dragon! I created a skeleton using 84 linear feet of 1/8 inch rod and added a strong internal structure made up of 37 linear feet of tubing ranging from 3/8" thick to 2" thick. I then created the hands, feet, head, wings, fins and over 1600 handmade scales, adding weld build up for texture. I then colored everything using only torches and would grind away color and recolor areas until I achieved the desired complexity and depth. Then it was time to weld the head, feet and wings onto the skeleton and lastly cover the entire body in scales!

During this process Emily Frachtling, a friend and wonderful filmmaker, shot footage of it coming to life (so to speak), and is creating a short film about the process! Stay tuned for that!

Quick Facts

- This dragon is made entirely out of stainless steel.

- It is colored using only hand torches.

- It has a 108” (9 feet) wingspan stands 58” tall (just under 5 feet) and measures 84” (7 feet) from nose to tail

- The final scale tally came to 1574 with an additional 49 chest/neck plates

- Dragon weighs 104 Pounds

More info: aidendale.com